E-Platform on Weather and Climate Services for Resilient Development: A Guide for Practitioners and Policy Makers (Self-Paced)

Introduction: Information on water, weather and climate is essential to managing the risks and uncertainties of a changing climate. Around the world, communities and countries are already under threat. Across public and private sectors, people need better climate information to make decisions that will help build resilience – this includes food and energy production, transportation and aviation, protection against natural disasters, water supply and sanitation, construction and many more. The delivery of climate information through Weather and Climate Services has become increasingly important – especially in the world’s most vulnerable countries. The need for climate information is urgent, the national institutions providing Weather and Climate Services are far too often underfunded, degraded and weak; resulting in lack of services to the end-users of climate information. However, providing support to these services is a complex undertaking that requires an interconnected, value-chain approach. Hence, the demand for guidance and teaching materials on how best to support Weather and Climate Services has grown since. Objective: The goal this E-platform for Weather and Climate Services: A Guide to Practitioners and Policy Makers is to demonstrate Weather and Climate services as a system of inter-connected parts and processes. The course raises awareness of this important agenda in the context of climate resilient development, and it will help teams and project managers in integrating Weather and Climate Services considerations into their projects, both in terms of project conceptualization and delivery. This e-learning platform provides a basic introduction to weather and climate services and seeks to demystify how weather and climate information systems function, highlight their importance and value, outline lessons learnt, and provide practical project level guidance for those tasked with implementing weather and climate services-related investments. Course Map: • In the first module, you will be introduced to the benefits of Weather and Climate Services and the value-chain approach. • The second module allows you to dive into the climate services value-chain - from the collection and management of water and weather data to the delivery of climate information to end-users, as well as the institutional actors involved along the way. • In the final module, the range of investment options is reviewed in the context of a real project. The course also has a specialized module on Satellite Earth Observations which provides an opportunity to learn about the potential of Earth Observation for modernizing Weather and Climate Services in developing countries.