As the world celebrates World Meteorological Day 2016 under the theme “Hotter, drier, wetter. Face the future”, 2011- 2015 is identified as the hottest period on record. Apart from heavy droughts, climate change is currently contributing to the increased risk of heavy rains and flood. Therefore, it is important to protect lives and property through impact based forecasts. (http://www.wmo.int/worldmetday/sites/default/files/SG-WMD-2016-message_en.pdf)
Weather forecasts are vital specially in the field of agriculture. There is also an emerging evidence that ICTs can play a role in mitigating the negative effect of climate change. Accurate weather forecasts can help farmers adjust their farming practices and minimize harvest losses whereas early warning about natural disasters can save lives while building climate resilient communities.
Having identified the essential need of weather information for farmers in Sri Lanka, LIRNEasia has launched a research project in collaboration with the Department of Meteorology and Natural Resource Management Centre of Department of Agriculture in making weather information and forecasts available to farmers using ICTs . The study aims to provide area specific weather predictions to farmers via a mobile app using the method of now-casting.
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