Title: Increasing the flow of data: GIS improves rainfall data collection and information services in West Africa
Authors: Aondover Tarhule, Zakari Saley-Bana, Peter J. Lamb
Source: ICT Update
Publisher: CTA Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (ACP-EU)
Date (published): December 2011
Date (accessed): 14/12/2011
Type of information: article
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Climate researchers have developed a system that uses GIS, computers, and the internet to improve rainfall data management and information delivery to farmers in West Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa is highly dependent on rainfall. More than 90% of the land is used for farming, very little of which is irrigated. Despite this reliance on rainfall, there are relatively few monitoring stations in the region that gather the data that farmers need to plan their seasonal cultivation processes. Even in areas where rainfall data are collected, several weeks can pass before the information is processed and made available in a form that is useful to farmers.

To speed up and simplify the data collection and management procedures, a team of researchers from the University of Oklahoma has developed a geographic information system (GIS) that monitors rainfall and its seasonal patterns. Known as Rainwatch, the system can also automatically generate visual representations of the data that can be easily interpreted by interested parties, including farmers.
…

The current version of the system is mainly suited for use by national meteorological services, and organisations such as the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD) based in Niamey, Niger. These centres could rapidly process and share their analyses with the media, researchers, educational institutions and agricultural extension services.
There are already plans to expand the use of Rainwatch beyond Niger. Starting in 2010, the long-term plan is to develop it into a web-based application that would be available to anyone with internet access. It could then be used alongside other climate information initiatives, using radio or cell phones, for example, to deliver weather details to people in rural communities.
The researchers believe that Rainwatch can especially benefit national meteorological services by improving the automation of rainfall data collection and database management. The ability to produce easily interpreted charts and graphics increases the likelihood that the information is distributed to more people. These are critical features in reducing the time lag between collecting the data and delivering it to farmers, and providing it in a format to help them adapt to a changing climate."

Title: Farming By Phone
Author: Isaiah Esipisu
Source: COP17 CLIMATE CHANGE DURBAN 2011
Date (published): 30/11/2011
Date (accessed): 06/12/2011
Type of information: blog post
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Francis Mburu used to keep indigenous cattle in Entasopia village in the semi- arid Kajiado region, 160 kilometres southwest of Nairobi. However, increasing temperatures and frequent droughts in Kenya have made this difficult in recent years.
But now, in an area that has never had electricity, where education is not a priority or sometimes not an option at all, residents of Entasopia are using a solar-powered internet facility to adapt to the changing climatic conditions.
The Nguruman community, largely composed of the Maasai ethnic group, now has access to an ICT facility locally known as Maarifa (“knowledge” in Swahili) Centre. Here they are able to access climate adaptation information via the internet, videos and books. The Arid Land Information Network (ALIN), in collaboration with the Kenyan government, founded the project.
According to Samuel Nzioka, the field officer for ALIN, most of the videos shown at the centre are practical lessons in local languages aimed at boosting the understanding of the concepts of climate change and adaptation, and basic dry-land farming knowledge..."

Title: Technology a key tool in addressing environmental sustainability: ITU’s message to global climate change conference
Source: International Telecommunication Union
Date (published): 13/07/2011
Date (accessed): 13/07/2011
Type of information: press release
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML)
Abstract:
"Geneva, 13 July, 2011 - Ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP-17) in Durban, South Africa, attendees at the ITU Symposium on ICTs and Climate Change in Ghana have renewed calls for global leaders to recognize the power of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.

An outcome document asks that ITU, as the UN specialized agency for ICTs, lead a coalition urging COP-17 delegates to look to the enormous potential of ICT solutions to cut emissions across all sectors. The document calls for the adoption of a ‘closed loop’ approach to manufacturing and recycling which will reduce the need to extract and process raw materials. It also asks for recognition of the value of ICTs in monitoring deforestation, crop patterns and other environmental phenomena.
....
During the event, ITU launched a project on ICTs and climate change in Ghana which will be based on two pillars. The first will look at how ICTs can be used to help Ghana adapt to the effects of climate change, and will be led by the Ministry of Communications and sponsored by Research in Motion (RIM). The second, which will be led by Ghana’s Environment Protection Agency (EPA) with sponsorship from Vodafone Ghana, will look at how telecommunications in Ghana can reduce their own greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). This project will pilot, for the first time, the ITU methodology on Environmental Assessment for the ICT Sector."

Title: Unveiling the Links between ICTs & Climate Change in Developing Countries: A Scoping Study
Authors: Angelica Valeria Ospina & Richard Heeks
Pages: 59 pp.
Publisher: Centre for Development Informatics, Institute for Development Policy and Management, SED, University of Manchester
Date (published): 26/04/2010
Date (accessed): 14/06/2010
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This document responds to the need to explore further the links between ICTs, climate change and development, as these fields become increasingly interlocked due to the magnifying effect of climate change on existing development challenges and vulnerabilities.

This scoping study targets an audience of development strategists and practitioners – working on ICTs-for-development (ICT4D), on climate change, on disaster response, and other focal areas – interested in gaining a better understanding of the current trends and perspectives in ICTs-and- climate change research, with a focus on developing countries. It seeks to raise awareness on the potential and challenges associated with the use of these tools from a developing country perspective. And it seeks to identify emerging issues and research gaps that require further academic analysis and/or multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Title: Linking ICTs and Climate Change Adaptation: A Conceptual Framework for e­Resilience and e­Adaptation
Authors: Angelica Valeria Ospina & Richard Heeks
Pages: 41 pp.
Publisher: Centre for Development Informatics, Institute for Development Policy and Management, SED, University of Manchester
Date (published): 13/06/2010
Date (accessed): 15/06/2010
Type of information: report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
"...a review of available literature in the field of ICTs, climate change and development (Ospina and Heeks, 2010) suggests that adaptation remains one of the least explored areas for analysis of ICTs’ potential in the global South.
Recognising the close links that exist between climate change vulnerability and the achievement of development outcomes, alongside the increasing use of ICTs within developing contexts, the aim of this paper is to set out a conceptual foundation that links climate change, livelihoods vulnerability, and the potential of ICTs in supporting systemic resilience. ICTs will be introduced as a system component that has the potential of contributing towards resilience and, therefore, helping to enable livelihood strategies that allow adaptation; that is recovery and adjustment in the face of climate change."

via http://twitter.com/CDIManchester

Title: Planting the knowledge seed: Adapting to climate change using ICTs
Author Editor: Patrick P Kalas and Alan Finlay
Pages: 57 pp.
Publisher: Building Communication Opportunities (BCO) Alliance
Date (published): 30/09/2009
Date (accessed): 17/12/2009
Type of information: research report
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML and pdf)
Abstract:
This publication invites you to think outside the box. It takes you on a journey to explore the practical linkages between climate change, access to and sharing of information and knowledge, communication for development and ICTs in general. More specifically, it considers how everyday information and communication tools such as radios, mobile phones, personal computers, the internet and interactive media can help reduce the risks of climate change faced by the most vulnerable segments of the global village through providing access to and the sharing of timely information and critical knowledge.
The target audience of this publication are not experts on ICTs or climate change, but rather development practitioners and policy makers overall: those who will be faced with the need to interpret the demands of climate change, and apply these to their work in the context of the possibilities afforded by ICTs.
More specifically, the publication aims to:
* Provide an overview of linking the strategic use of ICTs to climate change
* Summarise the discussions and conclusions of the BCO Learning Day on ICTs and Climate
Change held in December 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa
* Demonstrate innovative applications through concrete project examples
* Start a dialogue and stimulate a debate about the added value and applicability of ICTs in
climate change programmes.