About SILO
SILO is an enhanced climate data bank hosted by the Queensland Climate Change Centre of Excellence (QCCCE). All the datasets are based on historical climate data provided by the Bureau of Meteorology, and the QCCCE is the only source of such enhanced climate data.
Additionally, the SILO data are ready to use by analysts and modellers, and are seen as a valuable enabling technology.
SILO clients include the QCCCE, other Queensland Government departments such as the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), Commonwealth agencies and others.
Current initiatives by the SILO team are to:
- maintain and improve the quality of systems delivering historical data;
- incorporate climate change scenarios into the SILO dataset to allow the delivery of daily projections for 2030 and 2050 at any location in Australia;
- develop new ways to deliver climate change scenarios to help analyse climate change impacts and development of adaptation policy by SILO’s clients; and
- raise awareness of SILO’s current and proposed services.
SILO data
Data are available for a variety of climate variables and in a variety of different formats. Read more about what data are available.
Achievements
The SILO historical data system began as a world leading innovation in 1996.
Delivery of data via the web interface continues to rise. However most SILO data are not delivered on-line but provided as customised datasets to major Government clients such as the Department of Environment and Resource Management (in particular Water Assessment) and DEEDI.
SILO has received several state and national awards for excellence.
Uses of the data
The current SILO datasets have, for example, assisted the Cooperative Research Centre for Irrigation Futures in a project aimed at reducing dam evaporation and irrigators’ dependence on river water.
The QCCCE is providing SILO data to the Queensland University of Technology to derive a better definition of heat-waves for both Queensland and Australian conditions.
Proposed enhancements to the SILO datasets, which include provision of projected climate data, will improve Queensland’s capacity to assess future climate change impacts and to plan adaptation responses.
Last updated 25 October 2011