The Power of Partnership : Public and Private Engagement in Hydromet Services
The needs of societies for more accurate and reliable weather, climate, and hydrological ‘hydromet’ information are at the highest levels today. Weather events–including hurricanes, heat waves, floods, and droughts, jointly cause more economic dama...
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| Format: | Report |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2020
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/910251601530521791/The-Power-of-Partnership-Public-and-Private-Engagement-in-Hydromet-Services http://hdl.handle.net/10986/34615 |
| Summary: | The needs of societies for more accurate
and reliable weather, climate, and hydrological ‘hydromet’
information are at the highest levels today. Weather
events–including hurricanes, heat waves, floods, and
droughts, jointly cause more economic damage and loss of
life than any other disaster. Around the world, better
warning systems, better meteorological and hydrological
services, and customized service delivery can help prepare
for and reduce the cost of weather events, minimize loss and
damage, and build socio-economic resilience. Reliable
hydromet services are in high demand in weather-dependent
sectors like aviation, agriculture, shipping, transport,
energy, and tourism. As the effects of climate change modify
the patterns and intensity of natural hazards and as rapid
urbanization and population growth increase vulnerability,
adequate hydromet services are increasingly a very high
value proposition. For over a decade, the World Bank has
invested in the modernization of National Meteorological and
Hydrological Services (NMHSs). Some countries have been more
successful than others with sustaining and multiplying the
outcomes of these investments. We have also witnessed that
many countries are struggling to keep up with the
ever-increasing demand for more sophisticated services to
protect lives and assets as well as to support economies.
Over the same decade, advances in technology and innovation
have widened the scope of products and services that can be
used to improve weather data, warning systems, and hydromet
information. Private-sector actors are playing an important
role and along with the academic community are helping to
push the frontiers of knowledge, investing in innovative
solutions that deliver more reliable forecasting and more
efficient and diverse services. The dynamics between the
public, private, and academic sectors have been evolving,
creating more opportunities than ever to join forces to
deliver the socio-economic benefits of a more informed and
resilient world. This report looks at the current landscape
of partnerships and analyzes the experience from eight
countries that have explored different approaches to
partnership as they seek to strengthen the provision of
hydromet services. Not surprisingly, these experiences show
that collaboration across public, private, and academic
actors in this field is changing rapidly, can be complex and
challenging but is worth the effort. The report offers ideas
about lessons learned so far as countries attempt to
structure a balanced model that builds on an awareness of
comparative advantages, a shared commitment to improving
global public goods in the service of strengthening global resilience. |
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