Model of Fengyun-2 satellite
BEIJING • China will offer customized data services for disaster prevention through its Fengyun meteorological satellites for more countries along the Belt and Road, said a senior official of the China Meteorological Administration's National Satellite Meteorological Centre.
The services will be provided based on the results of a survey of 81 countries. By the end of last month, 22 countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Libya and Sudan, had responded to the survey.
All the respondents said they wanted to install the software platforms of the Fengyun satellites for weather forecasting as well as climate and environment monitoring.
They also requested a range of services, especially in monitoring rainfall, droughts, dust storms, heavy fog and lightning, in addition to training courses on Fengyun meteorological satellite data analysis, remote-sensing applications and data collection.
Many countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have high mountains, deserts, oceans and a lack of accurate meteorological information. The number of meteorological disasters in the regions is more than double the global average, said the administration.
Ms Wei Caiying, deputy general-director of China's National Satellite Meteorological Centre, said real-time disaster monitoring by meteorological satellites could offer these nations a scientific basis for disaster prevention and reduction.
China has launched 17 Fengyun-series meteorological satellites, of which seven are currently operational. The World Meteorological Organisation has included China's Fengyun series of meteorological satellites as a major element of its global Earth observation system.
From The Straits Times
