Scoping and design for forecast-based early action programme – call for expressions of interest

The WISER (Weather and Climate Information Services for Africa) programme is seeking expressions of interest for a joint project with the SHEAR (Science for Humanitarian Emergencies and Resilience) programme. The project will involve the scope and design of a forecast-based early action programme. The desired outcome is to generate the evidence needed to implement a forecast-based financing system at scale. This should include evidence on the economic and social benefits, buy-in from stakeholders, focal studies and the design of a potential programme to implement. The work should have a strong focus in Africa, but it is desirable to include Asia as at least one focal study.

WISER

WISER is funded by the UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID). The WISER programme's mission is to deliver transformational change in the quality, accessibility and use of weather and climate information services at all levels of decision-making for sustainable development in Africa.

WISER will:

• Focus on service delivery, directed by user needs, which support poverty reduction and development;
• Work holistically to inform climate risk decision making bringing together research, policy and practice;
• Work with regional, national or sub-national plans, which have involved users; and
• Work through existing and mandated organisations and channels where possible and appropriate.

The Met Office acts as Fund Manager for the East Africa part of WISER, including the provision of technical leadership, future programme development, programme oversight and by managing sub-grants of funds.

SHEAR

Science for Humanitarian Emergencies & Resilience (SHEAR) is an international research programme jointly funded by DFID, NERC (the Natural Environment Research Council) and the Economic & Social Research Council. The overall SHEAR programme focuses on four areas: disaster risk assessment (mapping and analyses), sub-seasonal to seasonal forecasting, disaster risk monitoring, and the integration of these into practical decision making. The programme is targeting lower to middle income countries across sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia, focusing on the co-production of knowledge using a multi-disciplinary and problem-centred approach.

NERC research will specifically address:

• Hydrological controls on landslide risk as part of multi-hazard risk assessment.
• Real time monitoring of risk, for example satellites and big data.
• Applications of weather and climate forecasting.

This overall aim will be to improve the characterisation of the hydrological controls on natural hazards thereby enabling better prediction of their occurrence and scale, with a focus on landslide risk.