The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) organised a workshop on "Recent Advances of Severe Weather Forecast Techniques using Machine Learning" under the Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) from 4 to 8 December 2023. This workshop was the first VCP workshop for HKO to resume in-person participation after the COVID-19 epidemic. It was also the first WMO training activity specifically on using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in severe weather forecast. The workshop was attended by 18 participants from the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in 18 countries, namely Bangladesh, Benin, India, Kuwait, Lao PDR, Lesotho, Madagascar, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Singapore, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda and Viet Nam. The workshop was also highly appreciated by the participants, and they were excited to see the potential benefits of AI/ML in weather forecast operations. In addition to the presentations, hands-on practical sessions on applying ML techniques in rainfall nowcasting and AI weather model for tropical cyclone track prediction were conducted.

Mr WOO Wang-chun, Acting Senior Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), visited Hanoi, Vietnam during 16-20 December 2019 to serve as an expert lecturer of the training workshop under the “Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project” (SWFDP) – Regional Subproject for Southeast Asia on severe weather forecasting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). During the event, techniques on rainfall and severe weather nowcasting were shared with participants. Training material can be found below.

Nowcast_Community-SWIRLS.pdf

The Hong Kong Observatory organized a training workshop entitled “Nowcasting, Seamless Forecasting and Warning Services” under the Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) during 3-6 December 2019. Topics on satellite nowcasting, SWIRLS nowcasting system, the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and impact-based weather warning and forecast service were covered. A total of 16 trainees from Curaçao and Sint Maarten; Egypt; Indonesia; Jordan; Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Macao, China; Madagascar; Maldives; Peru; the Philippines; Samoa; Saudi Arabia; Sri Lanka; Tajikistan; Thailand and Uzbekistan participated in this workshop. They were shared with the experiences in the utilization of radar and satellite-based nowcasting products; and the installation and operation of the community version of SWIRLS nowcasting system. Training materials of the workshop can be found below.

Mr WONG Wai-kin, Senior Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO), visited Vientiane, the Lao People's Democratic Republic (hereinafter Laos) during 19 - 23 February to serve as an expert lecturer of the training workshop under the "Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project" (SWFDP) - Regional Subproject for Southeast Asia on severe weather forecasting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). More than 30 forecasters from the National Early Warning Centre, aeronautical division and regional offices of Laos, as well as those from Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam attended the workshop.

At the invitation of the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) of Myanmar, Ms LEUNG Yan-yu Christy, Scientific Officer of the Hong Kong Observatory, participated the Annual Development Partner Workshop 2018 and delivered a talk on the Hong Kong Observatory Nowcasting System Community SWIRLS. Participants including DMH stakeholder, development partners, DMH and developers of the Ayeyarwady Integrated River Basin Management (AIRBM) Project. had vibrant discussions on the technical issues and approaches to integrate the forecast systems to build Myanmar’s capability in weather forecast, warning and delivery service.

The Hong Kong Observatory hosted the "SWIRLS Nowcasting Workshop" from 29 to 31 May 2018 to share techniques on nowcasting rainfall and severe weather with meteorologists from the Mainland and Macao. A total of 19 experts from National Meteorological Center, Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau, as well as meteorological bureaux of Shaanxi, Hainan, Shenzhen and Zhuhai participated in this workshop.

Mr WOO Wang-chun and Dr HO Chun-kit, Scientific Officers of the Hong Kong Observatory, visited Hanoi, Viet Nam during 7-18 May and acted as expert lecturers to coach more than 10 forecasters from Viet Nam, the Philippines and Thailand under the “Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project” (SWFDP) - Regional Subproject for Southeast Asia (SeA) on severe weather forecasting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). During the event, they also shared experience in utilization of numerical weather prediction products and “SWIRLS” nowcasting system, as well as in communication with the media and the general public.

More than 20 aviation forecasters from all ASEAN countries with Flight Information Region (FIR) participated in the Training Workshop on SIGMET Coordination organized by the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) on 4 – 6 December 2017. Mr. Wang-chun Woo of HKO introduced Com-SWIRLS to participants.

At the invitation of the World Meteorological Organization, Mr Woo Wang-chun, Scientific Officer of HKO and a nowcasting expert, presented on nowcasting and very-short-range forecasting techniques in the 'Workshop on the Implementation of New Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and Impact-based Forecast and Warning Techniques' held at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH), Myanmar during 6-9 September 2016. Representatives from various meteorological services and international organisations also participated in the workshop.

More than 150 weather experts from over 20 countries and regions attended the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) World Weather Research Programme 4th International Symposium on Nowcasting and Very-short-range Forecast 2016 (WSN16) at the Yasumoto International Academic Park of the Chinese University of Hong Kong during 25 – 29 July 2016. The symposium was jointly hosted by the HKO, the Hong Kong Meteorological Society, and the Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

A training workshop was held the Yasumoto International Academic Park of the Chinese University of Hong Kong during 20-22 July 2016. Renowned nowcasting experts Herbert Pumpel, George Isaac and Pilar Ripodas as well as HKO colleagues Ping-wah Li, Wai-kin Wong and Wang-chun Woo delivered a series of lectures to a dozen of international and local participants. The opportunity was also taken to promote the Com-SWIRLS.

HKO organized an international workshop on "Rainfall Nowcasting" under the Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) during 7 – 11 December 2015, and took the opportunity to launch the community version of the SWIRLS nowcasting system ("Com-SWIRLS") for use by interested meteorological services around the world. The workshop was delivered by Dr Jenny Juanzhen Sun of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), Mr Hidehiko Murata of Japan Meteorological Agency, as well as Mr Wong Wai-kin, Mr Woo Wang-chun and Mr Cheng Tsz-lo of HKO. It was attended by 22 trainees from 18 countries, including Argentina, China, Comoros, Fiji, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Myanmar, South Africa, Tajikistan, Thailand, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Zambia. A webinar was also set up for the first time at the VCP workshop to enable remote participation in the lectures by the forecast experts in Beijing, China.

In each of 2012, 2013 and 2014, HKO provided training on the installation, configuration and use of the SWIRLS nowcasting system to participants of the Tropical Cyclone Research Fellowships (TCRF) scheme, who were attached to HKO for up to two months. Members of NMHSs from China (Macao), the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand were trained through the provided opportunity. It led to the development of the QPF TC rainfall module, and laid the foundation for the successful implementations of SWIRLS in some of these countries.