These projects between the NMHSs in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Met Norway, are supported and funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and are in collaboration with Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).
The focus is on capacity building at the organizational and individual level, with emphasis on forecasting, forecast verification, climate services and ocean modelling, as well as to strengthen early warning systems as part of national prevention plans to prevent disasters by extreme weather.
Experts from our institutions are working closely together to fulfill project activities and tasks. Cooperation is based on mutual respect for knowledge. MET Norway personnel cooperate with the institutions’ best experts in weather forecasting and climate services. The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Bangkok (ADPC) is also a significant partner in these projects.
Emphasis is placed on a hands-on approach in dealing with the problems related to natural hazards caused by weather and climate. Training and meetings are routinely held twice a year alternating between Norway and the respective countries. MET Norway's state-of-art facilities are used to strengthen and develop the operational forecasting and climate services through capacity building, by implementation of integrated forecasting tools and building and utilizing existing climate information in creating modern climate products and services.
Benefits:
The understanding of the national and regional current and future climate will make the countries better prepared to adapt the national infrastructure. By working on digitization of climate data, quality control and establishing a climate data base, the countries are now able to generate climate products and national climate reports.
In Bangladesh and Myanmar, forecasters have adopted the new forecasting tools operationally, making the forecasting decision making process more efficient, and thereby strengthening the EWS and the accuracy for weather warnings to the public.
In Vietnam there has been focus on ocean modelling, using the ROMS model to improve the forecasts on storm surge.
These projects have created a solid foundation for a longterm collaboration between our countries.
Activities:
Climate services: Digitizing of observation data, quality control, analysis and products. Climate information, both for current and future climate.
Strengthening of the Early Warning System (EWS): Integration and utilization of meteorological information in open source visualization and production tools for weather monitoring and forecasting. Hand-on-training.
NWP model verification: Evaluation and verification of the NWP models. Comparison between observations and model output data, for support to the forecasters in the decision making process.
Ocean modelling: An upgrade of the ocean modelling system (In Vietnam)
Objectives:
The focus is on capacity building at the organizational and individual level, with emphasis on climate services, forecasting, forecast verification and ocean modelling, as well as to strengthen early warning systems as part of national prevention plans to prevent disasters by extreme weather.
To ensure long-term benefits it is vital that institutions take ownership of the objectives, activities and results.
Deliverables/Outcomes:
Enhancing the Early Warning Systems (EWS) will help to improve the general weather forecasts and warnings, and save lives and property.
An improved understanding of changes in climate will make the countries better prepared for the future and able to adapt the national infrastructure.
Generation of climate health indices will save lives and money by preparing and informing the health sector
Seasonal forecasting will save money by preparing farmers and the government
An improved marine forecasting (including ocean modelling) will save lives at sea
Risks:
Lack of human resources at the NMHSs. Limited number of high skilled key persons (both forecasters and IT-personnel)
Limited internet connection (especially during day time)
Mainly manual observation stations.
Resource requirements:
Human resources to the hands-on-training of forecasters and climatologists.
Travel costs
Maintenance and development of the Met Norway open source meteorological and visualization tool.
Indicators and assessment measures:
After each project meeting, workshop or practical training, we define action point lists for the next period.
