Oman thus agreed to pay 300,000 euros a year for IODC data for official duty use for three years starting on 1 January 2009.
Under the agreement, Oman will receive IODC data from Meteosat-7, which is in geostationary orbit over the Indian Ocean. These data provide important information on monitoring cyclonic systems, dust storms and other meteorological phenomena in the Indian Ocean region.
As part of the IODC service, the Meteosat-6 satellite relays tsunami warnings covering the Indian Ocean region. There are some 40 data collection platforms in the region contributing to the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System and data from these platforms are relayed to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii, from where tsunami alerts are issued. Oman, which was hit by a destructive tsunami in 1945, is one of the nations benefiting from this service.
The Eumetsat Council will be asked in 2009 to extend the IODC service beyond 2010.
(Source: Spacenewsfeed and Eumetsat)