News release

29 March 2006

Specialist television equipment, which will help Senegal produce better warnings of severe weather, has been donated by the Met Office to the country's national meteorological service.

Met Office Chief Executive Mark Hutchinson (pictured), handed over the specialist reflective screen and LED ring (otherwise known as Chroma Key) to Mactar Ndiaye (pictured), the director of the Senegalese National Meteorological Department, when Mr Ndiaye visited the Met Office as part of study tour.

Senegal is regularly affected by tropical storms. Television and radio broadcasts are an excellent way to issue timely warnings so that the population can prepare for a storm.

Mr Ndiaye said: "This equipment will help us to improve the quality of our TV broadcasts and we very much appreciate it."

The system was provided via the Voluntary Co-operation Programme (VCP) of the World Meteorological Organization, which assists with the sustainable development of weather service in developing countries. Media broadcasts can help to make a national meteorological service (NMS) an important part of their government's disaster plans.

Steve Palmer, the Met Office VCP Programme Manager, said: "The Met Office has supported more than 35 countries in Africa by providing simple media systems as part of our commitment to VCP. Regular media broadcasts are essential to raise the visibility of an NMS within their national government, this can help them to secure future funding sources."

Notes to editors:

1. The system works in the following way: A ring of bright green LEDs is mounted around the camera, which reflect off the screen. A video mixer filters out the green light and replaces it with the pre-prepared weather map images. This gives the impression that the presenter is standing in front of the weather images.

2. Mr Ndiaye was visiting the UK as part of a WMO-sponsored 'study tour'. These help newly-appointed directors of NMSs to familiarise themselves with the World Meteorological Organization and developed met. services, such as the Met Office.