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Helsinki A prominent player in the weather measurement business, Finnish company Vaisala won a one 1-million euro tender in August to set up 60 automatic weather stations across Delhi to provide high-quality weather services for the Commonwealth Games next year.

Though the contract has not been signed yet — the company believes there is enough time to execute the job — the Finnish firm is also participating in the tender process of five other contracts to provide equipment to make weather forecasts during the sports event next October.

Vaisala’s executive vice-president (meteorology) Martti Husu told Newsline that all six contracts are estimated at 10 million euros.

The 60 weather stations, Vaisala’s chief technology officer (strategic research) Ari Meskanen, said will provide data on wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity and atmospheric pressure. These stations are portable for temporary installations and consist of a lightweight aluminum tripod and easy-to-use connectors that make them fast to set up. These, company officials said, measure surface weather over a wide range of applications.

“The prediction will be extremely accurate,” Meskanen said, adding that a recent World Bank input on the modernisation of meteorological services in India indicate the country needs to spend nearly $ 400 million in the next five years for a complete makeover of its network.

India utilises 30,000 locally produced devices to gauge weather, sources said.

For the recent project, Vaisala will be the prime partner in technology and resource-sharing, largely providing equipment and expert advice. It has subcontracted to India-based partner HBE the job of handling the installation of its products, training officials and providing after-sales services required to maintain the equipment.

Husu said the weather data — deriving from observations as real-time as possible — will then be lifted by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and sent out as forecast.

Though in the business for over 70 years, Husu said the company entered the Indian market only last year and hopes to be associated with the Ministry of Earth Sciences in providing grist to its plan of upgrading the IMD’s network.

The company’s senior vice-president (communications) Helena Marjaranta said Vaisala provided weather solutions for the Beijing Olympics, too, for the business expected for the Commonwealth Games tenders: 10 million euros.

The Delhi government is also looking at five other Games projects, including installing two wind profilers, one new upper air station and developing a high-resolution, numerical weather forecasting model.

The Finnish company hopes to be a long-term player in India’s expanding weather solutions basket. Officials said it is looking at becoming a supplier in expanding India’s hydrological network, supplying meterological solutions for the Indian road authority, harbours, the Power Grid Corporation of India, and hydro and solar power plants.

It also plans to become a major supplier of various instruments used in the Indian meteorological industry.

(The writer is a guest of Finnfacts and Cleantech Finland in Finland)

Helping out Met

* Wins tender to set up 60 automatic weather stations across Delhi to provide high-quality weather services
* Participating in tender process of 5 other contracts to provide equipment to make weather forecasts
* 60 weather stations to provide data on wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure
* Stations are portable for temporary installations
* Consist of a lightweight aluminum tripod and easy-to-use connectors that make them fast to set up

via Finnish firm on starting line to make weather forecast – Express India.

Voltree Power said it has completed a successful trial demonstration of its innovative climate sensor network, one that can be powered by energy harvested from living trees, according to a June 25 press release.

The three-day test and system installation demonstrated the successful integration with the existing “Remote Automated Weather Stations” network, transmitting air temperature, humidity, and diagnostic data.

Using low-power radio transceivers, sensors, and its patented bioenergy-harvesting technology, Voltree has provided a new means for fire prediction and detection. Developed under the oversight and guidance of the U.S. Forest Service as well as the Bureau of Land Management, the system employs sensors for air temperature, relative humidity, and voltage and can generate alerts in the event of a fire. In such cases, the wireless mesh network transmits data signals from one unit to another until they reach a Vaisala-built central monitoring station. These stations subsequently provide a satellite microwave uplink connection that allows the collected information to be shared with numerous government agencies and many other users worldwide.

“The Voltree solution for remote forest monitoring provides a reliable and cost-effective method of collecting microclimate, ‘under-the-forest-canopy’ weather data that will serve as a valuable tool for weather and climate modeling as well as climate change research. This predictive approach will enable strategic resource allocation and prioritization. Hence by better pre-positioning resources the government land agencies can maximize public and firefighter safety as well as reduce losses and lower costs,” said Stella Karavas, chief executive officer of Voltree Power.

via Wireless Sensor Technology Predicts Fires in Forests | Environmental Protection.

Russia renews its surface weather observation capabilities – Vaisala technology used for accurate weather data

One of the biggest surface weather observation network modernization projects in the world is currently underway in the Russian Federation. The project includes over 1800 observation sites around Russia. Vaisala is the main weather observation technology provider in the large-scale project.

Vaisala provides the Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet) with state-of-the-art surface weather monitoring technology. The goals are to gain real-time data, increase automation, and improve the quality of weather information across the largest country in the world.

Vaisala is partnering with a local Russian integrator, Lanit, in the delivery project. The equipment will be used throughout the entire Russian Federation in accordance with the Russian Federation National Hydromet Modernization Project. The project is supported by the World Bank.

Local production facilities have been set up in the Novosibirsk region with Vaisala’s assistance. Finnish engineers are actively involved in the process. Weather station assembly, calibration and delivery will be carried out from the Novosibirsk facility. The first stations have already been assembled locally.

The entire modernization project, coordinated by Lanit, will amount to tens of millions of euros. Vaisala’s share of the contract is some 4.7 million euros. The project scale is unprecedented in the Russian history of meteorology.

“This is a major opening for Vaisala in the region, and the biggest single surface weather equipment agreement ever made. I’m extremely happy that our long-term hard work in the region has been rewarded like this,” says Martti Husu, Executive Vice President from Vaisala Meteorology.