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CONSULTATIVE SERVICES

OBJECTIVE

OUTPUT

Resource Use

Performance

Meteorological Advice

Infrastructure

Health and safety

Special Investigations

OBJECTIVE

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To meet the need for effective application of meteorological information and expertise in the national interest through the provision of consultative services to specialised users.

OUTPUT

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Professional advice on the application of meteorology and related science to a wide range of community, industry and environmental issues and problems; along with published and unpublished reports on the results of specialised investigations of meteorological problems and applications carried out for individual clients and customers.

OUTCOME

Enhanced community safety and well-being through the effective use of meteorological consultative services by the general public and other major social and economic sectors.

Consultative Services include the provision of advice and the conduct of investigations involving the application of meteorology and related disciplines to such fields as agriculture, engineering, architecture, health, tourism, transport, urban planning and design. Services are provided to Government and private users on a public interest, cost recovery or commercial basis, as appropriate.

Consultative Services are coordinated in the Bureau's Head Office in Melbourne and provided mainly through the National Climate Centre (NCC), the commercial Special Services Unit (SSU) and the Regional Office Climate and Consultative Services Sections, making use of expertise drawn from throughout the Bureau. They comprise two individual outputs:

· meteorological advice; and

· special investigations.

Meteorological advice includes professional advice on meteorological and related oceanographic issues and applications, particularly where there is a national need. Where there is a clear public interest, advice is provided on a cost recovery basis. Education on, and promotion of, the use of weather and climate information, as well as contributions to Australian Standards are provided free of charge. Special investigations include theoretical, experimental or field studies undertaken to meet consultancy requests. These are delivered mainly on a commercial basis through the Bureau's Special Services Unit (SSU) which is essentially financially decoupled from the public interest operations of the Bureau.

Resource Use

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The resources committed to Consultative Services in 2000-01 are summarised in Table 3 and are given in more detail in Table 12.

Table 12. Consultative Services expenses and revenue ($'000) and staff level for 2000-01 together with the actuals for1999-2000 and the 2000-01 Budget and Budget plus Additional Estimates appropriations.

	ACTUAL EXPENSES 1999-2000	BUDGET 2000-01	BUDGET & ADD. EST. 2000-01	ACTUAL EXPENSES & REVENUE 2000-01
	($'000)	($'000)	($'000)	($'000)
FINANCIAL
EXPENSES
Employee Expenses (Appropriation)	1,484	1,057	1,138	328
Employee Expenses (Section 31)	1,738	1,589	1,590	1,682
Supply of Goods and Services (Appropriation)	483	241	353	323
Supply of Goods and Services (Section 31)	6,402	3,608	4,796	2,339
Operating Leases Rentals	317	283	293	269
Depreciation	354	322	342	158
Other Goods and Services Expenses	0	0	0	0
(WMO Contribution)	0	0	0	0
Capital Use Charge	50	68	87	0*
TOTAL PRICE OF OUTPUT	10,827	7,168	8,599	5,099
REVENUE
Appropriation	2,743	1,971	2,209	2,209
Sale of Goods and Services	8,163	5,197	6,386	6,386
Miscellaneous - other	4	0	4	4
TOTAL REVENUE	10,910	7,168	8,599	8,599
STAFFING
Staff Years (actual)
- Funded from Employee Expenses (Appropriation)	19.7	13.2	14.5	14.3
- Funded from Supplier Expenses (Appropriation)	0.4	0.2	0.3	0.4
- Funded from Section 31 Receipts	23.5	23.5	23.5	21.7
- Funded from Capitalised Salaries (Asset Replacement)	0.1	0.4	0.4	0.4
TOTAL STAFFING	43.7	37.3	38.7	36.8

* In 2000-01, Capital Use Charge was not accounted as an expense.

Performance

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Performance during 2000-01 was assessed at two levels in terms of the:

· quality, quantity and price of the outputs directed to the achievement of the planned outcome relative to the agreed target levels; and

· contribution of the outputs to the achievement of the planned outcome.

The measures used as a basis for performance assessment were as published in the Portfolio Budget Statements 2000-01 for the Environment and Heritage Portfolio (Budget Related Paper No. 1.7). The performance for 2000-01 against each of the performance measures and targets for quality, quantity and price of outputs is summarised in Appendix 11.

The major strategies used to enhance the Bureau's consultative services and contribute to the achievement of the planned outcome during 2000-01 were:

· to maintain a core of expertise in areas of meteorological applications, in addition to those for which routine services are provided, in order to respond to community need, for example in support of urban and building design and health; and

· to respond to demands for important tailored services and special studies on a public-interest or commercial basis.

The contribution to achievement of the planned outcome during 2000-01, assessed in terms of the indicators listed in Appendix 12, is reviewed below for each of the individual outputs (Meteorological Advice and Special Investigations), drawing on the performance information summarised in Appendix 11.

Meteorological Advice

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Through the provision of meteorological advice during 2000-01, the Bureau contributed significantly to satisfying the national need for information and advice on various aspects of Australian weather and climate and on the application of meteorological services. Consultative projects undertaken in the public interest for external clients addressed a wide range of issues relating to the environment, health and safety, planning and design, and the efficiency of the agricultural and energy sectors and of public utilities. Informal feedback from users of the service has indicated general satisfaction with, and appreciation for, the advice provided.

Infrastructure

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The Bureau took a small but active role in the International Energy Agency (IEA) program, Solar City, focussing on the development of an implementation strategy for the component relating to Solar Energy for the World's Cities. The aim of this international program is to engage a number of cities and towns in active planning and implementation for activities aimed at broad, community-wide greenhouse gas reductions to globally sustainable levels by 2050. Climate-responsive urban design of new subdivisions can provide comfortable conditions for city-dwellers, while reducing the energy needed to heat and cool buildings.

Provision of climate information relevant to building design, particularly in relation to low-energy building design but also addressing climate data requirements at all stages of the planning, design and construction process, was a focus for the service during the year. To facilitate and encourage community use of climate data for such purposes, detailed information on building design suitable for each Australian climate zone was placed on the Bureau's web site.

A Bureau-developed map of climate zones of Australia was chosen by a Working Group of the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) to be the basis of the energy efficiency design standards in the revised housing provisions. Bureau staff participated in the working group, which was brought together to advise on the use of information on Australian climatic conditions in the development of energy efficiency standards for the design of new housing. The ABCB, on behalf of the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments, produces the Housing Provisions of the Building Code of Australia for use by designers, engineers, builders and owners in the domestic construction industry. The Housing Provisions contain the minimum acceptable levels of construction for houses and outbuildings.

Other infrastructure related advice services included:

· provision, through the Northern Territory Regional Office, of estimates of likely maximum precipitation intensity at several locations, based on available statistics, general climatology and known heavy rainfall events in northern Australia, to assist in bridge design and construction;

· estimation of return period wind data, by Queensland Regional Office staff, for a Dam Safety Review being carried out by the State Department of Natural Resources;

· detailed wind measurements at two locations within a South Australian quarry site surrounded by residential development, for an investigation into noise, dust and odour problems;

· several consultancies by the South Australian Regional Office to assist in the design of airport runway configurations for maximum useability;

· deployment of offshore instrumentation by South Australian staff to better understand the coastal wind climatology, which will help to improve coastal wind forecasts, benefiting the fishing industry and recreational sailors.

Photo The Bureau's South Australian Regional Office deployed a waverider buoy off Cape du Couedic, Kangaroo Island, to improve coastal wind monitoring and forecasting.

The efficient use of water is important to the sustainability of agriculture, especially in irrigated areas. Meteorological information, especially water loss through evaporation, is a key consideration in decisions that balance optimum water use with agricultural productivity. Following requests from local viticultural interests, the Bureau's South Australian Regional Office carried out preliminary studies aimed at the development of an evaporative demand model. Good progress was achieved and the model, which uses surface AWS data and satellite-gathered solar radiation, shows promise. Its further progress depends on the availability of near real time satellite data. A subsequent request from the Murray Darling Basin Commission emphasised the national requirement for access to this type of information for environmental protection and economic efficiency. A project designed to make atmospheric evaporative demand data available via the Bureau web site was commenced.

Health and safety

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Scientists from the National Climate Centre completed a comparative study of the association between various indices of thermal stress and the rate of elderly mortality in Sydney. Thermal indices attempt to represent the combined effect on human thermal sensation of temperature, humidity, wind speed and radiated heat. The study showed that daily mean temperature was a slightly better predictor of death rates in heat waves than any of the thermal stress indices investigated. The relationship between mean temperature and death rate shows potential as a basis for heat stress warnings for elderly people. In Australia, more people die in heat waves than from any other meteorological causes and so improved understanding of the mortality/stress association on hot days is of particular importance.

The Bureau continued to participate actively in the revision of the Australia-New Zealand Standard for lightning protection. An updated average annual thunder-day map of Australia was developed (Figure 54) and provided to the joint Committee on Protection against Lightning. The map became a part of the Australia-New Zealand Interim Standard "Lightning Protection", which was published in June, and will contribute to improved assessment of the risk of lightning strike. Work continued on further developments, including a preliminary study to investigate the development of a lightning ground flash density map for the Australian region using measurements of lightning from the NASA space-borne Optical Transient Detector.

Figure 54. Average annual thunder-day map of Australia.

Regional Office staff completed a number of relevant consultancies, including:

· operational implementation of a PC-based aerosol dispersion model in the South Australian Regional Office;

· revision by staff in the Tasmania and Antarctica Regional Office of the model used for forecasting daily air quality for Launceston during the colder months of the year;

· preparation by Tasmanian staff of data sets for use in the Victorian Environment Protection Authority's Ausplume pollution dispersal software; and

· assistance by Queensland Regional Office staff in the Queensland Government Environmental Protection Agency's ambient air quality monitoring project, part of the National Environment Protection Measures for ambient air.

Special Investigations

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The Special Services Unit (SSU) has operated since 1990, providing specialised meteorological and related services on a commercial basis. The SSU has offices in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Darwin and a staff of 36.

The Darwin office was established in April to service a new contract with the US Department of Energy for maintenance of its Western Pacific Atmospheric Radiation Monitoring (ARM) network. Sites are to be maintained in Nauru and Manus Is, Papua New Guinea, with a new site to be established in Darwin. Bureau research staff will also contribute to the ARM project.

In collaboration with CSIRO, the National Tidal Facility, GEMS Pty Ltd and Weather Solutions Pty Ltd, further development of a sea surface trajectory system for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, to support its search and rescue and oil spill responsibilities, was completed during 2000-01.

Several projects were undertaken by the SSU during the year with the involvement of a number of other Bureau branches and regions in line with appropriate costing and resource backfilling arrangements. These included:

· installation of an automatic weather station with aerodrome weather information broadcast capability at Phosphate Hill (Queensland) for WMC Fertilizers; and

· completion of project management support for the development of a UHF boundary layer profiler in collaboration with the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre and the Observations and Engineering Branch. A profiler and associated radio acoustic sounding system (RASS) was installed at Shanes Park, New South Wales, for the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority and commissioned in August.

Photo A boundary layer wind profiler was installed at the New South Wales Environment Protection Authority site at Shanes Park. The wind profiler was jointly developed by the Special Services Unit, the Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre and the Bureau's Observations and Engineering Branch.

The international activities of the SSU consist of a small number of major projects. During 2000-01, these projects contributed significantly to SSU revenue, but not to the same degree as in 1999-2000, because, for the first time in several years, there was not a major contribution from a Japanese aid project. Aid projects undertaken by the SSU, generally in collaboration with firms from the Australian private sector, represent significant export income.

The SSU led an Australian consortium comprising the Australian Geological Survey Organisation and Mindata Pty Ltd to undertake and complete a seismic network upgrade for the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. The consortium was under contract to Mitsubishi Corporation, under the auspices of the Japan Weather Association, and was funded by Japanese government Grant Aid. This project resulted in significant export of Australian equipment and systems provided by Mindata through its Seismic Research Centre.

In Fiji, the support program continued for the meteorological systems upgrade installed in 1998 for the Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS), primarily through the work of a Bureau computing adviser located in Nadi. This in-country support is now complete and the FMS is managing its own systems. A great deal of technology transfer was associated with this project.

In addition to these projects, other collaborative activities with the private sector included:

· a major project with ES&S Pty Ltd to supply the Malaysian Meteorological Service (MMS) with an upgraded data processing system consisting of an integrated message switching system and forecaster workstation. This project will be completed in 2001-02. Other activities with ES&S include the supply of the Bureau's 3D-RAPIC system for four MMS radars;

· installation of a second radar in New Caledonia. The contract was signed in June and will be completed by late 2001;

· ongoing support to Vaisala Australia Pty Ltd for a major monitoring program in the Pacific being undertaken by the US Department of Energy. The SSU role involved the supply and maintenance of Remote Balloon Launchers and assistance to Vaisala in installing or refurbishing a number of hydrogen electrolysers. Further assistance in training local staff and ongoing maintenance will be provided in later years; and

· participation with a number of Australian and overseas companies in the development of tenders or proposals for major system projects in the Philippines, Indonesia, Netherlands, Sweden and Venezuela.

The SSU operates on the basis of competitive neutrality with the private sector and non-interference in the public good functions of overseas National Meteorological Services. The fact that the SSU has attracted a number of major partners in the domestic market reinforces its role as a quality provider of specialised meteorological and related services on both the national and international scene.

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