The WMO and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) ran the WMO/ASEAN Training Workshop on Weather Radar Data Quality and Standardization in Bangkok, Thailand, from 5 to 13 February 2018, with full support from JMA and the hosting Thai Meteorological Department (TMD). Radar experts from nine National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in ASEAN members (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam) and Bangladesh attended, and JMA dispatched experts to give presentations and provide training. The Chair and Vice-chair of the WMO Inter-Programme Expert Team on Operational Weather Radars (IPET-OWR) and representatives of weather radar manufacturers in Japan and Germany also gave presentations.

This workshop was held to address common regional challenges in extreme weather monitoring and forecasting in Southeast Asia. The installation of numerous weather radars in the region has led to an increased need for effective utilization of the data collected. In addition, improved Quality Control (QC) and international real-time data exchange play pivotal roles in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in the region. As a result, capacity-building in weather radar techniques is crucial for NMHSs in Southeast Asia.

At the beginning of the workshop, the leader of the Capacity Building in Radar Techniques in Southeast Asia project (a joint regional WMO Integrated Global Observation System (WIGOS) initiative conducted in Regional Association II (RA II) (Asia) and RA V (Southwest Pacific)) and the Chair of IPET-OWR delivered keynote speeches. Both highlighted the importance of the regional radar network in Southeast Asia, whose operation depends on firm capacity building in all NMHSs.

During the eight-day workshop, attendees learned all about weather radar via theoretical and practical sessions. The presentations given covered the basics, maintenance, dual-polarization technology, data Quality Control (QC) and Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) methods. The course also included hands-on training in QC and summarization of a disaster event using weather radar information and other types of meteorological data.

In the final stage of the workshop, attendees considered specific plans to enhance weather radar observation in their own NMHS and discussed ways to improve QC and expand the regional radar network in Southeast Asia. The consensus was that the network will benefit all NMHS and should be established via mutual cooperation in the region.

1 Opening (PDF1, PDF2)
2 Workshop sessions
2.1 Weather radar operation (PDF)
2.2 Weather radar maintenance (PDF1, PDF2)
2.3 Country reports
2.4 Weather radar data Quality Control (PDF1, PDF2, PDF3, PDF4)
2.5 Hands-on training on weather radar QC (PDF)
2.6 Manufacturer QC (PDF)
2.7 Radar applications (PDF1, PDF2, PDF3)
2.8 Radar data exchange and format
2.9 Case study on disaster event using radar data (PDF)
2.10 Technical tour
2.11 Discussion (PDF1, PDF2)
3 Closing

FINAL REPORT