b'Partner News Summer 2023 27CorporateEngineering atimproved editions. It also meant a full re-wire of the system, connecting the range of analogue and digital meteorological sensors including thermistors, wind vanes and anemometers and a LIDAR ceilometer, to the an Observatorynew dataloggers. Upgrading to SurfaceNet means we will have a cloud hosted flexible, scalable and resilient surface observing system. in the SouthThe cloud platform, capable of storing 100 billion observations per year, will take advantage of next generation COTS smart data loggers to provide two-way communications which will upload Atlantic Ocean metrological data from the source to an AWS (Amazon Web Services) hosted cloud-based platform. This system will improve lifecycle management and system maintenance whilst enabling an improvement on the storage and use of data received from sites, and customers will By Tess Brock,benefit from faster, more tailored data.Observation EngineerRegular routine maintenance schedules are unachievable here due to the remote at the Met Officelocation, so we made the most of the time we had. We replaced huge sections of cabling to futureproof the Observatory, exchanged the sensors with newly calibrated equipment, completed all In February I was given the incredibleelectrical maintenance tasks, upgraded the opportunity to travel to St Helena, a tinyObservatorys communication system, and British Overseas Territory in the Southmost importantly, taught the local staff how Atlantic Ocean. I was part of a small teamthe new system works. spending two weeks visiting the Met Office Observatory and undertaking a rangeSt Helena was the penultimate station to of engineering tasks to ensure that thebe upgraded from MMS to SurfaceNet, observatory systems stay as current asmeaning we could return home and possible. The Met Office have around 300celebrate the completion of a major project. land observing stations and a further 75But before I left I made sure I soaked up Marine platforms which collect observationsthe beautiful island by completing 11 of the in the UK and overseas, and St Helenas21 spectacular post-box walks, swimming Observatory is one of the most remote landwith whale sharks, meeting the oldest stations.living land animal Jonathan the tortoise, and spending time with the fantastic island As soon as we landed the adventurescommunity. Since joining the Met Office in began. We took the most elaborate route2015 as a Level 2 Engineering Apprentice, I from the airport to Jamestown, St Helenashave been given more opportunities than I capital, and saw breath-taking sights ofcould ever have imagined. I have been able the island. From the barren, lower groundto travel around the world like my trip to St of the island with its huge cliffs and gravityHelena, alongside having other professional defying rock formations, to the tropicaldevelopment opportunities. I feel lucky to cloud forests high up on the volcanic peaks.be involved with such a supportive and One walk took us up to Dianas Peak, theencouraging organisation and I look forward highest point on St Helena at 820m. As weOur initial task was to replace the existingto continuing to grow and diversify my reached the top of Dianas Peak the skiesMeteorological Monitoring System (MMS)career. cleared giving us an incredible view ofwith our new, cloud-based observational the whole island. From here, I got my firstsystem; SurfaceNet. This upgrade involvedNow to spend the rest of that career finding glimpse of the Observatory where I wouldthe replacement of original dataloggersa reason to return to St Helena and finish be spending the next two weeks working.and associated hardware with new andthose post-box walks!'