“ NEWS photo Mike Wakefield PAUL ROCCHETII, president of Via-Sat Data Systems Inc. displays 2 weather-monitoring system that picks up information from climate stations across British Columbia and the Yukon. Climate data collected Via-Sat ONE OF the North Shore companies participating at the recent Globe 90 business and environment trade fair earns a_ living for its employees by paying close attention to the climate. North Vancouver-based Via-Sat Data Systems Inc. was formed almost two years ago. Said Via-Sat president Paul Rocchetti, a former 3.C. Hydro employee, ‘‘‘I put a proposal to privatize various data collection programs that they (B; C. Hydro) had going and amalgamate them all into one contract. That’s how we got started. And cf course, now they’re our number-one client.’* B.C. Hydro has $0 climate sta- tions, or data collection platforms, set up in remote mountainous areas throughout the province. This year Via-Sat is adding four stations in the Yukon for B.C. Hydro and may expand the data collection network into the Nor- thwest Territories. The basic station configuration contains air temperature and pre- cipitation sensors, Each data plat- form on the ground is powered by a battery supported by a solar panel. More sensors, doing different jobs, are possible. “We've got some stations that measure water temperature, wind speed and direction, solar radia- tion, humidity. You can also measure water and air quality,” Rocchetti said. The meteorological networks in- corporate a ‘‘real time’’ satellite telemetry system. Information is gathered by sen- sors, which take timed readings stored in a memory bank and then transmitted via a GOES (Geosta- tionary Orbital Environmental Satellite) systern. Data beamed skyward are relayed to NESDIS (National En- vironmental Satellite Data and In- INCOME TAX Personal & Business SEE THE EXPERTS PIERCE FINANCIAL PLANNERS we make house calls. 922-3452 #11-2471 Marine Or. West Van. Michael Becker formation Service) in Washington D.C. From there, the data is transmitted via a land line to the Atmospheric Environment Service (a federal air data collection agen- cy). Via-Sat client, B.C. Hydro, receives and transfers the data to IBM mainframe. Said Rocchetti, ‘‘They (B.C. Hydre) use the information for flow forecasting (how much water is coming into the system), how much water is still up there to come down throughout the spring, and they’ll use it for deciding whether to sell power or not.’” Data accuracy is backed by field trips to the individual sites about four times a year. Another program carried out by Via-Sat for Hydro looks to the future. “If they’re planning to build a dam in an area, you need a good 20 years of base data to design your spillway,’’ Rocchetti said. “The information is also used to decide whether there is enough water in that area to make it wor- thwhile.’’ Via-Sat_ also works with a number of engineering companies. 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