The further $5 million was later provided to upgrade the Coastal radars. This $5 million State Government investment was utilised to upgrade the Albany (about $2.3 million) and Geraldton radars (about $2.3 million) to Doppler capacity.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) provided separate funding for the upgrading of the Esperance radar to Doppler capability.
Upgrading of these three coastal sites was completed in February 2020.
Managed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and supported by the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM), now that the upgrades have been completed this investment will provide nearly full radar coverage across the entire grainbelt with more precise weather information, which will be easily accessible for farm businesses and rural communities throughout the regions.
Background
Technology is more important than ever in ensuring our state’s agricultural sector remains internationally competitive, because of both widespread technology adoption in overseas competitor markets and cheap labour availability in certain overseas locations.
In addition to technology, weather is seen as the most important factor contributing to the success of our agricultural farm businesses. With greater seasonal variability the importance of weather to agricultural production is increasing.