SWIRLS was further extended by integrating data from a newly installed regional lightning detection network championed by the Observatory in the mid-2000s, spawning a number of new nowcasting convection services in support of airport operations and air traffic management.
It received international recognition in forecast demonstration projects during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai World EXPO. SWIRLS has proven beneficial in providing operational warnings of landslides brought by heavy rain. It contributed, for example, to the development of the first low-level wind shear detection system for the Hong Kong Kai Tak airport in the late 1970s, to the deployment of a Doppler acoustic radar for low-level wind shear detection and for air ventilation studies in support of town planning in the early 1980s, to the assembling of the first automatic weather stations also in the early 1980s, to the development of a rainfall nowcasting system (known as SWIRLS – “Short range Warning of Intense Rainstorms in Localized Systems”) in the 1990s, and to the developing the world-first LIDAR wind shear alerting system covering clear-air conditions. The innovative spirit of the Observatory staff has continued throughout the history of Innovation was necessary to build a more weather resilient city, to construct the new Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and to respond to climate change. Severe Typhoon Vicente in 2012 (its well-defined eye is visible on the weather radar image at top) led to the issuance of a level 10 warning – the highest on the Observatory scale – however, there were no casualties. Typhoon related casualties have declined significantly in recent decades. At right is an image of Typhoon Judy captured in May 1966. In 1966, Peter MK Yau used basic equipment, valued around US$200, to capture satellite images for the Observatory.
In the early days of the One of the pioneers in implementing that satellite picture reception system, Professor Peter MK Yau, now a specialist in cloud physics and tropical cyclones at McGill University (Canada), visited the Observatory in August 2013 and recalled the innovative spirit that existed there in 1966 when he was a 20-year old scientific assistant. Values - Through SCIENCE, we Serve, we Care, we Innovate, we Enthuse, we Nurture, we Collaborate and we Excel. Mission - To provide people-oriented quality services in meteorology and related fields, and to enhance society’s capability in natural disaster prevention and response, through science, innovation and partnership. Vision - Be a model of excellence in protecting lives and building together a better society through science. To mark its 130th anniversary, the Observatory engaged its staff in updating the Observatory’s vision, mission and value statements that will guide its future activities over the next decade and beyond: Over the last few decades, the Observatory has ventured into new disciplines such as nuclear radiation monitoring, emergency response and the further development of aviation weather services for the new Hong Kong International Airport. This is still the case today: through scientific innovation and partnerships, facilitated by the World Weather Watch (WWW), the Observatory endeavours to serve an ever-expanding community of users of weather services. The Observatory, well aware of the importance of science and professionalism in providing meteorological services 3, has always sought to innovate to achieve its goal. When the Observatory first saw light in 1883, its mission was to serve the marine transport sector that was crucial to commerce and the economic development of Hong Kong 1(China 2), which was well on its way to becoming a major shipping hub. The four branches and 318 staff of the Hong Kong Observatory (hereafter referred to as the Observatory) celebrated its 130th anniversary on 23 March, World Meteorological Day. By CM Shun, Director, Hong Kong Observatory 1
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