QUOTE
An early warning system for tsunami in the Indian Ocean will likely be set up by July, with Japanese technology playing a key part in the preparations, officials said.
The system is designed to minimize damage in the event of a powerful tidal wave like the quake-triggered one off Sumatra in 2004 that killed more than 220,000 people.
The early warning system for the Indian Ocean comprises a network of tsunami warning centers set up in 28 nations. The system will observe seismic waves, tsunami waveforms, tide levels and other changes in the ocean.
Each country involved will be able to share data in real time, and each will be responsible for issuing tsunami warnings to their citizens.
Participating countries are learning about Japan's advanced tsunami warning system and anti-disaster measures. In addition, a Japanese satellite will be used for transmitting observation data, the officials said.
"There is a strong anticipation for Japan to back up (the early warning system) with its advanced anti-tsunami measures," said Masahiro Yamamoto, a senior consultant dispatched to UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) from the Japan Meteorological Agency.
"When the system becomes operational, it is crucial, more than anything else, to establish a trusting relationship with each country involved through practical training and other methods," Yamamoto said.
Twenty-four officials from countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka participated in a series of practical training sessions held in Japan from January to mid-February.
They studied Japan's tsunami warning system and other disaster-prevention activities introduced by the Asian Disaster Reduction Center.
The establishment of the early warning system in the Indian Ocean has been promoted mainly by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in response to the U.N. World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe in January 2005.
UNESCO now wants to focus on such matters as: pinpointing observation points needed to predict a tsunami; how to share observation data; and improving the method of processing data concerning seismic waves.
To cover observation spots where communication facilities have not been set up, Japan's meteorological satellite Himawari (sunflower) No. 6 will be used.
But because the Himawari No. 6 is in a geostationary orbit above Papua New Guinea, the data relay will be limited to the eastern side of the Indian Ocean from Sri Lanka.
The European geostationary meteorological satellite known as METEOSAT is expected to be used to cover the western part of the ocean.
The system is designed to minimize damage in the event of a powerful tidal wave like the quake-triggered one off Sumatra in 2004 that killed more than 220,000 people.
The early warning system for the Indian Ocean comprises a network of tsunami warning centers set up in 28 nations. The system will observe seismic waves, tsunami waveforms, tide levels and other changes in the ocean.
Each country involved will be able to share data in real time, and each will be responsible for issuing tsunami warnings to their citizens.
Participating countries are learning about Japan's advanced tsunami warning system and anti-disaster measures. In addition, a Japanese satellite will be used for transmitting observation data, the officials said.
"There is a strong anticipation for Japan to back up (the early warning system) with its advanced anti-tsunami measures," said Masahiro Yamamoto, a senior consultant dispatched to UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) from the Japan Meteorological Agency.
"When the system becomes operational, it is crucial, more than anything else, to establish a trusting relationship with each country involved through practical training and other methods," Yamamoto said.
Twenty-four officials from countries including Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka participated in a series of practical training sessions held in Japan from January to mid-February.
They studied Japan's tsunami warning system and other disaster-prevention activities introduced by the Asian Disaster Reduction Center.
The establishment of the early warning system in the Indian Ocean has been promoted mainly by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in response to the U.N. World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe in January 2005.
UNESCO now wants to focus on such matters as: pinpointing observation points needed to predict a tsunami; how to share observation data; and improving the method of processing data concerning seismic waves.
To cover observation spots where communication facilities have not been set up, Japan's meteorological satellite Himawari (sunflower) No. 6 will be used.
But because the Himawari No. 6 is in a geostationary orbit above Papua New Guinea, the data relay will be limited to the eastern side of the Indian Ocean from Sri Lanka.
The European geostationary meteorological satellite known as METEOSAT is expected to be used to cover the western part of the ocean.