SYSTEMS FOR COLLECTING AND TRANSFERRING OF METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION USED FOR WEATHER PREDICTION

During the ship’s voyage the mariners are facing many hazards like strong winds, rough sea, icebergs, etc. That is why the accuracy of meteorological information received on board is vital. Although the WMO is aiming for automation of the processes for collection and transmission of meteorological information the watchkeeping officers role in manual input of meteorological information is still very important.

Meteorological data obtained from satellites, shore stations, aircrafts, research and merchant vessels performing the voyages in different areas of the Worlds Ocean, and systems of floating, drifting and moored buoys are used for weather forecasting. Reliable database for every region requires constant measurements of meteorological parameters for a long period of time. Real time wave and wind measurements are important for forecasting and sending of warning messages to the ships, creation of numerical models and proper work of the companies, providing ship’s routing services.

This paper discusses the systems used for collecting, storage and processing of meteorological data, the automated weather systems used for observation of meteorological parameters on board of the ships and the systems used for transferring of all these data.