HR: 0800h
AN: ED21A-0053    [Abstracts]
TI: The Pacific RANET Project
AU: * Postawko, S
EM: suenmark@ipasifika.net
AF: University of Oklahoma, EVAC/School of Meteorology 3200 Marshall Ave., Norman, OK 73072 United States
AU: Ah Poe, A
EM: AnonaA@sprep.org.ws
AF: SPREP, P.O. Box 240, Apia, none Samoa
AU: Morrissey, M
EM: MarkM@sprep.org.ws
AF: SPREP, P.O. Box 240, Apia, none Samoa
AB: There are few places in the world more vulnerable to the effects of climate variability and change than the island nations of the tropical Pacific Ocean. The region also faces great challenges in communicating the issues related to climate to the general population. Lack of communications infrastructure, multiple languages, and knowledgeable personnel to deliver information, are all challenges for these countries. However, a recently developed international consortium is taking the first steps to addressing these challenges. The RANET (RAdio and interNET communications) project was originally developed for the countries of Africa, with initial funding from NOAA, to make weather, climate, and other environmental information more accessible to remote and resource-poor communities. The program is now expanding into Asia and the Pacific. RANET works to build telecommunication bridges between scientific-based products and remote communities that could benefit from such information.?The RANET project in the Pacific is a consortium of partners from the Pacific Island nations, the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, and others. Coordination of the project is loosely overseen by a Steering Committee, made up of representatives from the various interested partners. For regions where the appropriate technology exists (which includes the capital cities of nearly all of the island states of the Pacific), information is downloaded via a digital satellite receiver. This can then be broadcast within a country by many means, including Community FM Radio stations. The information distributed includes technical information needed by meteorological and related services to improve their own products and services, as well as a second level of information designed to serve communities, including weather forecasts, bulletins, warnings, etc. The primary challenge at this time is developing content that is both relevant and understandable to these remote communities. While some information will be common to all countries, it will be necessary to have more location-specific information as well. In addition to education of the general population, it is hoped that making weather, climate, and environmental information more accessible will encourage students from the islands into the study of these areas in their tertiary education.
DE: 6605 Education
DE: 6620 Science policy
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting