DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF METEOROLOGICAL INSTRUMENTS -THE NIGERIA EXPERIENCE

Project Abstract

<p>&nbsp;                  <b>ABSTRACT </b><br>The Nigerian Meteorological Agency is at the midpoint of an unprecedented effort to engage in the design and fabrication of some conventional and automatic weather monitoring instruments that are also suitable for installation where power supply is an issue. The goal of this undertaking, which include challenges, is to promote technology transfer and subsequently conserve foreign exchange, which the Agency normally spend on conventional Instruments Procurement. The paper will address the agency’s local manufacturing capability and the efforts being made in the design and development of semiautomatic weather monitoring instruments. Detailed design and construction of electronic wind speed and wind direction indicators is covered in this work. <br></p>

Project Overview

<p><b>1.0 INTRODUCTION</b></p><p>The Nigerian Meteorological Agency has its fabrication workshop in Lagos, where the operational headquarters is located. The workshop was originally established to maintain conventional meteorological instruments. Shortly after the then Department of Meteorological Services under the ministry of Aviation became autonomous and transited to an agency (Nigerian meteorological Agency) in year 2002, the Director-General of the Agency,Mr.L.E. Akeh, introduced an awareness program by organizing lectures on service delivery and this led to an aggressive drive by members of staff to contribute their quota to the progress of the newly established Agency. <br></p><p> The Oshodi Workshop in Lagos, Nigeria manufactures basic meteorological equipment such as Rain Gauges, Class ‘A’ Pan Evaporimeter, Stillwell, Hook Gauges, Telecommunication masts, Automatic Weather Station couplers, anemometer masts, thermometer brackets, Stevenson screens for thermometers and thermo hygrographs, Wind vane called weather vanes, and other mechanical parts needed for maintenance of existing equipment. The raw materials required to produce the above listed instruments are available in the local market. In the case of self recording raingauge, more than 70% of the materials used are sourced locally, for accuracy of measurement and conformity to the World meteorological Organization standards, mechanical clock and the siphon chamber are being sourced from abroad to produce a complete tilting siphon rain gauges. Work is in progress on the design and fabrication electronic weather observing instruments such as digital thermometer, Tipping bucket raingauge, cup counter anemometer, humidity sensor and the wind monitor. <br></p><p> Effort to produce basic meteorological instruments locally by the Nigerian meteorological Agency is borne out of a desire to make available these instruments for use at cheap and affordable price to all users of environmental monitoring equipment in the country. <br></p>