H 香港政府

GIS

新聞處

DAILY INFORMATION BULLETIN

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1977

NEW EQUIPMENT FOR TRACKING TYPHOONS

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A SOPHISTICATED VIDEO RECORDING SYSTEM, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD HAS BEEN INSTALLED AT THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY TO HELP TRACK THE DEVELOPMENT AND MOVEMENT OF TROPICAL CYCLONES,

SPECIALLY BUILT IN ENGLAND ON SPECIFICATIONS GIVEN BY THE HONG KONG ROYAL OBSERVATORY, THE VIDEO TIME-LAPSE SYSTEM USES VIDEO TAPE TO RECORD ECHOES, CAUSED BY TROPICAL CYCLONES OR HEAVY RAINSTORMS, PICKED UP BY THE R.C.'S RADAR.

THE MAIN ADVANTAGE OF USING VIDEO TAPES, ACCORDING TO A SPOKESMAN FOR THE ROYAL OBSERVATORY, IS THAT IT ALLOWS IMMEDIATE PLAYBACK SO THAT A STORM'S MOVEMENT AND INTENSITY CAN BE CONTINUOUSLY TRACED AND COMPARED..

+THIS IS MUCH BETTER THAN THE OLD SYSTEM WHICH USES A MOVIE CAMERA TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE TROPICAL CYCLONE, AS SHOWN THROUGH ECHOES PICKED UP ON THE RADAR, ONCE EVERY 24 SECONDS.

+FILMS TAKE A LONG TIME TO PROCESS AND IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCURATELY COMPARE THE LATEST SITUATION WITH THAT OF, SAY, THREE OR FOUR HOURS AGO.

+THE NEW SYSTEM ENABLES US TO IMMEDIATELY SEE THE STORM'S MOVEMENT AND INTENSITY DURING DIFFERENT STAGES OF ITS DEVELOPMENT, AND SHOULD PROVIDE US WITH A BETTER FOOTING ON WHICH TO PREDICT ITS FUTURE MOVEMENT, HE SAID.

ANOTHER ADVANTAGE OF THE NEW SYSTEM IS THAT IT HAS A MUCH MORE FLEXIBLE CHOICE OF TIME-LAPSE FOR TAKING VIDEO TAPE RECORDINGS.

+WHILE THE OLD SYSTEM HAS A FIXED TIME-LAPSE OF ONE PICTURE EVERY 24 SECONDS, THE NEW SYSTEM CAN TAKE RECORDINGS AT A FREQUENCY RANGING FROM FOUR EVERY FIVE MINUTES TO ONE EVERY 15 MINUTES,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

+THIS CHOICE WILL ENABLE US TO SAVE A LOT ON VIDEO TAPES WHILE TRACKING A SLOW-MOVING OR SLOW-DEVELOPING TROPICAL CYCLONE,+ HE ADDED.

WHEN A

Issued by Government Information Services, Beaconsfield House, Hong Kong. Tel: 5-233191

PAH 7

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