Friday, 23 Februari, 2007

Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (BPPT) Chairman Professor Said D. Jenie and U.S. Embassy Chargé d'Affaires John Heffern signed an agreement for scientific and technological cooperation in tsunami detection technology and warning systems.

The agreement between BPPT and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will help BPPT develop a tsunami early warning system for Indonesia that includes a U.S. contribution of two tsunami detection buoy systems, tsunami forecast modeling, training and development to improve Indonesia ’s ability to issue tsunami forecasts and warnings.

Tsunami models can help emergency managers in potentially affected areas plan for events and educate residents of those areas on what they can do to protect themselves. The U.S. Department of State contributed $1 million in financial assistance towards developing the Indonesian Tsunami Warning System.

“Last November, President Bush and President Yudhoyono announced a Memorandum of Understanding to develop Multihazards Warning Systems. Today’s pledged partnership to develop an Indonesian Tsunami Warning System is one of the first major initiatives to come out of this important agreement,” stated Chargé Heffern.

Under this BPPT-NOAA agreement, Indonesia and the U.S. also commit to training and capacity building in tsunami detection technology and will make a joint contribution to the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System by deploying and maintaining a NOAA DART™ system as a contribution of regional benefit. The tsunami monitoring system, together with another system deployed under a partnership with the Royal Thai Government will help provide timely tsunami notifications for the Indian Ocean region.

NOAA developed the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis (DART™) system to detect tsunamis. NOAA is also developing a new easy-to-deploy system that smaller craft, such as fishing vessels, can put in place.

“We are working with Indonesia to provide research and development to build capacity in that part of the world,” said Richard W. Spinrad, assistant administrator of NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).

The United States and NOAA have worked with Indonesia and other Indian Ocean nations to support strategic investments in the IOTWS since the devastating December 2004 tsunami. UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission has the lead role in facilitating the development of an interoperable tsunami warning system for the region.