The Status of Meteorological Database
Construction and Service
Ae-Sook Suh
Remote Sensing Research Lab.
Meteorological Research Institute, KMA
assuh@metri.re.kr
ABSTRACT
KMA(Korea Meteorological Administration) is a governmental organization of the
Republic of Korea under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). Its mission
is defined as protection of citizens' lives and properties from natural disasters and
improvement of the common wealth of the public in ways such as support for economic
activities. KMA provides meteorological services to public and carries out active
programs of research and international cooperation.
Modernization of meteorological services in Korea began in May 1904, when five
weather stations, including Busan and Mokpo, were established.
The Central Meteorological Office was formally set up with the establishment of the
Korean government in August 1948 and was renamed Korea Meteorological
Administration in 1990. KMA has eighty-five meteorological stations and 460
automatic weather stations (AWSs) located throughout the country.
The meteorological stations are responsible for meteorological observations, local
weather forecasts and monitoring of regional meteorological status. Regional
meteorological offices (RMOs) and weather stations (WSs) carry out meteorological
observations and issue local forecasts. They also manage the weather observation
stations and AWSs.
Weather information is distributed to relevant authorities for the prevention of
KMA(Korea Meteorological Administration) is a governmental organization of the Republic of
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Korea under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). Its mission is defined as
protection of citizens' lives and properties from natural disasters and improvement of the
common wealth of the public in ways such as support for economic activities. KMA provides
meteorological services to public and carries out active programs of research and international
cooperation.
Modernization of meteorological services in Korea began in May 1904, when five weather
stations, including Busan and Mokpo, were established.
The Central Meteorological Office was formally set up with the establishment of the Korean
government in August 1948 and was renamed Korea Meteorological Administration in 1990.
KMA has eighty-five meteorological stations and 460 automatic weather stations (AWSs)
located throughout the country.
The meteorological stations are responsible for meteorological observations, local weather
forecasts and monitoring of regional meteorological status. Regional meteorological offices
(RMOs) and weather stations (WSs) carry out meteorological observations and issue local
forecasts. They also manage the weather observation stations and AWSs.
Weather information is distributed to relevant authorities for the prevention of natural
disasters during extreme weather conditions.
Aeronautical meteorological offices are located at each airport for aircraft safety operation.
The Meteorological Research Institute (METRI) gives support to the weather services by
conducting various research, especially those with emphasis on East Asian climate.
In this regard, KMA undertakes observation and analysis of meteorological phenomena on
the ground, in the ocean, and in the atmosphere. It provides weather forecasts and warnings, and
presents climate statistics and industrial-meteorological data.
Furthermore, it exchanges meteorological data and information with domestic and foreign
organizations conducts research and technology development activities, and promptes
international cooperations
This data are managed in database constructed through the data processing. These
meteorological data (constructed in this way) are applied to weather analysis, weather forecast
and weather services, and are also provided through the public service center and KMA web
service(www.kma.go.kr).
Introduction
KMA(Korea Meteorological Administration) is a governmental organization of the
Republic of Korea under the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). Its mission
is defined as protection of citizens' lives and properties from natural disasters and
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improvement of the common wealth of the public in ways such as support for economic
activities. KMA provides meteorological services to public and carries out active
programs of research and international cooperation.
Modernization of meteorological services in Korea began in May 1904, when five
weather stations, including Busan and Mokpo, were established.
The Central Meteorological Office was formally set up with the establishment of the
Korean government in August 1948 and was renamed as Korea Meteorological
Administration in 1990. KMA has eighty-five meteorological stations and 460
automatic weather stations (AWSs) located throughout the country.
The meteorological stations are responsible for meteorological observations, local
weather forecasts and monitoring of regional meteorological status. Regional
meteorological offices (RMOs) and weather stations (WSs) carry out meteorological
observations and issue local forecasts. They also manage the weather observation
stations and AWSs.
Weather information is distributed to relevant authorities for the prevention of natural
disasters during extreme weather conditions.
Aeronautical meteorological offices are located at each airport for aircraft safety
operation. The Meteorological Research Institute (METRI) gives support to the weather
services by conducting various research, especially those with emphasis on East Asian
climate.
In this regard, KMA undertakes observation and analysis of meteorological
phenomena on the ground, in the ocean, and in the atmosphere. It provides weather
forecasts and warnings, and presents climate statistics and industrial-meteorological
data.
Furthermore, it exchanges meteorological data and information with domestic and
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foreign organizations conducts research and technology development activities, and
promptes international cooperations
This data are managed in database constructed through the data processing. These
meteorological data (constructed in this way) are applied to weather analysis, weather
forecast and weather services, and are also provided through the public service center
and KMA web service(www.kma.go.kr).
Organization
In this regard, KMA undertakes observation and analysis of meteorological phenomena
on the ground, in the ocean, and in the atmosphere. It provides weather forecasts and
warnings, and presents climate statistics and industrial-meteorological data.
Furthermore, it exchanges meteorological data and information with domestic and
foreign organizations conducts research and technology development activities, and
promptes international cooperations
KMA is composed of three bureaus (Planning, Forecast, and Climate), two officers
(Observation and Information), the Meteorological Research Institute, Aviation Weather
Stations, and 5 Regional Meteorological Offices, with 1045 civil servants. There are
total of 83 weather stations including 6 radar, 3 upper-air observation stations, and 460
Automatic Weather Stations (AWSs), operated by KMA.
Acquisition Meteorological Data
Surface Observations
Surface observations is being conducted at the 73 manned stations with automated
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equipment. The 15 elements including pressure, temperatures, humidity, precipitation,
cloud coverage, winds, solar radiation and so on, are measured every three hours. Under
special conditions, such as in heavy rains or severe weather, observations are made
every hour or every 30 minutes.
In addition to the 73 manned stations, KMA has automatic weather stations of 440
AWSs which collect the data on wind direction, wind speed, temperature and
precipitation, at every minute. 60 AWSs will be installed by 2003 to reduce the spatial
resolution from the current 15 km to 14 km.
The AWSs installed in high mountains or in isolated islands contribute to early and
small-scale detection of severe weather such as a localized torrential downpour. The
dense surface observation data collected from the AWSs also play an important role in
the preparation of the initial conditions for the numerical prediction models.
Upper-air Observations
It is well known that the information about the vertical profile of the atmosphere is
essential for understanding atmospheric conditions and accurate weather forecasting.
The 4 upper-air weather stations, in Pohang, Jeju, Sokcho and Paekryungdo, take
measurements twice a day, at 00 and 12 UTC. They provide data on vertical profiles of
pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind direction and with speed, up to an altitude of
about 30km.
Marine Observations
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Korea, which is a peninsula, has constant and enormous demand for marine
meteorological information. KMA gathers the marine and coastal information from the
observations at the marine observation stations, and from the buoys, CCTV, and a ship.
The ship (150 tons), is also being used for the maintenance of buoys, research
expeditions, and special observations.
Korea has 5 moored buoys, 2 in the West Sea, 2 in the South Sea, and 1 in the East
Sea to monitor not only various meteorological components but also the height, cycle,
and direction of the waves and sea surface temperature, which are utilized in forecasts
and research.
Satellite Observations
Meteorological satellites yield precise visual data of clouds in real time. The satellite
imagery has been used for the detection of small-scale meteorological phenomena,
which usually develop quickly and locally, to large scale phenomena such as the jet
stream, El Nino/La Nina, and global climate change. With the recent advances in sensor
technology and the accuracy in the satellite data, satellite observation plays a great role
in weather forecast and meteorological research.
Currently, KMA receives and analyzes real-time data from geostationary satellites,
including the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite (GMS) of Japan, METEOSAT-5 of
the European Union, FY-2 of China, and polar orbiting satellites such as the NOAA
series. A kind of satellite data reception/analysis system (MDUSI) is installed at the
KMA headquarters and many small systems (SDUS) are installed in weather stations.
The images are primarily used to diagnose the current atmospheric status through the
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analysis of the synoptic system, the detection of severe thunder-storms and dust storms,
as well as to track and forecast typhoons. On the other hand, the numerical outputs from
the polar orbiting satellite provide information on the vertical structures of pressure,
temperature, water vapor, and so on. These data are used as initial values for the
numerical weather prediction model. The primary results, images and numerical data
are distributed on the Internet and Intranet.
From 2001, KMA will begin to receive direct broadcast data from Terra, the first EOS
series, so that it can deal more precisely with various meteorological parameters such as
the cloud information, surface characteristics (including NDVI), sea surface temperature,
vertical profiles of temperature and humidity, precipitable water amounts, and special
phenomena such as the yellow dust outbreak. In the long term, KMA is pursuing its own
meteorological satellite.
The satellite is located above the earth's equator at an altitude of about 36,000 km and
revolves along the equator at the same velocity as the earth's rotation. The GMS is
positioned at 140° and scans the whole hemisphere every 30 minutes.
Weather Radar Observations
Weather radars are one of the latest remote sensing instruments which provide for
early detection of severe weather by projecting electronic waves on water droplets of
clouds and then analyzing their reflected waves. High resolution radar data greatly
contribute to short-term forecasts such as sudden weather changes like torrential rains,
hail storms, lightning and typhoons.
KMA operates 6 doppler radar stations and produces composite radar images every
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10 minutes. In addition, data which are produced by weather radars of other relevant
organizations such as the Air Force (3 places) and the Water Resource Development
Cooperation (1 place), and Incheon International Airport are used. The U.S. Air Force in
Korea also contributes to KMA data collecting. Recently, radar data gathered by the 6
Japanese radar stations have been sent hourly to KMA through the GTS line between
Tokyo and Seoul.
The composite radar images made from all available data are distributed to all
weather forecasters and authorities concerned on the Intranet and to the general public
on the Web. KMA plans to establish 3 more radar stations by 2003 in order to remove
the blind spots and extend the scope of observation.
The composite image from the slut doppler radars are produced at the headquarters and
distributed to all forecast offices every ten minutes. Other users can have access to these
images through Intranet/Internet.
A typical lightning stroke carries an electric charge of several million volts. It
sometimes causes the loss of life, forest fires, and severe damage to facilities. Through a
nationwide network consisting of 10 observation sites equipped with direction finders,
the lightning activities are monitored. The direction, time and intensity of lightning are
transmitted to the position analyzer at the headquarters. The results are used for further
analysis of clouds producing lightning.
A typical lightning stroke carries an electric charge of several million volts. It
sometimes causes the loss of life, forest fires, and severe damage to facilities. Through a
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nationwide network consisting of 10 observation sites equipped with direction finders,
the lightning activities are monitored. The direction, time and intensity of lightning are
transmitted to the position analyzer at the headquarters. The results are used for further
analysis of clouds producing lightning.
Weather Services
Meteorology for the General Public, Industry and Agriculture
To meet the needs for diversified meteorological information, KMA provides
information not only for industrial activities related to agriculture, manufacturing,
construction and electric power production, travel and leisure, but also for public
activities. Through the internet web, KMA issues various kinds of applied
meteorological indices like discomfort index, heat index, windchill index, air pollution
and ultraviolet index, etc., in order to provide useful information for human daily life.
KMA also publishes weekly and monthly industrial meteorological reports and many
useful information related to the industry, architecture, public health and so on through
the internet homepage. From 1999, the database of news, articles and reports on weather
and meteorology enabled the public to search the information in which they are
interested. In order to increase crop productivity through reducing damages by
meteorological disasters, KMA issues several kinds of agro-meteorological information.
The AWSs for agro-meteorology produce the real-time data such as air temperature,
humidity, wind speed and solar rediation.
The Suwon Weather Station publishes agro-meteorological information reports every 10
days and every month, including agricultural advisory for pest development, agrometeorological warning, etc. KMA is also performing the cooperation with agricultural
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organization such as Rural Development Administration(RDA), which offer the
observed meteorological information in real-time basis with the network line.
Official Weather Certificate
KMA issues official certificates for past weather event. These certificates have legal
effect and often are used as evidence at court or police offices. KMA also provide
meteorological data such as temperature and precipitation which are useful in various
fields including the construction, farming, livestock, industries, and research.
Official Approval of Meteorological Instruments
KMA gives official approval to meteorological instruments including thermometers,
hygrometers, barometers, and wind vanes for their accuracy and standardization. KMA
and the authorities concerned only use officially approved meteorological instruments.
Public Affairs
The meteorological information produced by KMA is usually delivered to the citizens
by the mass media. For accurate reports, KMA offers supplementary explanations and
conferences to the press whenever they are needed. Moreover, KMA responds to
citizens' questions and requests on the phone and on the Internet.
Results
The development of civilization and the economy not only make people live more
conveniently but also causes them to face crises caused by environmental destruction.
Against this backdrop, KMA makes efforts to decrease social problems arising from the
change of the atmospheric environment.
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Modern meteorological services in Korea will have their centennial in 2004. KMA has
been devoted to improving the capability of more prompt and accurate weather
forecasting to prevent meteorological disasters.
That is KMA will continuously upgrade its supercomputer, develop new dynamic
models for long-term forecasts and numerical prediction models to fit to local
geography, extend its observation network and strive to possess its own weather satellite
for the early detection of severe weather, modernize delivery systems of meteorological
information and utilize technology for weather control. KMA will do its best to raise the
quality of life of people as well as prevent meteorological disasters.
References
Korea Meteorological Administration, 2000 Meteorological Services in Korea, KMA,
27-34.
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