| Overview : 1. Project Scope The overall objective of this project is to improve routine determinations of wind (speed and direction) as function of altitude through the lower and middle troposphere (here referred to as “winds aloft information” or simply “winds aloft”) at two sites in The Gambia: - Banjul International Airport: Lat: 13.35 deg. North; Lon: 16:63 deg. West; Altitude: 33 meters
- Basse: Lat: 13:32 deg. North; Lon: 14:22 deg. West; Altitude: 4 Meters
This improvement is accomplished through the use of set combining traditional and new technologies in a system referred to as a PILOTSONDE system, or simply PILOTSONDE. The data provided by the PILOTSONDE will aid weather forecasters in the Gambian Department of Water Resources in forecasting the potential for severe or hazardous weather conditions and assist that nation’s aviation meteorologists in determining the potential for low and mid-level wind shear over the designated aerodromes. (In this specification, PILOTSONDE (all upper case) refers to the system as whole, whereas pilotsonde (all lower case) refers to the small instrument package that is carried aloft.) A determination of winds aloft constitutes a “sounding”. The technique proposed here uses pilot balloons (PIBALs) released from surface. Each PIBAL carries aloft a small battery powered instrument package, the pilotsonde. Each pilotsonde contains a radio transmitter and a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver. A successful sounding requires that location and other data be received from the instrument package as the PIBAL ascends through the atmosphere. The sounding continues to either balloon burst at high elevation or termination by the operator; The pilotsonde uses GPS technology to continuously determine its position (latitude, longitude, and elevation) as a function of time. It then transmits via radio the position and timing data to a ground-based receiving and processing system (RPS). The result is a growing time series of positions. The RPS determines in real time the winds aloft from this growing time series. The RPS also … - Provides a display in real time of the raw position, elevation, and timing data and the resulting winds aloft for local review and monitoring of pilotsonde functioning;
- Transmits the resulting winds aloft via the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) in accordance with current WMO and ICAO guidance;
- Forwards the winds aloft to designated forecast offices for local use in early warning systems, aviation forecasting, and other forecasting operations;
- Stores both the raw data from the pilotsonde and the resulting winds aloft in a temporary archive;
- Recalls on command the raw data and/or the resulting winds aloft from the archive, and displays them locally for review and analysis, and report preparation; and
- Copies the archived information to portable media and/or transmits it to a permanent archive.
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