Weather forecasting and monitoring: Mobile solutions for climate resilience
This paper (PDF) from GSMA and DFID explores new cases for weather monitoring and forecasting through mobile phones to enhance climate resilience. The authors advocate for increasing focus and investment from mobile network operators (MNOs), value added service (VAS) providers and donors into enabling technologies that can provide more localized and accurate service. In the developing world, the availability of localized, granular weather forecasts can benefit smallholder farmers who depend on rain for their agricultural activities and food security. With changing climates the need for accurate weather information is becoming greater. In theory, the dependency of the agriculture sector on rain should translate into high demand for weather forecasts. However, the lack of reliable data and resources, particularly from national meteorological agencies, has meant that weather forecasts available today through radio, TV and mobile have hardly provided value to people depending on agriculture. The authors urge that need to put weather forecasting and monitoring at the core of climate adaptation funds, and should focus on mobile-centered projects in order to increase the opportunity to scale services and generate socioeconomic impact.