Resurgence unveils Information Ecosystem Mapping animation
Resurgence is pleased to unveil an innovative and collaborative mapping venture in Nairobi that has been instrumental in creating one of Africa’s most inclusive early warning systems.
View the Information Ecosystem Mapping (IEM) video here.
The mapping, undertaken in partnership with Kounkuey Design Initiative and other key *DARAJA stakeholders in Nairobi , is inspired by the work of Internews and, more deeply, by ecosystems theory itself.
The impacts speak for themselves: 📈 within 18 months a jump in access to early warning information from 46% to 93% in our target group of residents of informal access, and a 98% rate of taking early action on high impact weather alerts.
The new feedback system was recently mobilised via a detailed post event analysis by weather forecasters and resident users of a major high impact weather event that led to devastating flooding.
We hope this will lead to further improvements in the accuracy, flow, content of forecasts and early warnings.
We are currently seeking technology, donor, social impact investment and delivery partners to deepen the technology backbone and AI capabilities of our urban information ecosystem’s mapping, so that it can improve the climate resilience of 100s of millions of residents based in urban informal settlements across Africa and Asia.
👉Contact us if you can help: info@resurgence.io
Information about *DARAJA:
DARAJA is a UK FCDO (UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) funded project of the Met Office-led Weather and Climate Information Services for Africa (WISER) Programme.
DARAJA aims to improve the climate resilience of vulnerable populations living in informal settlements in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya by building bridges between communities and weather and climate information providers.
DARAJA has been delivered to date in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam by Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) in Nairobi, the Centre for Community Initiatives (CCI) in Dar es Salaam, Resurgence, the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), the Tanzania Meteorological Authority (TMA) and array of key local community partners, leaders and stakeholders.
- Residents through DARAJA services now access advanced and accurate weather, early warning and climate information (typically reserved for those in the agriculture and maritime sector). In Nairobi’s informal settlements access has risen from 56% to 93% within 18 months;
- 98% of surveyed residents now take action to avoid household loss (e.g. clearing community drains) as a result of accessing DARAJA services;
- 72% of surveyed residents state that they avoided personal damage and loss due to early warning weather information provided via DARAJA (e.g. saving income, protecting their household, clothing, beds, furniture etc);
- The net potential economic benefits to both Nairobi and Dar es Salaam over the 2 year project, in a new report by a UK Met Office consultant economist, are estimated over 10 years to be US$24 million to US$43 million, against a total project cost of under US$1 million.
In 5 years the DARAJA service aims to be available for 250 million residents of informal settlements in 30 cities across the globe.
DARAJA is receiving additional support to scale out of Nairobi and Dar es Salaam into other global cities, from the EIT Climate-KIC, the EU‘s leading public private climate innovation partnership.