SCED visits Hong Kong Observatory

19 August 2015

The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, visited the Hong Kong Observatory Headquarters today (August 19) to gain a deeper understanding of the department's work and latest developments.

Accompanied by the Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Shun Chi-ming, Mr So visited the Central Forecasting Office and had exchanges with weather forecasters to gain a better understanding of the operation of the office and the public weather services provided by the Observatory. Mr So observed the movement of the "twin typhoons" Goni and Atsani on the newly installed "Integrated Information Display System". He was also briefed by the staff on how the system could display various meteorological and forecast information, including rainstorms and tropical cyclones, real-time weather photos as well as geophysical information, to enable weather forecasters to keep abreast of the latest situation. The staff also introduced the latest developments of the Observatory, including the launch of a new mobile application which provided location-based weather services and weather information for the public planning for outdoor activities.

During the visit, Mr So met with the senior staff to exchange views on future development initiatives of the Observatory. He was delighted with the Observatory's winning of various awards for its service, website and mobile application, which included the local and international awards for "Meteorology Series IV", a TV documentary series jointly produced by the Observatory and Radio Television Hong Kong; the "Outstanding Partnership Award 2014" presented by the Senior Citizen Home Safety Association (SCHSA) in recognition of the Observatory's collaboration with the SCHSA to serve the elderly; and the Observatory's website awarded the gold prize under the "Government Departments" stream and the "Most Liked .hk Website" in a website contest. He commended the staff for providing people-oriented services through science, information technology and innovative thinking, and developing weather services tailor-made for different user groups. He was also impressed by the department's efforts in promoting public interest and knowledge on meteorology and climate conditions through the educational programme "Cool Met Stuff" and the interactive public seminars.

Mr So also visited the TV Studio to learn about the new weather graphic system for enhancing the quality of TV weather programmes. He also took the opportunity to take part in the production of the public educational weather programme "Cool Met Stuff", and joined the TV presenter of the Observatory in the coming episode "Hong Kong - What a Great Place!" to introduce weather tips for travellers visiting Hong Kong and further enhance public interest and knowledge on meteorology of the city. The video will be broadcast in late August on the Observatory's website (http://www.hko.gov.hk/contente.htm) and its YouTube channel for "Cool Met Stuff"( http://www.hko.gov.hk/video/wxonairyoutubec2.htm).