As part of the new UN SOFF program, GeoSphere Austria is already supporting five countries on three continents in creating meteorological measurement networks as a basis for forecasts and warnings.
The new cooperation with South Sudan was presented this week as part of the COP28 world climate conference.
Current weather measurements and observations are the basis for weather forecasts and warnings, as well as studies on climate and climate change. However, there are still large areas of land on Earth without adequate meteorological measurements.
Weather alerts for everyone on Earth until 2027
The “SOFF – Systematic Observations Financing System” program has taken on the task of filling gaps in the measurement network around the world and ensuring that these measurement networks are funded in the long term and provide real-time data.
SOFF is adapted to countries with the greatest deficiencies in meteorological observations, with priority given to least developed countries and small island developing states.
The program is one of the foundations for the United Nations’ goal of ensuring that everyone on Earth has easy access to weather warnings by 2027 (->Early Warnings for All).
SOFF is a collaboration between the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
Austria was one of the first countries to participate in financing the SOFF Initiative.
Regional and global benefits
“We already have a lot of experience in such development projects and are proud to be able to make a significant contribution to the global security of people and infrastructure within the framework of SOFF”, says Andreas Schaffhauser, General Scientific Director of GeoSphere Austria. “As climate is interconnected around the world, this work benefits in many ways. This way, forecasts and warnings are improved not only in the respective region, but also across the world.”
Collaboration across multiple continents
During this year, a team from GeoSphere Austria began working with Guyana (South America), South Sudan, Chad, Djibouti (Africa) and Laos (Asia).
“Local meteorological services were visited and the quality of observation networks was analyzed, as well as the value chain of meteorological and climate services as a whole. This will now result in a plan for the sustainable modernization of the observation network in these countries, in collaboration with international development partners (e.g. the World Food Programme, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, etc.), says the Director General Andreas Schaffhauser from GeoSphere Austria.
Cooperation with countries in the Caribbean region (Saint Lucia, Dominica, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) is in preparation.
New collaboration with South Sudan presented at COP28
GeoSphere Austria’s collaboration with South Sudan was presented this week at the COP28 world climate conference in Dubai. .
During long periods of drought and devastating short-term floods in South Sudan in recent years, many people have died and many have been forced to flee because they lost their belongings.
“In South Sudan we are hugely affected by extreme weather and climate change. We need stable, long-term measurement networks to be able to provide forecasts and warnings to people optimally,” says Mojwok Ogawi Modo Ayoker, Director General of the Meteorological Service in South Sudan, “We thank the SOFF team and all the organizations involved for supporting us, sharing experiences and using this collaboration to help mitigate the effects of natural disasters in the future.”
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Other information
->SOFF website
->GeoSphere Austria and SOFF (PDF)
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