SAHF 2024 Conference

This Episode covers Session 2 of the 2024 SAHF Conference and
investigates how hydrometeorological services create value.

A key way to address the economic & social impacts of hazards caused
by extreme weather & climate change is to use what we call ‘hydromet
services’.

The value of hydromet services has been well demonstrated in the
high-income countries where they have become indispensable tools in
many areas.

Key industries – from healthcare, agriculture, energy & financial
services, to transport, construction, retail, & sport & leisure – use
hydromet services to manage & mitigate the impacts of extreme weather
on their activities.

In this Episode, Melanie Kappes, a Disaster Risk Management Specialist
at the World Bank together with her expert panel, investigate step by
step the role of hydromet services in creating value for government,
business and society.

The focus is on two key issues in particular – how are hydromet
services created, and how do we ensure they have real value to
end-users?

The Episode is introduced by David Rogers, Senior Hydromet Advisor
with The World Bank.

The growing use of Artificial Intelligence in the field of weather prediction and forecasting is likely to have profound implications for national meteorological services in the coming years.

In this fifth episode in our special WeatherPod series on AI, we’ve invited Dr. Alan Hally into the studio to examine how one met service – Met Éireann – is approaching the use of AI in its operations.

Alan is the Scientific Lead in Met Éireann’s recently formed AI Transformation Team. This team’s primary aim is to optimise the services Met Éireann provides to Irish citizens through the targeted application of AI or machine learning technologies.

Chair David Grimes, Senior Hydromet Advisor with The World Bank, together with his panel of experts investigate the significance to
good hydromet services of building sustainable national and regional hydromet observation networks in South Asia.

The focus was the importance of high- quality observational data, regional cooperation and collaboration.

The session examines the Systematic Observations Financing Facility
(SOFF) from a regional perspective.

SOFF is a UN initiative co-created by the World Meteorological
Organization (WMO), United Nations Development Programme, and United
Nations Environmental Programme.

It’s objective is to improve global climate and weather observations,
especially in Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing
States.

Chaired by Ben Churchill, the WMO Regional Director for Asia and the
South-West Pacific, the session highlighted the importance of SOFF and
its role in providing long-term financial and technical assistance for
weather and climate observations, which are crucial for forecasting,
early warnings, and climate information services.

Chaired by David Rogers, Senior Hydromet Advisor with The World Bank, it examines how to empower communities to make informed decisions about the impacts of weather.

The key focus is on one issue in particular …

…Why, despite having great quality weather forecasts, do we find that people & even entire communities fail to respond in the ways we
might expect?

Together, David and the panellists address the challenges of communicating risk and uncertainty, building trust with communities,
and fostering collaboration between meteorological and humanitarian organizations to improve disaster response and to protect livelihoods.

The focus of this episode, chaired by Alice Soares, Senior Hydromet Advisor with The World Bank, is the significance of regional models, analytics and forecasts in providing quality hydromet services given the financial and human resource constraints faced by many national weather services.

Together, Alice and the expert the panellists focused on the need to enhance regional forecasting capabilities, to make us of emerging
technologies, and to improve cooperation and collaboration.

The focus of this episode, chaired by Alice Soares, Senior Hydromet Advisor with The World Bank, is the significance of regional models, analytics and forecasts in providing quality hydromet services given the financial and human resource constraints faced by many national weather services.

Together, Alice and the expert the panellists focused on the need to enhance regional forecasting capabilities, to make us of emerging
technologies, and to improve cooperation and collaboration.