Indonesia has more than 3.5 million square miles of sea – totaling roughly 70 percent of its territory. This geography presents unique challenges for strengthening the country’s resilience to natural disasters and climate change and for protecting the safety of its 270 million citizens. To meet these challenges, USTDA teamed with Indonesia’s Agency for Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics in 2017 to support the country’s plans to fund an integrated system of advanced maritime and weather information to protect lives and property on and off the water.

Through a reverse trade mission to the United States, USTDA was able to connect leaders from Indonesia’s meteorology and maritime sectors to state-of-the-art American technologies and services, as well as the U.S. policies, regulations and financing mechanisms that could help inform Indonesia’s way forward with its proposed integrated system. The delegation participated in site visits, company tours, and discussions with U.S. technology providers, government agencies, and research institutions across the United States.

The visit contributed to the procurement of meteorology and maritime observation technologies from multiple U.S. companies. These technologies, including advanced weather radar systems, are enhancing the safety and management of air travel through improved forecasting capabilities. And the procurement of American-made ocean monitoring systems is allowing Indonesia to optimize its ability to detect and warn its citizens against tsunamis.

“Around the world, USTDA is partnering with countries that want the best available solutions to keep their citizens safe and build infrastructure that is more resilient to natural disasters and the impacts of climate change,” said Enoh T. Ebong, USTDA’s Acting Director. “USTDA is making a real impact by linking our partners to U.S. companies whose solutions are helping to save lives.”

June 8, 2021