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and relief installations, including data transmission from Povodí

Moravy’s (the Morava River Authority) new instruments, was

included in the HYDROG model in February 2011.

The algorithm of computing forecasts for the basin’s closing site at

Hohenau/Moravský Svätý Ján includes the following steps:

1. CHMI’s Ostrava Regional Office computes the forecast for the

upper Morava basin down to the confluence with the Be

va and

transmits the results to CHMI’s Brno Regional Office

2. CHMI’s Brno Regional Office runs the calculations for the Thaya

basin down to its inflow into the Nové Mlýny Reservoir and for the

Morava basin (from the confluence with Be

va to the Strážnice site)

3. SHMI computes the forecast of discharge for the Šaštín-Stráže

closing site in the Myjava basin (there is an opportunity to

run substitute calculations at the Brno Regional Office) and

transmits the results to CHMI’s Brno Regional Office

4. Povodí Moravy transmits the data from the automatic

monitoring network in the confluence area and data from

the Nové Mlýny Reservoir, including the evaluated expected

48-hour run-off, to CHMI’s Brno Regional Office

5. CHMI’s Brno Regional Office computes the forecast of

discharge for the Hohenau/Moravský Svätý Ján site

6. The results are transmitted to Lower Austria’s hydrology

department and SHMI in Bratislava through the file transfer

protocol server by 10.00am

7. Hydraulic calculations for the Morava, between Hohenau and its

inflow into the Danube, are run by the Austrian side.

Part of the system entails the direct online transmission of meas-

ured meteorological and hydrological data from measuring stations

between CHMI and its Austrian colleagues.

International development activities

The Czech Republic’s international development cooperation contrib-

utes to the development of a system of early warning against floods in

Moldova and Georgia. In 2011, the Enhanced Preparedness of Georgia

against Extreme Weather Events project was launched. This project,

which the Czech Development Agency is carrying out in cooperation

with the Georgia National Environmental Agency (NEA) and CHMI,

pursues the objective of building a monitoring system for early flood

warning. Among other things, the project will help to

implement an integrated monitoring system using hydro-

logical and meteorological stations.

The project transfers the Czech Republic’s experience

with early flood warning and weather forecasting in a

comprehensive system, including data collection (supply

of eight automatic water gauging stations, five widely

featured automatic meteorological stations and three

automatic meteorological measuring posts) and evalua-

tion (supply of specific software for data quality checks

and the processing of climatologic and hydrological

data). It significantly contributes to Georgia’s prepared-

ness for extreme weather changes through an expansion

and modernization of NEA’s meteorological and hydro-

logical monitoring network. Its added value is knowledge

transfer from the Czech Republic, which is guaranteed

by CHMI’s participation in some of the project activities.

This knowledge transfer is especially valuable for the use

of a relational database for meteorology and hydrology.

The main output of the project is NEA’s strength-

ened capacity in the area of forecasting meteorological

and hydrological threats in Georgia, in order to reduce

or mitigate the negative impacts of such disasters.

The strengthening of NEA’s capacity primarily entails

increasing the number of monitoring points, which

will result in continuous flows of updated and reliable

data. The project will also make it possible to store and

analyse this data, which will support early preparation

of accurate forecasts and warnings.

Cooperation for the future

The Czech Republic is situated in the head waters of

three major European rivers: the Danube, the Elbe and

the Oder. It naturally determines methods and activities

in flood protection and highlights the role of the flood

warning and forecasting service. As the water quickly

flows downstream and across the borders between

municipalities and nations, cooperation is the key to

protecting human lives and property.

Pasanauri meteorological station during the installation of new equipment

Image: P. Sercl