Automatic Weather Stations to be Installed in Indonesia

Working in conjunction with distributor, PT Inter Pasific Cemerlang, workplace and climate monitoring specialist, Casella Monitor (UK), has won an order for 14 Agricultural Automatic Weather Stations (AAWS) from the Bureau of Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics in Indonesia.

The AAWS units, which are funded directly by the Indonesian government, will be installed by the distributor in locations on Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java and the Sumbawa islands in order to better understand the affect of the climate on the country’s agriculture and to improve its agricultural output.

The long term goal of the Bureau of Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics, also known as Badan Meteorologi Klimatologi dan Geofisika, is to install around 500 AAWS throughout Indonesia.

All the stations will send continuous data in one-minute bursts to the main server located in the Bureau’s head office in Jakarta. This new station network will also be linked to existing AAWS units, with the data being accessible online through a website.

Wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, temperature, rainfall, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), grass temperature, soil moisture, soil temperature and evaporation will all be among the elements measured by the units, with addition of a number of 10 metre high masts.

Peter Lawson International Sales Manager at Casella, comments: “This is an exciting project for us which, if all goes well, will lead to future installations of our product throughout South East Asia.”

An Official from the Bureau says: “Casella has an excellent reputation in the market for providing durable products that provide accurate information but require little maintenance.”

He continues: “Climate change has made it increasingly necessary for us to gather environmental data, particularly in respect to assisting our farmers and we hope that it will provide increased insurance for the country’s crops for years to come.”