The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Department (VMGD) will now be able to digitise thousands of manually prepared records of climate observations.
The department has acquired a new digital scanner, the first of its kind in the country reports the Daily Post.
Director of VMGD, Montin Romone, who launched the equipment said it is eco-friendly, ergonomic, easy to operate and delivers professional image results.
“The plan is to digitise 100 percent of VMGD observation data, then we will work with other government agencies such as the Department of Water Resources, to rescue hydrological data for river catchment areas across Vanuatu,” he said.
Records to be digitised include climate variables such as rainfall, air temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind speed, wind direction, sunlight, evaporation, soil moisture, soil temperature and historical surface weather charts.
The records were recorded in a number of climate observation sites across Vanuatu and go back to pre-colonial era. They have been done manually.
Climate scientists will use the digitised data to analyst and develop trends of how climate in Vanuatu has evolved over time.
The target is to completely digitise all records within the next 6-12 months.