The meteorological data of INSAT system is processed and
disseminated by INSAT Meteorological Data Processing System (IMDPS) of India
Meteorological Department (IMD). Upper winds, sea surface temperature and
precipitation index data are regularly obtained. The products derived from the
image data include: cloud motion vectors, sea surface temperature, outgoing
long-wave radiation and quantitative precipitation index. The products are used
for weather forecasting, both synoptic and numerical weather prediction.
INSAT-VHRR imageries are used by Doordarshan during news
coverage and by newspapers as part of weather reporting. At present, repetitive
and synoptic weather system observations over Indian Ocean from geostationary
orbit are available only from INSAT system. INSAT VHRR data is available in
near real-time at 90 Meteorological Data Dissemination Centres (MDDC) in
various parts of the country. With the commissioning of direct satellite
service for processed VHRR data, MDDC type of data can be provided at any
location in the country.
IMD has installed 100 meteorological Data Collection Platforms
(DCPs) and other agencies have installed about 200 DCPs all over the country.
One DCP is also installed at Schiramacher, the Indian base station in
Antarctica.
DCP services are provided using the Data Relay Transponders of
Kalpana-1 and INSAT-3A. A rainfall monitoring system which operates at 300
bits/second has been developed. ISRO has taken up indigenous development of low
cost automatic weather station for deployment in the country in large numbers.
The data collection is proposed to be carried out in TDMA mode instead of the
present random access mode.
For quick dissemination of warnings against impending disaster
from approaching cyclones, specially designed receivers have been installed at
the vulnerable coastal areas in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal
and Gujarat for direct transmission of warnings to the officials and public in
general using broadcast capability of INSAT. IMD's Area Cyclone Warning Centres
generate special warning bulletins and transmit them every hour in local
languages to the affected areas. Three hundred and fifty such receiver stations
have been installed by IMD. Out of these 100 are Digital CWDS (DCWDS) based on
advanced technology. The DCWDS has been deployed with acknowledgement
transmitters to get confirmation at transmitting station.
A cooperative agreement has been signed with EUMETSAT for using
meteorological data from Meteosat-5 at 63 degree East in exchange for weather
pictures collected by INSAT.
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