KMA Supports Australia Wildfire Response... Provides Cheollian Satellite Special Observation Video

Providing Information to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Video of Australian wildfires observed by Cheollian 2A (Provided by Korea Meteorological Administration)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) announced on the 29th that it will provide special observation images from the Chollian Satellite 2A to the Australian government to support disaster response efforts for the wildfires occurring in Australia.

Special observation refers to the focused monitoring and rapid disaster response support for hazardous weather or large-scale disaster phenomena within a specific observation area of 1000 km, fixed or tracked at 2-minute intervals, separate from the regular meteorological satellite observation procedures.

The KMA will provide a total of nine types of images obtained through wildfire detection, wildfire radiant heat analysis, and special observation to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology plans to use this wildfire risk information directly for disaster response. The main data provided includes three types of analysis images: wildfire detection, wildfire risk, and wildfire radiant heat, as well as composite images such as volcanic ash and yellow dust.

The KMA will establish a 'Customized Image Display Menu for Special Support of Australian Wildfires' on the English website of the National Meteorological Satellite Center to enable real-time use by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, and plans to provide related images starting from the 31st.

KMA Administrator Kim Jong-seok stated, "In the future, when large-scale meteorological disasters occur in the Asia-Pacific region, we plan to actively promote humanitarian support within the scope that does not interfere with meteorological monitoring around Korea, upon request from the affected countries."