KMA Plans Centralized Data Center
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
The Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA) will establish a network center for uniformed operation of 27 weather radars nationwide, Kenneth Crawford, the new vice chief of the weather agency said Friday.
The U.S. citizen who became the first foreign civil servant in the country said the strict administration of the radars will be one of his top priorities in order to provide more accurate reports.
"In the United States, data collected from 122 radars nationwide is assessed within a minute. Considering Korea has no worse information technology infrastructure than the U.S., it will be possible," he said.
Assessing the data, then evaluating it; developing computer model for the right guidance, then letting human forecasters make the right decision and carrying out the communication efficient will become possible through the linkage of the radars, and eventually lead to accuracy and advancement of the whole system, he said.
At the KMA ― which has been constantly hit for making inaccurate forecasts for the past several years ― Crawford may have to show a drastic change that could fulfill the high expectation of the hiring of a "foreign relief pitcher"in the near future. He is reported to be paid $260,000 a year, double the salary for President here.
Crawford also admitted to the fact that it is a challenge. "It is quite hard for a large organization to make a dramatic change and I have several things in mind," he said but did not clarify what the projects were.
Crawford has been under the media radar since November last year, when Environment minister Lee Maan-ee openly said that he will be recruiting a foreign professional to "improve" and "advance" the weather agency. The KMA expects to rank 6th in weather forecast capability in the world by 2012 from the current 9th.
Crawford is a weather professor at the University of Oklahoma and director of the American Meteorological Society. He was placed at numerous lucrative positions in the U.S., Croatia and other countries. Here, he will serve as vice administrator of its meteorological advancement council, a unit tasked to map out mid- to long-term strategies for better forecast services.
"It will be impossible to remarkably increase the ability of the short period of time of one or two years. It will not be possible to accomplish our goals for advancement by myself. But because I recognize the expectations of the Korean people and the KMA have placed on my shoulders, I will exert my utmost efforts to achieve great things with things I have,"Crawford said.