UAE citizens residing overseas or those on travel can now receive alerts regarding severe weather conditions globally, courtesy of a new platform named the "Early Warning System for All". Launched on Friday, this initiative by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is designed to track weather conditions and natural disasters, and notify citizens through text messages.
Mohamed Alebri, Director of the Meteorology Department at the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), in a conversation with Khaleej Times, highlighted that this system is a collaborative effort between the NCM and MoFA, aimed at enhancing awareness among UAE nationals abroad and implementing preventive measures during natural and climatic disasters to ensure their safety.
Alebri explained, "This platform is engineered to monitor and alert on all significant weather conditions and natural disasters, such as earthquakes, severe weather, floods, volcanic eruptions, and droughts. It empowers MoFA to detect and monitor these events globally, thereby enabling them to alert UAE nationals and residents worldwide about any severe weather conditions occurring in various countries."
The platform, developed over several months, provides the most comprehensive global real-time and historical data, a robust database of forecast models, and an advanced forecast engine, all supported by extensive validation results. It offers comprehensive data, including readings from thousands of weather stations worldwide, tracks temperatures, and provides forecasts for heavy rainfall or storms expected in the next ten days.
The 'Early Warning System for All' is designed to effectively communicate weather information, focusing on informing people about the necessary actions to save lives and reduce losses. If a weather alert is detected, it automatically appears on the screens in the MoFA's operational room. For example, in the case of flood warnings in a specific country, experts can access all relevant details, and MoFA will send messages to inform locals about the situation, along with instructions to exercise caution or take necessary actions.
The launch of this system was prompted by the increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters worldwide, exacerbated by climate change. Alebri noted, "Due to climate change, we have witnessed severe weather fluctuations, including an increased frequency of earthquakes. This led to discussions with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who wanted to know how we could alert UAE nationals abroad about these disasters."
To overcome the challenges of monitoring worldwide, the NCM aimed to automate the process by collecting global data. As a member of the World Meteorological Organization and part of international earthquake associations, the NCM gathered extensive data and developed a platform with an algorithm to track natural calamities globally. The development of this system involved significant effort and received high praise from MoFA.
