Meteorological – or weather – balloons are designed to measure weather conditions by carrying atmospheric measurement instruments to higher altitudes, thus playing an important role in not just forecasting the weather, but predicting natural disasters and advancing scientific research in this area.
A new International Standard, ISO 17717 Meteorological balloon – Specification has just been published, outlining the minimum requirements for their production as well as test methods to ensure quality, reliability and durability.
Mr Deng Yizhi, project leader and member of ISO/TC 45/SC 4, the technical committee that developed the standard, whose secretariat is held by DSM, ISO’s member for Malaysia said: “Organizations involved in the production and distribution of weather balloons have, up until now, had to rely on company-developed standards and various types of national technical requirements to manage product quality, making it complicated to demonstrate quality levels when dealing with the international market.
“ISO 17717 will help to harmonize current standards in the area, as well as ensure overall quality, while providing a platform to enable more advanced technology to flourish.”
ISO 17717 is available from your national ISO member or the ISO Store.