Arlington, VA - (January 30, 2002) Earlier today, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) announced that Colombian delegates will visit the United States next month to see how the U.S. government integrates air traffic control systems with weather forecasting systems to provide safe air travel across the country.

During this 10-day visit, sponsored by TDA, Colombian officials will meet with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Washington, D.C. These meetings will provide discussion on how the two agencies work together to integrate meteorology systems with air traffic management.

The delegation will also visit Denver International Airport, FAA's air route traffic control center in Longmont, Colorado, NOAA's Forecasting Systems Laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, the National Centers for Environmental Predication's (NCEP) Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, Missouri, and NCEP's Tropical Prediction Center at Florida International University in Miami, Florida.

"Visiting various aeronautical and meteorological sites throughout the United States will provide the Colombian delegation a very good perspective of U.S. expertise and technology and its applicability to Colombia," said TDA Director Thelma Askey. "For example, the terrain at Denver International Airport is very similar to that of Bogotá."

Representatives of the Colombian Civil Aeronautics Agency, Colombian Ministry of Transportation, and the Colombian Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Research Institute will meet with U.S. companies during a business briefing on Thursday, February 26, in Washington, D.C.

"The Colombian officials are planning to purchase more than $12 million in aeronautical and meteorological equipment," noted Askey. "The one day business briefing gives TDA a chance to showcase U.S. private sector expertise in this field. In addition, one-on-one meetings provide an opportunity for U.S. companies to meet individually with these officials."

The business briefing will take place at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row Hotel in Washington, D.C. Advanced registration for the event is $40 and onsite registration is $50. Breakfast, lunch, coffee breaks, and meeting materials are included in the registration fee. Bob Ryan, Chief Meteorologist at NBC News4, is the invited luncheon speaker. For more information, or to register for the business briefing, visit http://www.tech-res-intl.com/tda/aeromet.

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency promotes American private sector participation by helping U.S. companies pursue business opportunities in developing and middle income countries. Through the funding of feasibility studies, orientation visits, specialized training grants, business workshops, and various forms of technical assistance, we help American businesses compete for infrastructure projects in emerging markets. In addition, the agency promotes capacity building initiatives and supports U.S. government trade, economic policy and development objectives around the world.

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