THE DROUGHT MONITORING CENTRE-NAIROBI

PILOT APPLICATIONS PROJECTS

The DMC Pilot Application Projects are meant to:

1. Assess and communicate examples of successful use of seasonal climate prediction products, clearly describing how the products influence decision-making, and the value of such products to specific sectoral users.
2. Assess and communicate examples of impediments to successful use of seasonal climate prediction products.
3. Develop new methodologies for better production, dissemination, interpretation, use, and evaluation of climate information and seasonal prediction products in the mitigation of extreme climate events. This is done through identification of the requirements for improved forecast prediction, delivery and application and is expected to lead to enhanced regional expertise to disseminate, interpret, and apply seasonal climate prediction products in the various socio-economic sectors often impacted by climatic variability.
4. Demonstrate how Seasonal Climate Forecasts (SCFs) can alter perceptions in the user community and change management decisions in sectors such as agriculture, food security, water resources management, hydropower, fisheries, forestry, public health etc.
5. Carry out research activities aimed at developing new applications tools that will enable decision-makers to take advantage of seasonal forecast information.

Pilot Application Projects involve partners from across the "end-to-end" spectrum ranging from the production to dissemination, interpretation, use, and evaluation of climate forecasts.

Currently there are thirteen (13) pilot application projects, which have been funded through support received from NOAA/OGP.  Individual Principal Investigators in collaboration with the concerned National Meteorological/Hydrological Services and the Drought Monitoring Centre, Nairobi, are implementing these projects. In addition, there are seven other projects, which have been reviewed but are not yet funded and another twenty-six (26) new (not reviewed) projects.  The total cost for the ongoing thirteen projects is $80,000. The budget for the seven already reviewed but not yet funded projects is $81,015 while the new twenty-six projects require about $376,022.