A 24/7 localized weather information and impact monitoring system is here, in time for the wet La Niña weather.
La Niña may occur during the second semester of this year as El Niño weakens, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).
That means wet weather on top of the 20 typhoons that hit the country, on average, every year.
WEHLO which stands for Localized Weather, Environment, and Hydromet Monitoring System and was developed by Mapúa University’s School of Civil, Environmental and Geological Engineering led by Dr. Francis Aldrine Uy.
The 24/7 tool starts operations this rainy month of moon as PAGASA officially declared the onset on the monsoon season.
WEHLO builds upon existing sensors used by PAGASA, and it will have more precise local data.
It allows manual calibration to meet specific user needs translated to localized weather data on rainfall, temperature, humidity and more.
WEHLO will share weather data with PAGASA and will help disaster management operations as the country braces for La Niña.
Users can access data via the WEHLO web portal or a mobile app with an alert warning feature. The weather tech ensures continuous data transmission, even during power outages or weak mobile phone signals.
Project WEHLO started deployment in 2023 in partnership with the local governments in Infanta-General Nakar, Quezon, and Pantabangan-Angat, Bulacan.
WEHLO will be useful in these municipalities in gathering reliable and accurate real-time data, with continuous transmission in times of disaster when bad weather conditions, signal interruptions and power outages occur.
WEHLO follows the international standard set by the World Meteorological Organization. It has an improved version of PAGASA’s Automated Real-Time Monitoring System.
It also monitors and provides data on watersheds which can be useful for dam operators as well as agricultural information for farm managers.
