[CAnet - news] Global Weather Forecast Systme to be built on GEANT 2

For more information on this item please visit the CANARIE CA*net 4 Optical
Internet program web site at http://www.canarie.ca/canet4/library/list.html
-------------------------------------------


[From a report in Science Grid this week.  Some excerpts--BSA]

http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/environment_sciences/report-5
3100.html

A bright outlook for global weather forecasting


A group of national weather centres across Europe are harnessing the power
of GÉANT2, Europe’s next generation high-speed research and education
network, to create a global weather forecasting system that allow
meteorologists to make more accurate and timely predictions quicker.

“Climate change is a major global issue and few people will argue about its
effects or that it is linked to extreme weather events,” says Dai Davies,
General Manager of DANTE, which manages the GÉANT2 network. “This makes the
need for accurate weather prediction even more critical than ever before.”

National weather centres, led by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) are
working together to create a Global Interactive Forecasting System (GIFS),
which will use the latest technology for more accurate and timely
forecasting. GIFS will use GÉANT2 to transfer critical, time-sensitive data
among researchers.

“GIFS will be able to transmit as much as 500 Gigabytes of data daily.
That’s equivalent to more than 700 CDs worth of data. The international
connectivity overcomes the cost of high capacity links and enables
meteorological services to work together to combine data and skills,” Mr
Davies says. “This will speed up weather forecasting and allow
meteorologists to make more accurate and timely predictions.”

To share the power of national weather computers, GIFS will use advanced
Grid computing technology that will allow processing workloads to be shared
across national weather computers automatically via GÉANT2 and national
networks. It plans to conduct feasibility studies during 2006/2007,
operational tests in 2008 with the aim of full operation within 10 years.

GÉANT2 itself connects 34 countries through 30 National Research and
Education Networks. With an estimated 30 million users across the continent,
the network offers unrivalled geographic coverage, high bandwidth,
innovative hybrid networking technology and a range of user-focused
services. It builds on the global connectivity established by its
predecessor, GÉANT, a flagship project created in 2000 under the European
Commission’s IST programme, linking Europe to North America, Japan and other
regions, building a foundation for global collaboration.

“The cost of connectivity has decreased by a factor of 10,000 over the past
10 years,” says Mr Davies. “GÉANT2 is the first hybrid network operating on
an international scale. With this powerful communication infrastructure, we
can do things today we never even dreamed of.”




-------------------------------------
To SUBSCRIBE:
send a blank e-mail message to
[email protected]

To UNSUBSCRIBE:
send a blank email message to
[email protected]
-------------------------------------

These news items and comments are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect
those  of the CANARIE board or management.
-----------
[email protected]
www.canarie.ca/~bstarn
skype: pocketpro
SkypeIn: +1 614 441-9603


_______________________________________________
news mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.canarie.ca/mailman/listinfo/news