By Paul Rillorta

BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Aug 18 (PIA) -- Baguio City received an Automated Weather Station (AWS) through the initiative of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) to prepare cities in monitoring weather patterns and disturbances in the country.

The AWS has been turned over to the city on August 16 after a brief training on use and maintenance by personnel of the Meteomedia Philippines, its technology partner.

The AWS is a meteorological weather monitoring instrument that has the capacity to capture atmospheric and meteorological data such as rainfall, wind speed and direction, humidity and temperature.

One of the features of the AWS is real-time monitoring of daily weather condition and forecasts which will be fed via the Internet and accessed by the public.

It will be hooked to a computer-based monitoring system where data is analyzed every hour and posted online for easy access as a tool for local government units enhanced weather information system.

Weather Philippines Foundation General Manager Engr. Celso Caballero said the instrument is not competing with government-run weather forecasting stations but rather complementing their capabilities and programs.

Caballero said, “The foundation will be providing 1,000 AWS devices all over the Philippines, which will be linked to a weather portal,” enhancing the country’s weather monitoring capabilities.

City Mayor Mauricio Domogan said, “The city is happy to partner with private entities to improve disaster preparedness in the region.”

This device will be a great help to the city by providing essential data during weather disturbances, he said.

The project is supported by Union Bank, Aboitiz Power and Weather Philippines Foundation.

Other personalities who attended the turnover were League of Cities in the Philippines Executive Director Jeremy Philippe Nishimori, Hedcor President Rene Ronquillo, Meteomedia Technical Consultant Mark Vornhusen and officers and members of the different provincial and city disaster risk reduction and management councils in Luzon. (JDP/PIA CAR/Paul Rillorta-Baguio City PIO)