An unmanned aerial vehicle is used for meteorological observation in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

In 2020, a meteorological hub will develop in Lihu sub-district, Binhu district, Wuxi.

According to an agreement signed at the end of November, 2019, Jiangsu Radio Scientific Institute Co Ltd (Wuxi Institute), a Chinese supplier of ground meteorological equipment, will cooperate with Lihu sub-district to turn the area it is located in into a hub for the meteorological industry.

This year, a number of enterprises involved in the meteorological industry will help form a complete industrial chain in the 12,000-square-meter area, which will revolve around meteorological technology research and development, equipment operation and maintenance, software development, and professional meteorological services.

Tang Zhihua, deputy director of Lihu sub-district, said that preparations for the block will add impetus to the innovative development of the district, as the digital economy it will develop is an important driving force behind regional development.

The new industrial chain will help upgrade the Wuxi Institute and is expected to generate over 1 billion yuan ($143.44 million) in output and 100 million yuan in tax revenue per year.

Meteorological observations in the country are divided into three categories: space-based (satellite), air-based (radar, etc.) and ground-based. Ground-based meteorological data is mainly gathered via more than 80,000 ground meteorological observation stations.

The Wuxi Institute, which engages in the mass production of high-end and advanced equipment, is not only a leader in the production of ground meteorological equipment and R&D in China, but also the primary drafter of national standards for such equipment.

As of the end of November, more than 40 percent of meteorological stations in China were made in Wuxi, with the Wuxi Institute contributing a significant amount.

The observation capabilities of a modern meteorological station have advanced with the times. For example, a national-level meteorological station in Wuxi is able to monitor six conventional meteorological elements, including temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind direction, wind speed, and rainfall, and provide meteorological data relating to visibility, ultraviolet rays, thunderstorms, and snow using more than 10 types of advanced meteorological observation equipment.

Xue Mingfang, director of the Wuxi Institute, said that before 2000, ground-based meteorology mainly relied on artificial observation stations, of which there were only three in Wuxi.

China began to introduce automatic observation stations after 2000, and there are now more than 200 automatic observation stations in Wuxi. This has helped shorten the amount of time needed for data collection and has greatly improved the accuracy of meteorological forecasts.

In the future, the number of observation stations will continue to grow, creating more demand for equipment with an eight-year service life.

Xue also said that future competition in the meteorological industry will be more focused around equipment operation and maintenance, as well as application and analysis of meteorological data.

Xue explained that there will be a strong demand for professional meteorological services in the future. Comprehensive meteorological data for specific regions and time periods can be extremely useful for industries such as agriculture and electricity.