ENG-2009 — Page 364

292 The Environment

Official time standard

As the official time keeper of Hong Kong, the observatory maintains a Time Standard accurate to within fractions of a microsecond per day and contributes to the determination of Co-ordinated Universal Time. Time checks are available to the public through its Dial-a-Weather System, local radio stations, web clock and the internet network time service, the latter handling more than 710 million checks in 2009, an increase of about 18 per cent over 2008.

Public Education

To promote public awareness of hazardous weather and climate change, the observatory runs an educational and outreach programme consisting of training courses for members of the public and government personnel, exhibitions, scientific lectures, open days and guided tours of the observatory. The Director of the Hong Kong Observatory also shares his views on various issues with the public through the Director's Blog.

Websites

Environment Bureau: www.enb.gov.hk

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department: www.afcd.gov.hk

Civil Engineering and Development Department: www.cedd.gov.hk

Environmental Protection Department: www.epd.gov.hk

Electrical and Mechanical Services Department: www.emsd.gov.hk

Council for Sustainable Development: www.susdev.org.hk

Hong Kong Observatory: www.hko.gov.hk and www.weather.gov.hk