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Current Uses of Computers in UK Business and Industry

Current Uses of Computers in UK Business and Industry. Kevin J Needham Met Office 20th November 2001. The Talk. Who am I What is the Met Office? The Weather Machine! Some IT Challenges The Future Summary Questions. I.e. a Bit of. History - what done/learned Now - what doing

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Current Uses of Computers in UK Business and Industry

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  1. Current Uses of Computers in UK Business and Industry Kevin J Needham Met Office 20th November 2001

  2. The Talk • Who am I • What is the Met Office? • The Weather Machine! • Some IT Challenges • The Future • Summary • Questions

  3. I.e. a Bit of..... • History - what done/learned • Now - what doing • Future - where going

  4. I was asked to • Show how computers enhance the performance of business users. • You will see that "The Met Office needs IT like a fish needs water.” • CAN YOU READ THIS OK???

  5. Who am I? - why should I be here talking to you? • Kevin J Needham • Project and Programme Management and IT Training Programme Manager at the Met Office College in Reading • Been with Met. Office 21 Years from Research, Training, Strategy, Y2K etc

  6. My Experience • Most recent past - Project 2000 - • Deputy Project Manager Stage 1-3 • Testing & Technical Information Manager • Y2K Business Continuity Manager for Government Departments (PMS, DHSS, DETR, Home Office etc) • Future - IT?/Met?/????

  7. What can we do today? • Barely scratch the surface • It will be “fast and furious” • Give you a flavour • Leave you wanting to know more? • Tell you where to find it!!

  8. Rules if engagement • We have a lot to get through, so Please leave questions to the end • In the unlikely event of you going to sleep - PLEASE DON’T SNORE zzzzzz • WARNING Laugh at the “Jokes” or they get worse!!!!

  9. The Met Office - what do we do? • TV forecasts?? BBC & ITV • Newspapers?? • CEEFAX • The Weather programme • BUT WHAT ELSE? The above is less than 1% of our business

  10. A few vital Statistics • As of March 2001..... • 147 years old • Trading Fund

  11. History of Met Office • 1854 - Established Meteorological Dept. Of the Board of Trade. • 1867 - Became Meteorological Office • 1914 - Separate Met. For each armed force. • 1920 - Part of Air Ministry • 1964 - Became MOD

  12. History of Met Office • 1990 (April 2) Next Steps Executive Agency • 1993 First Charter • 1996(April 1) Trading Fund • Met Office run as a business.

  13. A Business? • Continued and proven improvements in Quality of service • Greater flexibility • Sustained improvement for less money • Reduction in staff - increased use automation

  14. What’s in a Brand? • When you see this logo - what do you associate with us? • November 2000 “The Met.Office became

  15. Why? • The Odyssey Project (1998) examined scenarios of our future. • Key outcome - to widen our horizons - moving the ‘Met Office’ to becoming the nation’s key provider in the wider field of natural environmental services such as hydrology and oceanography, not just ‘weather’.

  16. Why? • To become a key player in development of European meteorological collaboration. • Fully embrace internet, its emerging technologies and the huge potential of e-commerce. • Did our old Brand say all this??? • Does our new one???

  17. Brand & IT • New templates for fax, letter, web, etc • Machine ready brand, logo etc • Revamped Web site • All products re-badged • All customer systems rebadged • All on a single day to maintain the impact…..

  18. Competitors - do we have them? • YES!!! - lots of them • In 1999 - Strategic “arms length” business unit - to compete on a level playing field • “Buy” services from the Met. Office • Same services provided to competitors - same charges

  19. DPDS • Data & Products Distribution Service • Set up 4 years ago to provide our competitors with “push” or “pull” data and products via internet • European and world wide • Ahead of its time • Continually improved

  20. A few vital Statistics • As of March 2001..... • 147 years old • Trading Fund • Staff - 2213 • Directors 10 (plus CE) • 7 Executive, 3(4) non executive

  21. Our Management Board Peter Ewins - CE Paul Mason - Chief Scientist Colin Flood - Operations Director Roger Hunt - PS Business Director Jim Caughey - Technical Director Philip Mabe - Finance Director Martin Sands - Company Secretary Stephen Lawrenson - Commercial MD MO Board above + 3/4 Non Exec But what about IT?

  22. “Divisional Structure” - “Matrix work” moving towards a Process Based structure

  23. Staff • MOD Civil servants & contractors • Split 50/50 between R&D/support/sales and forecasting • Scientists & Admin - single grade structure • Competency based assessment of posts, skills and achievement

  24. Staff 1970 3500 1980 2750 1990 2500 1996 2138 1998 2204 2000 2219 2001 ???? Computers 1970 2 1980 300 1990 6000 1996 10000 1998 15000 2000 ????? Staff vs Computers

  25. A few vital Statistics • As of March 2001..... • 147 years old • Trading Fund • Staff - 2213 • Directors 11 (inc CE) • 100 UK Sites( + Overseas)

  26. Bracknell Sites • HQ - NMC, Ops. Centre, Admin • Development, Library • Sutton -Business • Johnson -Business Systems • Hadley -Climate Research • Scott -Marine & Archives • P Duffryn-Relocation, HR & Services • Beaufort Park - Experimental Site • Simpson - Stores & Contracts

  27. Other Sites • Met O College - Reading • Met Research Unit - Cardington • Met Research Flight - Farnborough • JCMM - Reading University • RSI - Farnborough • regional Weather Centres in main cities - inc London, Cardiff, Manchester…..

  28. also • Port Met Offices • ADAS • MAFF • Lighthouses • RAF - UK • Navy, ARMY RANGES, Airports • Local Councils, Auxilliaries etc And that’s just the UK!

  29. Overseas • All RAF bases overseas • All military operations overseas • Mobile unit • Other bases • Cyprus, Falklands • Dependent on ALL other met services in ALL other countries in peace and war.

  30. Defence outstations Lossiemouth Key: South Uist Kinloss Subsidiary Forecast Office MAIN MET. OFFICE Leuchars Observing Office Principal Forecast Office West Freugh Leeming Eskmeals Dishforth Linton-on-Ouse Valley WADDINGTON Coningsby Cranwell Cottesmore Coltishall Shawbury Marham Wittering Aberporth Wattisham HQSTC Northolt BRIZE NORTON Shoeburyness Lyneham Benson Manston Larkhill Odiham Boscombe Down Boscombe Down Middle Wallop St. Mawgan 1 March 1997

  31. Gütersloh Gibraltar Akrotiri Laarbruch Brüggen HQ 2 GP (RAF) Germany Ascension Island Main Met. Office Area Met. Office Subsidiary Forecasting Office Falkland Islands Defence outstations overseas

  32. Mobile Met. Unit (MMU)

  33. With all the tech, pilots still trust the Forecaster with their lives!!!

  34. Rainfall Sites

  35. Basic “Manned” Land Stations

  36. A few vital Statistics • As of March 2001..... • 147 years old • Trading Fund • Staff - 2213 • Directors 11 (inc CE) • 100 UK Sites( + Overseas) • Turnover ?

  37. Money? • Turnover: - £154M • Expenditure:- £150M • Operating Profit:- £4M • ROCE 2.8% = In profit

  38. Where does the money come from?

  39. The Met. Office • Multi-functional organisation • MOD owned • Responsible to Government • Has diverse responsibilities • Is a world-wide and world-class organisation • 24 hour, 365/6 days operation

  40. Met Office • Our Vision: Through unrivalled know-how, to enable individuals, society and enterprises everywhere to make the most of the weather and the natural environment.

  41. Met Office • Our Goals: To lead the world in advice on weather and the natural environment. To make the Met. Office a source of pride to our staff, our owner, and the public. This all requires VERY effective use of IT

  42. The Met. Office is: • Accountable • TARGETS set and measured by NAO • eg 84% accuracy general forecast • Chartered • Investor in People

  43. Gosh, that was really interesting!

  44. The Talk - where are we? • Who am I • What is the Met Office? • The Weather Machine! • Some IT Challenges • The Future • Summary • Questions

  45. So how does the Met. Office operate?

  46. The Weather machine Verification R&D Transmission Support & Infrastructure Observations Prepare and give Product to Customer Input to Model Interpret Forecast

  47. Observations • Many types • Surface, Upper air, satellite, Buoys, Ships, Aircraft, Radar, spherics • Methods • Manual - Met & auxilliary • automatic • Semi Automatic • Second, event, hourly… Yearly… • World-wide -co-operation • Future!! Why need observers? Why not fully automate???

  48. Buoy Network - early warning system

  49. Observations • Coded - alpha/numeric • World wide agreed standard (WMO) • achievement in itself!! • Language independent • World wide recognition!! • Continually changing - software changing!!!! WMO At GMT worldwide - 365/6 days - 24 hours Surface, Upper air, satellite, radar… War and peace

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