NiMet signs agreement with US firm on development of data for weather forecast

In a bid to minimize the effects of severe weather on the citizens, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) on Wednesday reached an agreement with the United States-based firm Earth Networks to develop real-time lightning detection and warning systems.

In a statement sent to Ripples Nigeria, NiMet said the agreement also includes a five-year collaboration to build the Nigeria Total Lightning and Mesoscale AWS Network (NTLMAN) for early warning on severe weather.

The statement read: “The agreement will provide nationwide early warning for severe storm nowcasting, and alerting.”

According to the statement, NiMet and Earth Networks will deploy and operate a comprehensive early warning lightning detection network in Nigeria and jointly co-market new sources of weather and lightning data to public and private industries in the country.

It added: “Precision weather stations and lightning sensors will be hosted at NiMet locations and maintained by NiMet staff. In addition to the network equipment, Earth Networks will also provide training and development for NiMet staff regarding the use of comprehensive weather data, including real-time and historical lightning data, weather observations, sensor forecasts, and live storm-tracking and alerting.”

Speaking on the deal, Vice President of Global Sales at Advanced Environmental Monitoring, Earth Networks’ parent company, Jim Anderson, said: “We are excited to partner with NiMet to help accelerate the expansion of their high impact weather forecasting capacity and bring new weather warning services to enterprise customers in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: NiMet signs agreement with US firm on development of data for weather forecast

“This new agreement with NiMet supports Earth Networks’ commitment to build sustainable public-private weather information services partnerships with countries around the globe. Government agencies and private enterprises in Nigeria alike will now have access to a complete suite of visualization, forecasting, storm identification, alerting, and tracking services, developed and offered jointly by NiMet and Earth Networks.

“This cooperation means any industry affected by weather in Nigeria, including aviation, oil and gas, mining, and manufacturing, can now take advantage of the most technologically advanced severe weather alerts and data to promote safety and ease operational challenges caused by weather.

“We’ve been working in more than 25 countries in Africa since 2013 to save lives and protect property with high-resolution weather and lightning data”

In his remarks at the forum, the officer in charge of Environment, Science, Technology, and Health at the US Embassy, Adam Jagelski, said the partnership between Earth Networks and NiMet would help expand Nigeria’s capacity to accurately provide critical weather forecasting information and climate services.

He stressed that the agreement would support Nigeria’s economic development by protecting the lives and property that are critical to several key sectors.

Jagelski said: “The signing of this MOU is exemplary of the mutually beneficial partnership model US businesses can employ to engage the Nigerian market.

“I am thrilled to see Earth Networks using the partnership model to bring the expertise of one of America’s truly innovative companies to the strategic infrastructure sector in Nigeria. We hope to see more of America’s premier companies developing partnerships as a means to bring their best-in-class products and services to Nigeria and the whole of Africa.”

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