The IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Center (ICPAC) plays a crucial role in surveying and predicting forthcoming weather shifts, thereby providing early warnings and predictions for local communities. In support of this endeavor, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Google, and the University of Oxford have extended their support to ICPAC. This collaboration arrives at an essential moment as the global community confronts escalating adverse impacts from climate change.
This ICPAC collaborative effort aims to bolster the implementation of a pioneering project titled “Strengthening Early Warning Systems for Anticipatory Actions.” This initiative, focused on leveraging machine learning to enhance early warning information systems, signifies a collaborative endeavor involving leading weather and climate research institutions, a university, and a humanitarian organization.
Dr. Guleid Artan, Director at the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre, asserts that the project seeks to revolutionize early warning systems in the IGAD region, enabling communities to prepare and act preemptively against impending hazards.
The funding provided by WFP will benefit the Kenya Meteorological Department and the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute, enhancing their national and sub-national forecasts. By elevating the quality of early warning information accessible to communities in disaster-prone regions, the project endeavors to facilitate proactive responses to critical alerts.
Expressing enthusiasm for the collaboration, Dr. Guleid Artan emphasizes how the combination of expertise in weather forecasting, disaster risk reduction, and technological capabilities is crucial given the global challenges.
“The involvement of partners such as Google, the University of Oxford, the Ethiopian Meteorological Institute, the Kenya Meteorological Department, and the World Food Programme is a significant step toward enhancing early warning mechanisms and delivering to local communities, ensuring the safety of livelihoods and individuals,” Dr. Artan remarked.
The importance of timely and accurate early warning systems cannot be overstated in light of the heightened natural hazard-induced disasters by climate change. With the support of Google.org, this project aims to address this pressing need by harnessing cutting-edge technology and innovative approaches.
This collaboration facilitates the optimization of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analytics, with the project aiming to enhance the accuracy and timeliness of disaster alerts. By empowering communities to take proactive measures to safeguard lives and livelihoods, this initiative by ICPAC endeavors to mitigate the impact of impending disasters.
The ICPAC project will initially focus on pilot implementations in Ethiopia and Kenya, with the insights gained informing the scaling-up of initiatives across the region. Subsequently, the project aims to extend its reach to marginalized areas, ensuring that vulnerable communities throughout the IGAD region have access to life-saving early warning information and can take timely action in the face of impending disasters.
