Climate Forecast Applications Network

Climate Forecast Applications Network (CFAN) is a company that develops weather and climate forecast tools and provides research and consulting services to manage weather and climate risks. CFAN was started in 2006 by Judith Curry and Peter Webster in Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute VentureLab program.[1]

Climate Forecast Applications Network

Founded	2006 (2006)
Founder	Judith Curry Peter Webster
Headquarters	Reno, NV , United States
Website	cfanclimate.net

Background

One of CFAN's first projects was Climate Forecast Applications in Bangladesh (CFAB).[2][3] In 1998, 60% of Bangladesh had floods for over three months as the Brahmaputra River and Ganges flooded simultaneously. A 1-10 day hydrologic forecast model was developed in 2000, which became operational in 2003. The model continues to be used in Bangladesh through the Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (RIMES) based in Bangkok, Thailand. Following three years of summer floods in Pakistan, a model was developed for the Indus Valley but has not been used by Pakistan authorities.[4] CFAN has continued to call for improved weather forecasts for South Asia, particularly in context of Cyclone Nargis that struck Myanmar[5] and the storm surge from Super Typhoon Haiyan.

Reception

In Global Flood Hazard: Applications in Modeling, Mapping, and Forecasting, CFAN was called a "notable example" for flood early warning processes, and their system was praised in terms of effectiveness and cost.[6] Their probabilistic forecasts are made available online for customers, and can be used for operational and disaster management.[7] In Reducing Disaster: Early Warning Systems For Climate Change CFAN was cited as an example of "strong institutional networking and commitments" that have facilitated development of flood forecasting schemes and their application, at the international level.[8] In Flood Forecasting: A Global Perspective CFAN's Bangladesh flood timing and flood risk predictions for the Brahmaputra River were characterized as "skillful," despite the "considerable overestimation or underestimation of peak magnitudes", with predictions for the Ganges being "less skillful".[9]

References

1. "Improving Flood Predictions in Developing Nations". www.news.gatech.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
2. Webster, P et al. (2010) Extended-range probabilistic forecasts of Ganges and Brahmaputra floods in Bangladesh. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society http://webster.eas.gatech.edu/Papers/BAMS_Webster_etal_2010.pdf
3. Subbiah, A. R.; Fakhruddin, S.H.M. (2008). Long Lead Climate Forecast Application to Benefit Society: Experiences of 2007 Bangladesh Floods (PDF). International Disaster and Risk Conference. p. 8 – via Researchgate.net.
4. What Pakistan can do to improve its flood management, by Khurram Husain, Herald, November 29, 2016 http://herald.dawn.com/news/1152876
5. Bangladesh's Example for a Post-Nargis World, by Andrew Freedman Washington Post, May 14, 2008 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2008/05/tropical_cyclone_nargis_which.html
6. Schumann, Guy J.-P.; Bates, Paul D.; Apel, Heiko; Aronica, Giuseppe T. (2018-07-18). Global Flood Hazard: Applications in Modeling, Mapping, and Forecasting. John Wiley & Sons. p. 120. ISBN 978-1-119-21786-2.
7. Mohanty, U. C.; Mohapatra, M.; Singh, O. P.; Bandyopadhyay, B. K.; Rathore, L. S. (2013-10-12). Monitoring and Prediction of Tropical Cyclones in the Indian Ocean and Climate Change. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-94-007-7720-0.
8. Singh, Ashbindu; Zommers, Zinta (2014-05-12). Reducing Disaster: Early Warning Systems For Climate Change. Springer. p. 170. ISBN 978-94-017-8598-3.
9. Adams, Thomas E.; Pagano, Thomas C. (2016-04-04). Flood Forecasting: A Global Perspective. Academic Press. pp. 401–403. ISBN 978-0-12-801859-0.