Annual Report and Accounts 2006/7 - CEDA Repository

10 11 Annual Report and Accounts 2006/7
Special weather
In addition to predicting what the
weather has in store for the next hour,
day, five days or ten and the months and
seasons ahead, Met Office forecasters
produce special forecasts for high-profile
events, at home and abroad, which this
month included the eightieth Birthday of
HRH Queen Elizabeth II on 21 April (a
warm, mainly dry day with temperatures
of up to 17 °C in London) and the London
marathon on 23 April (cloudy with some
showery rain, light winds and
temperatures up to 15 °C).
Unified Model
In the past, the Met Office’s Unified
Model for weather and climate prediction
was made available to external users for
research purposes only. In 2006, the Met
Office Board agreed that, in addition, the
Unified Model should be made available
under licence to other National Met.
Services (NMSs) in order to contribute to
the scientific and technical strength of the
Model. Operational use by other NMSs
endorses the world-leading capability
that the Unified Model provides and
increases the Met Office's international
presence.
Good causes
The Met Office again supported the
charitable trust of Exeter-based radio
station, Gemini FM, this year. With our
support, the Trust raised over £150,000
for good causes in the local community.
We also sponsored The Prince’s Trust
Young Achiever of the Year award for the
third year running and hosted the launch
of its Enterprise Project at our
headquarters in early 2007.
New training courses
Following a major survey of potential
aviation customers, successful new
aviation training courses were launched
during the year. These include courses for
balloonists, international aviation
forecasters and international airport met.
observers.
Cost effectiveness
The previous national contract for
maintenance at our frontline stations has
been replaced by regional and local
contracts to improve the cost effectiveness
and efficiency of service delivery. The first
full year of operation has seen a significant
improvement in the level of service
provided.
MMS roll-out
Phase 1 of the Meteorological Monitoring
System (MMS) project (making good the
existing infrastructure) was rolled out
throughout the year. The MMS project
will, over time, replace existing Met
Office automatic weather stations, taking
advantage of improvements in
Information Technology. Crucially, the
MMS enables the Met Office to meet
changing requirements more effectively,
especially the adding and changing of
sensors, to respond more flexibly to
evolving customer needs.