From 13-15 March 2017, staff from the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) was trained on stream flow forecasting methodologies entitled “Hydrological modeling using a multi-model approach”. The aim was to transfer the required skills to RCMRD staff involved with SERVIR activities as a way to implement the stream flow forecast project. The project is a collaborative effort led by the Department of Hydrology and Water Resources at the University of Arizona, NASA’s SERVIR program and the Intergrated Water Resources Management unit at UNESCO (ICIWaRM-UNESCO). The project is conducted in several African regions. The model uses the most recent satellite observations and near-term weather forecasts providing publicly available forecast within 7-10 days. According to Dr. Robinson Mugo, who is the SERVIR East and South Africa project manager, “this is a useful tool for predicting floods and droughts as well as monitoring the availability of water for food security reasons”.
The team has developed a project website to display and access the monitoring and forecasting results and related information. More information on this website and this activity can be found here: http://forecast.rcmrd.org/