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This document was prepared by the IEPAS and RANET program lead under award number NA06OAR4310119 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.The statements, ndings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily re ect the views of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or the Department

of Commerce. Base support for RANET is provided by the USAID Of ce of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) and the NOAA NWS. It is administered by the UCAR Joint Of ce for Scienti c Support.Signi cant funding and in-kind support is provided by a number of national weather services, donor agencies, and the communities with which RANET works.

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R A N E TUganda Diversi es Use of

RIPI Account Author: M. Waiswa, Uganda Department of Meteorology, mmwaiswa at gmail.com Date: March 8, 2009

When the UDM (Uganda Department of Meteorology) introduced RANET in country, itsmain objective was to improve the ow of monthly Weather Bulletins to farmers in ruralcommunities. To do so it utilized user friendly information technologies and worked withcommunity-based partner organizations. The ow of the weather information from theDepartment to the rural farmers required the use of the following information technologies. Thefarmers, who are the end bene ciaries, use a WorldSpace receiver connected to a computer todownload weather bulletins from the website via the AfriStar satellite. The RANET server iscon gured to pick the website and send to the satellite, for re broadcast over Africa. With thistechnological set up, an operational website was important to realize the information ow fromthe producer to the user. The ground stations were often placed with agricultural extensionof cies or similar community-based NGO of ces.

However at the time RANET was introduced, UDM like a number of Africa MeteorologicalServices did not have an operational website of its own. It was on this basis that UCAR JOSS

began the RIPI (RANET Internet Presence Initiative) activity to support MeteorologicalServices development of a website, as well as to gain experience with web based technologiesand services.

By participating in the RIPI program, UDM acquired the website http://www.meteo-uganda.net .Meteorological information, in form of seasonal and monthly bulletins, are posted to the website from which theRANET Server pick the information and relays it to the AfriStar satellite. The farmers in the rural communitieswill then download this information on to their computers using the WorldSpace receiver.

Overtime farmers started requesting for frequent updates on weather. The farmers needed weekly updates onweather conditions. The challenge of providing such an information service, was establishing a timely ow of weather data from the rural community to the Department. There were no weather stations in the RANET sitesto provide local weather data. Even then labor needed to observe weather daily was not there in place.

Faced with the above challenges UDM had to think of alternatives ways to solve the problem. Since there wasan operational website an idea was developed of receiving weather data from the rural community via the samewebsite at affordable costs. In terms of ensuring daily weather observation the Davis Automatic Weather Stationwas identi ed. It is acquired at relatively inexpensive cost to other AWSs, and it has software which can postweather data to a website internet. The later makes integration of this AWS into existing network activities aneasy task.

Establishing an internet facility in a rural community can be really very expensive. Therefore UDM took twoapproaches. One was to establish the weather station at a site where a Partner organization has an establishedinternet facility. The second option was to use GPRS modems which can use available cellular networks andestablish an internet connection. Fortunately Uganda has four Cellular Network Companies. These include

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MTN Uganda, Uganda Telecom, Warid and Zain. All these networks provide cellular based internet though atdifferent ef ciency and costs.

The availability of these networks, operational website and Davis AWS has enabled the UDM develop newnetworks of regional automatic weather Stations in the Country that enable timely remote access to weather datafrom rural communities. This is achieved through working Partner Organizations in the Country.WFP providedfunds to purchase the AWS, computers and travel to the region, while UDM provided the expertise. A GPRSmodem with a either MTN or Uganda Telecom Sim Card is installed on each computer. The AWS softwareis con gured to upload weather data at set times like synoptic hours, through the GPRS modem to website.On the website each AWS is allocated a folder (account) such that data uploaded from each station is postedin its designated folder. At each site a trained District Of cer switches on the computer to allow automaticdownloading and uploading of the weather data.

Teso-Karamoja AWS Network

Last year through cooperation with WFP (World Food Program), UDM establisheda network of six AWS covering both Teso and Karamoja Regions of Uganda.Whereas these regions experience frequent droughts, ood and weather induced

food shortages, there was no weather stations to monitor the weather conditions. As both WFP and UDM had similar interests to reduce food shortages in that region,an idea was developed to establish in the Regions a network of Automatic Weather Stations that could monitor weather and provide weather records remotely via awebsite.

At each of the six sites, a Davis AWS was installed, a computer set and GPRSmodem provided. The AWS is linked to a computer through a station Receiver

placed in the of ce.

The AWS software installed on the computer is used to con gure the AWS to

observe weather at any time interval of choice like 30 minute in Uganda.The setupallows different stakeholders to have timely access to weather data via website of http://www.meteo-ganda.net/karamoja.html . The system has been found user friendly by stakeholders and has attracted more funding to expand it in both of theregions. During a review meeting between stakeholders and UDM, it was agreedthat the density of the Network in the region is increased by six Davis AWS tocapture the different rainfall patterns.

The Uganda Department of Meteorology has been successful in this activity through supportive contribution by the many different stakeholders in the region. UDM would to particularly acknowledge UCAR JOSS which provides the RIPI facility through support from USAID OFDA, the WFP Uganda Of ce which provided localfunding, and the Local District Administration Of ces which provides site of ce and personnel to supervise theAWS operations.

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