Pilot cyclogenesis monitoring in GDACS (global disaster alert and coordination system)

Potential tropical cyclone (TC) monitoring is of great importance to the humanitarian community in terms of early warning, anticipatory action, coordination, preparedness and response in case of need. It provides important preliminary information to organisations, enabling them to prepare and respond effectively. Upon request of the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP), the European Crisis Management Laboratory (ECML) of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (EC-JRC) initiated a pilot project for automatic detection and visualisation of cyclogenesis in Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS). The aim is to provide a reliable service for timely critical information provision targeting anticipatory action for events that are potentially the earliest stages of TC formation. This pilot activity aligns with the discussions and requests from various humanitarian agencies, crystallized during an organized technical meeting under the umbrella of the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), EC-JRC and UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). An overview of the GDACS prototype for cyclogenesis monitoring is presented here.