Central Asia Climate Information Platform
Regional and national climate data hub
Description
The Central Asia Climate Information app (CACIP) is a web-based app that helps stakeholders in Central Asia to access, analyse and visualize public-domain climate and climate-related data, thus supporting improved awareness, assessment and decision support operations. The information app garners appropriate data and information from global, regional, and local sources for Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, and is incorporated with analytical tools and interfaces to aid their visualization and interpretation. The app hosts data on climate change, soil, land degradation and local weather, as well as such indicators as greenhouse gas emissions, soil moisture, soil carbon density, temperature, precipitation, historical climate statistics, weather forecasts and vegetation indices. CACIP was developed under the World Bank-funded "Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin" (CAMP4ASB) initiative, led by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), working in collaboration with the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and its partners. As of December 2022, the WB project is ongoing, and CAREC is continuing to improve the website. A consortium of government agencies, international organizations and local NGOs established the CACIP Consortium to facilitate the provision of data and information (publications, reports, learning courses, etc.) to CACIP on a regular basis, to promote CACIP at global, regional and local levels, and to support resource mobilization and the creation of new partnerships.
Technology
The online application is accessible from any computer or mobile device. It draws public data from local, regional and global sources and makes it available from a single location. The data and information sources for the app are the Central Asian Institute for Applied Geosciences; the National Snow and Data Center, US; the Kyrgyzstan Disaster Risk Data app; the Natural Resource Governance Institute, US; the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic; NASA - Modis Satellite Data; NASA - Soil Moisture Active Passive; the National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyzstan; the Agency for Land Reclamation and Irrigation of the Republic of Tajikistan; Protected Planet; the FAO Geonetwork; the World Bank - Open Knowledge Repository; the WMO - World Weather Information Service; NASA - Fire Information for Resource Management System; the Climate Action Network of Kyrgyzstan; the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery; the Center of Hydrometeorological Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The app features several distinct sections, including a situational analysis of the countries of operation by sector (energy, water, agriculture, etc.); a resource database, including publications, datasets, events, etc.; a geoportal for the collection, management and dissemination of geospatial data; and a digital library with a variety of documents, including journal articles, reports, training materials, among others. CACIP is available in Russian and English. In the future, CACIP will support the five languages of the target countries.
Target
The climate data and analytical services provided by the app were used by over 2000 users as of July 2022. The app can serve as a source for various users, including policymakers, researchers and farmers, allowing them to access and analyse a wide range of climate-related information, thus supporting improved awareness, assessment and decision-making. Decision makers from the public and private sectors can make use of the up-to-date and reliable information provided, including aggregated statistics, generated maps and analytical reports, in their planning and administrative operations. Researchers and organizations can benefit from the comprehensive library of resources and data related to climate in Central Asia, which can be accessed through advanced search tools. Practitioners can make use of a suite of printable training and educational materials, in addition to webinars, tutorials and information on best practices. Farmers can access local weather and environmental information, as well as short- and long-term forecasts.
Business model
CACIP is free to use. CACIP was funded under the World Bank CAMP4ASB project led by CAREC and ICARDA. The app is built using open-source software, thus reducing operating and maintenance costs. The website states that the partners communicate with communities throughout Central Asia to garner support for the system and to create opportunities for continued interest and funding.
Impact
The app facilitates in-country, regional and international collaboration and information sharing, providing visibility to original data sources that are interoperable with other databases, repositories, websites and systems. CACIP allows the Central Asian countries to access, analyse and visualize climate change-related data, and to use them for awareness-raising, assessment and decision-making operations.
Partners
World Bank; Central Asia Regional Environmental Center; International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas; CACIP Consortium members
Four Betters
Better environment
Better production
Better life
