SMHI contributes to the on-going World Water Week (WWW) by running a showcase on Inclusive Capacity Development and hosting an exhibition booth on the recently launched web service Hypeweb.smhi.se. This year, the WWW attracts some 4000 visitors from 127 countries with the topic “Water for society: including all” from 25th – 30th of August.
"Its exciting how well the work at SMHI supports the interests of global audiences working with different challenges in the water sector", says Lorna Little, project manager and science communicator for Hydrological Research at SMHI.
On Sunday morning, Dr. Berit Arheimer (head of hydrological research at SMHI) opened the showcase by describing the context and big picture of the operational production chain in climate services and hydrological forecasting. Dr Jafet Andersson (scientific leader at hydrological research, SMHI) described the collaborative processes between SMHI and West African counties. Following this were interactive audience engagement and interviews with SMHI partners in Niger, South Africa and India, moderated by Dr Lorna Little.
The objectives of the showcase were to raise awareness of information and communication technology as a vehicle for sustainable development, to identify major gaps for inclusiveness, and to showcase recent advancements by SMHI projects.
"The discussion clearly demonstrated the importance of longterm visions, time, social media and training of the next generation in climate services and water forecasting around the world", says Berit Arheimer.
The rest of the week, several experts from hydrological research at SMHI will attend the booth and discuss topics such as global hydrology, water quality, climate impacts and forecasting with the delegates attending the event. Feedback will be used to further improve the products and services provided by SMHI globally.
