Draft Flood Warning Infrastructure Standard Consultation period
The Flood Warning Infrastructure Standard provides performance requirements for infrastructure which measures, communicates and stores rainfall and river-level data for flood monitoring and prediction.
Why was the standard developed?
Accurate, near-real-time data are essential for preparing effective, specific flood forecasts and warnings. Australian flood forecasting and warning services rely on over 100 organisations to collect, measure, record, send, receive, store and display rainfall and river-level data. In many cases the flood warning infrastructure that supports the service has been adapted from other purposes. This has led to issues, including lack of interoperability between instruments and data communication technologies, poor siting and inadequate redundancy.
The standard forms part of a set of measures to place flood warning services on a sustainable and robust footing for the long term. It presents non-mandatory, industry-recommended performance requirements for the design and assessment of flood-warning infrastructure. Performance-based standards are expressed in terms of outcomes to be achieved. This means that different technical solutions can meet the requirements.
What is its scope?
The standard covers flood-warning infrastructure from field instruments and communications equipment, through to data-ingestion software for receiving, storing and displaying real-time flood data. It applies to new and existing infrastructure used for riverine and flash flooding.
Who developed it?
This standard was developed by the National Flood Warning Infrastructure Working Group, which was established in 2016 by the Australia New Zealand Emergency Management Committee (ANZEMC) to address a range of issues affecting flood warning data collection. The working group is administered and chaired by the Bureau of Meteorology. A Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which includes representatives from the States and Territories and the Bureau, guided development and provided technical input.
How can I contribute to it?
The standard is available for industry consultation from 1 June to 31 August 2018, after which it will be revised. It will then be made available for public comment for six weeks. Finally, the TAG will recommend it to the Working Group for endorsement by ANZEMC in March 2019.
You are encouraged to raise any issues, comments, corrections or other feedback relating to the content, scope or application of the standard. Please provide your feedback by emailing NFWI.standard@bom.gov.au.
Copies of the Consultation Draft Flood Warning Infrastructure Standard can be downloaded from:http://www.bom.gov.au/water/standards/floodwarning.shtml