Amsterdam, /PRNewswire/ – the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD) will
install a Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] WindTracer® Doppler lidar system at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport as part of
its Integrated Windshear Alerting System.
Suvarnabhumi is the sixth busiest
airport in Asia, having handled 47.9 million
passengers in 2011. Severe weather events in airport terminal areas, especially wind shear,
microbursts and gust fronts, represent great hazards for aviation. Once
operational, the Integrated Windshear Alerting System will generate alerts and
provide displays of weather information for TMD forecasters and meteorologists.
WindTracer will be an integral component of the system and will monitor
atmospheric conditions and measure wind speed and wind direction along the
airport's flight paths. The WindTracer will detect and report
hazardous winds to ensure operational safety during high-impact weather.
WindTracer works by sending out pulses of eye-safe infrared laser light that
reflect off of naturally occurring aerosol particles in the atmosphere. Wind
moves these particles which alters the frequency of the light that is scattered
back to the system. By properly processing the return signal, the system is able
to detect the wind speed and direction.
The TMD is charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in
Thailand. The four service bureaus of TMD provide
weather and monitoring services to aviation and transportation authorities. TMD
falls under the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. It was
established in 1923 as Thailand's meteorological
and statistical organization.
Since the initial deployment in 2002, WindTracer successfully
operates at Hong Kong, Tokyo, Osaka, London, New York, San Francisco and Las
Vegas airports, and continues to be the lidar sensor of choice for
numerous airport weather upgrade programs.
Source: Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company
