New satellite system to boost Fiji weather forecasts

Fiji’s weather forecasting capability is set to improve with the handover of a new Himawari Cast Satellite Reception System to the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS).

Speaking during the handover ceremony at FMS in Suva today, JICA Fiji Office Assistant Resident Representative Kohei Watanabe said the system would strengthen Fiji’s capacity to monitor weather conditions.

The equipment will enable FMS to receive, decode and visualise satellite data to support weather monitoring and forecasting, helping improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to the public.

He said the Himawari Cast system was a high-performance automatic satellite ground receiving station designed to receive meteorological cloud imagery from the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Himawari satellite through the Himawari Cast Service.

“The equipment being handed over will decode and visualise satellite data to support meteorological monitoring and forecasting systems to improve the quality and accuracy of data for better forecasting information,” Mr Watanabe said.

The installation is part of JICA’s project to strengthen meteorological forecasting and warning capacity and establish regional centres for the Pacific.

Mr Watanabe said similar Himawari Cast systems had been installed in Kiribati and Nauru, with installation planned for the Cook Islands.

The project also aims to strengthen the capacity of meteorological officers to operate the Regional Training Centre, Regional Instrument Centre and Disaster Risk Reduction Awareness Centre as hubs for the Pacific.

Mr Watanabe congratulated FMS on its designation as a World Meteorological Organization-accredited Regional Training Centre, describing it as a significant milestone for Fiji’s meteorological services.

He said JICA and FMS had also conducted training on Himawari data analysis and rainfall monitoring, with experts from the Japan Meteorological Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency involved.

The training was attended by officials from 14 meteorological offices across the Pacific.

Mr Watanabe said JICA planned to conduct another regional training programme this year as it continued working with FMS to strengthen meteorological capacity across the Pacific.

He said the partnership remained focused on developing human resources and enhancing meteorological services for the benefit of Pacific communities.