Climate Change Resilience
4 July 2013, Nadi, Fiji – A 'chatty beetle' could be the answer to the problem of many Pacific Island Countries lacking proper meteorological equipment to respond to warnings on extreme weather, especially cyclones and tsunami.
Respective Pacific Met Directors at the 2nd Pacific Meteorological Council said the warnings and information on extreme weather often reaches them late and the results of this has been devastating.
However, there are simple, technologies currently available to assist the smaller Pacific Island Countries to receive and send information as part of their Met Service.
The Director of US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US NOAA)-National Weather Service Pacific Region, Edward Young Jr. said technologies like the Chatty Beetle can help pacific island countries to deal with their Met service needs.
He explained that, "The Chatty Beetle is both a terminal and a system designed to provide weather alerts and notifications to remote locations where communication options are limited".
The system is a messaging network to connect emergency managers and warning authorities together.
He said, "RANET (Radio and Internet for the communication of hydro-meteorological and climate related infor) developed the Chatty Beetle in response to needs articulated by the Pacific Communications Steering Committee."
"The RANET Chatty Beetle is a text based alert and messaging device designed by RANET for remote application where other communications do not exist, are unreliable, or where a simple notification is needed," he said.
However, he made it clear that the Chatty Beetle is not designed to replace formal means of communicating alerts, but rather serves as a "heads up" notification.
In the remote Pacific communities were cost of running solar and generators, it is not feasible to run communications system on a daily basis, throughout the year; it is often an expensive exercise.
For this reason, many have indicated their interest in acquiring the RANET Chatty Beetle to help them in accessing early warnings for extreme weather.
Pacific Island countries, like Tokelau and Tonga are already using this technology.
Respective Pacific Met Directors at the 2nd Pacific Meteorological Council said the warnings and information on extreme weather often reaches them late and the results of this has been devastating.
However, there are simple, technologies currently available to assist the smaller Pacific Island Countries to receive and send information as part of their Met Service.
The Director of US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US NOAA)-National Weather Service Pacific Region, Edward Young Jr. said technologies like the Chatty Beetle can help pacific island countries to deal with their Met service needs.
He explained that, "The Chatty Beetle is both a terminal and a system designed to provide weather alerts and notifications to remote locations where communication options are limited".
A meteorological observer from the remote Tongan island of Niuataputapu sends a message while testing RANET Chatty Beetle communication device. photo © Met Service. Peter Fisher.
The system is a messaging network to connect emergency managers and warning authorities together.
He said, "RANET (Radio and Internet for the communication of hydro-meteorological and climate related infor) developed the Chatty Beetle in response to needs articulated by the Pacific Communications Steering Committee."
"The RANET Chatty Beetle is a text based alert and messaging device designed by RANET for remote application where other communications do not exist, are unreliable, or where a simple notification is needed," he said.
However, he made it clear that the Chatty Beetle is not designed to replace formal means of communicating alerts, but rather serves as a "heads up" notification.
In the remote Pacific communities were cost of running solar and generators, it is not feasible to run communications system on a daily basis, throughout the year; it is often an expensive exercise.
For this reason, many have indicated their interest in acquiring the RANET Chatty Beetle to help them in accessing early warnings for extreme weather.
Pacific Island countries, like Tokelau and Tonga are already using this technology.