AMS - Gematronik Highlights 2003

AMS - Gematronik is happy to announce that 2003 is one of the most active years in our company history. Our activities production and setting in operation are running excellent and on time.

Factory Acceptance Tests
In 2003 11 klystron-based METEOR 1500 weather radar systems for customers in Asia, South America and Europe have passed their Factory Acceptance Tests successfully. Additionally four magnetron-based METEOR 500 weather radars have been delivered to African and European customers.

Site Acceptance Tests
Site Acceptance Tests for METEOR weather radars have been passed successfully in India, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Venezuela, Korea and Norway.

In March 2003 AMS - Gematronik completed the integration of the Asterix Processor for ATSA, the air traffic authority of Bulgaria. The Asterix processor interfaces between existing METEOR weather radars at Sofia and Varna Airports and the new Common National Air Traffic Control Center, CNATCC.

The ASTERIX Front End Processor provides real-time severe weather information for different users supporting the decision making within Air Traffic Management and Air Traffic Service.

POLRAD - Poland Radar Network
All METEOR radar system passed the factory acceptance test successfully, currently seven METEOR weather radars are successfully in operation after having passed their site acceptance test in Poland. The last site acceptance test will follow in January 2004.

Now Poland is covered by a country-wide network operating exclusively AMS - Gematronik weather radars. Our Rainbow software Mosaic function provides various composite products.

Basque Country
Besides several already published contracts, AMS - Gematronik has recently been awarded a contract to supply one C-Band klystron radar with Dual Polarization capability for the Basque Government in Vitoria.

Italy
AMS - Gematronik has been awarded a contract to upgrade two GPM 500 weather radar systems with the latest klystron-based METEOR 1500C Doppler radar systems. The contract has been awarded by Teledife for the user Aeronautica Militare Italia (AMI) to AMS and subcontracted to AMS - Gematronik.
Both GPM 500 weather radars are operated by Ufficio Generale per la Meteorologia (UGM). They are located in Pisa and Brindisi. The weather radars are part of the AMI weather radar network consisting of five weather radars in total.

Iceland
AMS-Gematronik signed a contract with the Icelandic Meteorological Office for the modernization for the radar data processing system of an existing Ericsson weather radar.

Under this contract AMS - Gematronik will supply the radar data processing system Rainbow® including a huge number of sophisticated radar products. Additionally the distribution and display of radar products will be modernized using the AMS - Gematronik Web-based system MeteoWeb Server®.

CONFERENCES

• AMS - Gematronik participated in the following conferences:
• ATC Conference, Maastricht
• Meteohydex, Geneva
• ITSP, Windprofiler Symposium, Leipzig
• AMS Conference on Radar Meteorology, Seattle
• ECAM, Rome

Our participation at scientific conferences and symposia ensures that we are always following the most recent developments in research and development as well as the operational requirements from weather services or aviation authorities.

WORKSHOPS

MUSIC & Carpe Diem Meetings
AMS - Gematronik is participating in the European Research Project "MUSIC Multi-Sensor Precipitation Measurements Integration, Calibration and Flood Forecasting". MUSIC and CARPE DIEM meetings joined with the 2nd MUSIC Workshop for End Users have been organized and hosted for more than 50 participants by Gematronik. The meetings as well as the Gematronik factory visit was a great success.

Workshop on Radar Meteorology + Hydrology
The "Workshop on Radar Meteorology + Hydrology" was held at our factory in Neuss (September 2003). Over 40 participants from 9 different countries and 22 different institutions met at the Gematronik factory and the NH Eden Hotel in Düsseldorf. In-depth discussions covered the use of Doppler Weather Radar data for hydrological application. For 2004, we plan to hold a workshop especially for aviation users covering topics as Shear Wind, Turbulence and Microburst Detection."

WMO Latin America Workshop on Nowcasting
The "WMO Latin America Workshop on Nowcasting" was held in November 2003 in Brasilia, Brazil. Following an invitation of the Government of Brazil, the Brazilian Meteorological Society and WMO, 20 participants from 13 different countries met at the Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia in Brasilia.

Trainers from leading weather services and research institutions have been invited to present their latest results. Topics as weather radar technology, application, algorithms, interpretation and nowcasting were covered by a wide range of presentations. Additionally lab exercises and cases studies helped the participants to study the material in depth.

AMS - Gematronik was happy to support this successful "WMO Latin America Workshop on Nowcasting" in Brasilia as the exclusive sponsor.