RIC Tsukuba Package cooperation was engaged in with FMS in 2015 and 2016, while technical cooperation programs for Fiji and other Oceanic nations were conducted in 2010 and 2012 before the development of the package framework. The package for FMS included a highly advanced technique that would enable the organization to serve as an RA V Regional Instrument Centre in the future.
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On-site surveying in relation to calibration capacity
RIC Tsukuba found that although FMS had national standard instruments and inspection equipment at the time of their dispatch in 2010 and 2012, the standard instruments had not been calibrated against international standards and staff calibration capacity was lacking.
As FMS leads meteorological services with other meteorological services in the Oceania region, capacity development for the organization would help it to conduct international calibration for other NMHSs, thereby supporting highly qualified observation by other Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the region. -
Provision of national meteorological standard instruments
JICA donated a digital barometer as a national standard instrument, barometer inspection equipment, a chilled mirror dew point hygrometer, an electrical thermometer and hygrometer inspection equipment in 2014. It also donated an electrical hygrometer and portable calibration equipment as traveling standard instrumentation in 2016. -
Technical training in Japan and Fiji
Technical and practical training on thermometer and barometer calibration was conducted at RIC Tsukuba in June 2015 with three invited FMS experts (FMS visit for on-the-job training in calibration (2015)).
In November 2015, two RIC Tsukuba experts were subsequently dispatched to FMS to check staff proficiency (Figure below, Visit to FMS for on-the-job training in calibration (2015)) and provide training on on-site calibration using traveling standard instruments at four AWS stations in Fiji.
In July 2016, three FMS experts were hosted at RIC Tsukuba to review methods of barometer and thermometer calibration and rain gauge maintenance (FMS visit for practical training in calibration (2016)). -
Follow-up activities
RIC Tsukuba dispatched two experts to on-site training to be held in Fiji in November 2016, and experts were invited from other Oceanic countries with their national standard barometers, thermometers and other instruments. FMS experts provided their counterparts from other countries with instruction on meteorological instrument calibration and demonstrated issuance of official calibration certification under the regulated procedures.
