Hydrological services are delivered through two individual outputs which contribute to the achievement of the desired outcome. The developments related to each individual output during 2004-05 and their contribution to the outcome are addressed below.

FLOOD WARNING SERVICE 

The Bureau prepares and disseminates flood forecasts and warnings and information to the public in close cooperation with state, territory and local government agencies and other stakeholders. Users of flood warning services include emergency management agencies and members of the public, particularly those in flood-prone areas. More detailed local interpretation of Bureau flood warning products and information is provided directly to the public by flood response agencies. Bureau warning products include early alerts to the possibility of flooding, site-specific forecasts of river height and the expected impact in terms of minor, moderate or major flooding in specific river basins and more generalised products issued on a regional basis. The free exchange of data in real time among the stakeholder agencies and the timely availability of warnings, data reports and flood information to the public are cornerstones of the flood warning service.

The Bureau, in close cooperation with the community and stakeholder agencies, plays a lead role in planning the flood warning service and the supporting data network. A significant contribution is also made by the Bureau in raising community awareness of flood risk and in measures to make the warning service more effective.

Major developments 2004-05

• Replacement of the real-time data collection infrastructure continued with the commissioning of the ENVIROMON platform for operational collection of radio-telemetered flood warning data in New South Wales, and staff familiarisation and testing of the TimeStudio data collection platform for telephone-based collection in all regional offices.
• Cooperative arrangements for inter-agency flood warning operations were strengthened by the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bureau, the Western Australian Department of Environment, Main Roads Western Australia and the Fire and Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia. An agreement for a new Water Monitoring Partnership in Victoria was finalised, including arrangements for maintaining networks operated by the regional water authorities.
• Bureau hydrology staff were involved in a wide range of conferences, studies, forums and regional shows, including: the International Conference on Storms in Brisbane; Agfest Tasmania; pre-wet season seminars conducted in collaboration with other Bureau warning service programs; and workshops organised by emergency management and local government agencies, such as the New South Wales State Emergency Services (SES) Controllers workshop and SES South Australia training workshops for volunteers.
• The Bureau participated in activities associated with the implementation of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) natural disaster reforms aligned with the Bureau's aim to integrate its flood warning responsibilities within the national flood disaster mitigation program, and to take a leading role in the establishment of frameworks for national flood risk assessment and management.
• Significant progress was made in the development of techniques to estimate and forecast rainfall using weather radar data and numerical weather prediction models. These techniques include real-time blending of high quality radar data with ground-truth rain gauge data in order to produce accurate assessments of rainfall intensity in support of improved flood forecasting and warning services.

Major flooding of the Wilsons River in June threatened the City of Lismore. The recently constructed levee proved to be very effective in limiting flood damage to large parts of the urban area. Bureau flood warning services were a vital part of the overall mitigation effort. Photo: New South Wales State Emergency Service.

Contribution towards outcome

• The new data collection platforms are more robust and better integrated with other Bureau operational systems facilitating improvements in operational data capture which will contribute to more reliable warning services.
• Formal documentation of the cooperative arrangements between agencies, such as those established this year in Western Australia and Victoria, will ensure that the important stakeholders are committed to the provision of flood warning services at the State level. This cooperative approach is a key feature of the provision of Australian flood warning services.
• Conferences, studies, forums and regional shows help to improve communications between the Bureau and its stakeholders and increase public awareness of the flood warning services available.
• The involvement of the Bureau in wider national initiatives, such as the COAG disaster mitigation reform process, ensures that its role in the provision of flood warning services is recognised and that it can most effectively contribute to developments at the national level.
• Improving the quality of rainfall inputs to the flood forecasting and warning process improves the accuracy and timeliness of flood predictions and reduces the uncertainty in flood warning services. Improvements in predictive performance offer response agencies greater effective lead-time and so increase the opportunity for the protective behaviour required to save lives and reduce property damage.

HYDROMETEOROLOGICAL ADVICE 

Hydrometeorological Advice encompasses a range of information, products and advice in support of the sustainable development and management of Australias water resources. The outputs of these services contribute to the assessment and management of Australia's water and other natural resources. This includes the assessment, design and development of data collection networks, development of information systems, development of water management decision support tools and the monitoring of climate variability and climate change issues that may impact on future water resource availability. Under this output component the Bureau also provides a focus for Australian input to, and dissemination of information from, the international hydrology and water resources programs of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Hydrometeorological Advice also contributes to the enhancement of community safety and well-being through the provision of specialised hydrometeorological advice and products to the scientific and engineering communities for the safe design of a wide range of hydrological and other civil infrastructure. The advice and products include estimates of Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and design Intensity-Frequency-Duration (IFD) rainfall information, and a range of other statistical rainfall analyses

Major developments 2004-05

• A pilot project to investigate the impact of additional data and new statistical methods on IFD rainfall analyses over southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales was completed. This project was undertaken to meet client demand to revise the IFD analyses as input to the review of the Engineers Australia publication, Australian Rainfall and Runoff.
• In association with the Australian Water Data Infrastructure Project (AWDIP), a number of CD- and web-based applications were developed to improve client access to water resources and hydrometeorological design information.
• The research program in support of the Cooperative Research Centre for Catchment Hydrology (CRCCH) was completed, including an update of the Stochastic Climate Library (SCL) in the CRCCH Catchment Modelling Toolkit and associated training, together with participation in the bid to establish the new eWater Cooperative Research Centre.
• A workshop on the application of a new technique for extreme tropical rainfall estimation was conducted for civil engineers and hydrologists. A series of workshops on the SCL and its use were undertaken in collaboration with the CRCCH.
• The 12th Meeting of the Regional Steering Committee for South-East Asia and the Pacific of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme was organised and hosted in Adelaide, in conjunction with the International Conference on Water Sensitive Urban Design.

Contribution towards outcome

• The pilot IFD study will help ensure that the design of infrastructure for water management and public safety and convenience is based on the best rainfall data available and utilises recent advances in statistical procedures.
• The development of Internet-based systems such as AWDIP for the delivery of IFD and other rainfall estimates will streamline access to, reduce costs of, and increase awareness of a wide range of water resource data and data analyses which can be used to support natural resource decision making and infrastructure design.
• Bureau involvement in research, through participation in water-related cooperative research centres, provides an opportunity to further develop and apply the specialised capabilities in meteorology and hydrometeorology to improve water resource management, design and operations. The SCL, for example, enables a better understanding of and improved planning for risks to natural resource, infrastructure and agricultural projects. Involvement in the research program of the eWater CRC will provide opportunities for similar benefits to be provided to the water industry in the future.
• Workshops, such as the PMP and SCL workshops, are an important mechanism for transferring knowledge and expertise to stakeholders and clients and ensuring that the uptake of new techniques and methodologies is quick and effective.
• Involvement in meetings such as the UNESCO Regional Steering Committee and international conferences provide opportunities to exchange Australian experience, information and data on hydrology and water resources within UN frameworks (such as the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme and the WMO Commission for Hydrology) and enhances the contribution of hydrological services to both Australian and international social and economic development projects.