Observator has designed and developed a Helideck Monitoring System compliance to the international offshore standards. Offshore Installations and Vessels should fitted with an automated means of ascertaining the following meteorological information at all times: wind speed and direction, air temperature and dew point temperature, QNH and QFE, cloud amount and height of base, visibility and present weather (CAP-437).

The Helideck Monitoring System is designed to measure all weather conditions during helicopter landing and take-off operations to improve flight and passenger safety. HMS can interface with several weather sensors:

• Wind speed and direction sensors: OMC-118, OMC-118Ex, OMC-160, OMC-116 or Heated 3D anemometer.
• OMC-406 Temperature / Humidity Sensor / Dew Point
• OMC-182B-2 Barometric pressure & Signal Conditioning Visibility / Present weather
• CBME80 Cloud Base
• VPF-730 Visibility and present weather sensor
• Motion sensor

Displays
The Helideck Monitoring System can integrate with meteorological displays for local read out (at offshore installations or vessels) of meteorological parameters: OMC-938 Meteo display and OMC-934 Multifunctiocal display. These displays are capable instruments of indicating local wind information and have the possibility for the display of four additional parameters. The instruments are provided with a facility to use interchangeable legends. This makes it as flexible as possible.

OMC-DOL-HMS
The Helideck Monitoring System uses the software OMC-DOL-HMS. OMC-Data-HMS is a flexible software program not only used for visualization, storage and retrieval of meteorological and hydrological parameters, but also to generate reports up to publication onto the internet. Via web interface it is possible to use OMC-DOL-HMS for remote access. Before take-off, the helicopter pilot can check onshore the current weather situation at the (unmanned) offshore platform. With this information the helicopter pilot can decide if it is safe to go (or not) to the offshore platform.

ATIS
Besides Helideck Monitoring System Observator has also an other weather system for helicopter pilots: OMC-141 Automatic Terminal Information Service. ATIS is a continuous broadcast of recorded noncontrol weather information for unmanned offshore or wind energy platforms. The system broadcasts contain essential weather information like, Wind information, Temperature, Humidity Visibility any other information required by the pilots.

Helicopter pilots usually listen to an available ATIS broadcast before the final approach; in order have a safe landing on the platform. The helicopter pilot can, by using the VHF radio, request the actual weather information (by automatic voice message) from the unmanned station.

Last year Observator has supplied several systems including the Atis functionality since it was mandatory in the German North Sea. The systems where installed on different transformer platforms for offshore wind farm project.

Information
Would you like to have more information about these two complete meteorological systems? You can contact us via e-mail: sales@observator.com or phone: 0031 (0)180 46 34 11