The flow chart below illustrates the four-step process that is used by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to produce weather forecasts.
The process starts with the collection of information about the weather, followed by the analysis of the collected data, the preparation of the data for publication, and finally the dissemination of the data to the public using a variety of methods.
The first and second steps of the procedure involve collecting weather information in three different ways and analysing this data in three different ways.
The incoming information is first picked up by the satellite and then analysed for satellite imagery. The same information can also be passed to the radar and displayed on the radar screen or on the synoptic map. Directly to the buoy, information can also be received from the synoptic map.
The weather forecast is then prepared on the computer and published on TV, radio and in pre-recorded announcements.