GIS Enhancement of Climate Prediction Center's Africa FEWS-NET Products

Timothy B Love
National Centers for Environmental Prediction, Climate Prediction Center, NWS

Automated and PC-based use of Geographic Information Systems software has allowed for better understanding of meteorological and hydrological phenomena over the African continent and has increased accuracy of real-time analyses and short to medium term forecasts throughout the region. Though the Famine Early Warning System Network group at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center has used GIS in the past to primarily create static graphical representations of climate events, increased interaction with organizations heavily involved in GIS applications has led to a wider usage of the software.

Along with creating more aesthetically pleasing graphical products, GIS transformation has increased their value by adding easily readable information. Legacy products now provide increased relevant information and their data may be shared between internal applications and external organizations thus fostering data exchange, new growth, and wider acceptance. As ground-based meteorological information is relatively limited throughout most of Africa, analyses of derived data is crucial in understanding current and short-term forecast cycles, and GIS enables straightforward display and interpretation.

Future projects will be developed to promote increased interaction between organizations using similar datasets, internet based data exchange, and improvement of climatic forecast and analysis accuracy.