Project description
Innovative early warning system solutions for Europe and Africa
Natural hazards, including extreme weather events, are becoming more frequent, intensive and protracted due to climate change. Such events stretch limited resources and imperil lives, especially in rapidly warming regions. The EU-funded MEDEWSA project will improve impact forecasting and early warning systems across the European-Mediterranean-African region using novel tools such as AI. Coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), it will establish four twins (eight pilot sites), each with a history of being impacted by natural hazards or extreme events. MEDEWSA's central role in the UN Early Warnings for All initiative – to ensure that everyone is protected from hazardous weather, water or climate events through early warning systems by the end of 2027 – will accelerate its reach and impact.
Objective
"Natural hazards, such as extreme weather events, are exacerbated by climate change. As a result, emergency responses are becoming more protracted, expensive, frequent, and stretching limited available resources. This is especially apparent in rapidly warming regions. MedEWSa addresses these challenges by providing novel solutions to ensure timely, precise, and actionable impact and finance forecasting, and early warning systems (EWS) that support the rapid deployment of first responders to vulnerable areas. Specifically, MedEWSa will deliver a sophisticated, comprehensive, and innovative pan-European–Mediterranean–African solution comprising a range of complementary services. Building on existing tools MedEWSa will develop a fully integrated impact-based multi-hazard EWS. This call contained five expected outcomes, all of which will be specifically addressed by MedEWSa. Led by WMO, MedEWSa will be an exemplar of the UN Secretary General’s March 2022 call to ensure that everyone on Earth is protected from extreme weather and climate-related hazards by EWS within the next five years.
Through eight carefully selected pilot sites (areas in Europe, the southern Mediterranean, and Africa with a history of being impacted by natural hazards and extreme events with cascading effects), four twins will be created:
● Twin #1: Greece (Attica) – Ethiopia (National Parks): wildfires and extreme weather events (droughts, wind)
● Twin #2: Italy (Venice) – Egypt (Alexandria / Nile Delta): coastal floods and storm surges
● Twin #3: Slovakia (Kosice) – Georgia (Tbilisi): floods and landslides
● Twin #4: Spain (Catalonia) – Sweden (countrywide): heatwaves, droughts and wildfires.
The twins will bridge areas with different climatic/physiographic conditions, yet subject to similar hazards, and are well positioned to deliver long-term bi-directional knowledge transfer. They will demonstrate the transferability and versatility of the tools developed in MedEWSa.
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Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation ActionsCoordinator
1202 GENEVA 2
Switzerland
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Participants (27)
11810 Athina
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73100 Lecce
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601 76 NORRKOEPING
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833 15 Bratislava
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RG2 9AX Reading
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15500 Holargos, Athens
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17100 Savona
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75007 Paris
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2593 HT Den Haag
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35390 Giessen
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08034 Barcelona
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80686 Munchen
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1190 Wien
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08028 Barcelona
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
3101 Limassol
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
014 01 BYTCA
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
115 25 ATHENS
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10163 Athens
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0112 Tbilisi
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117 43 ATHINA
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30124 Venezia
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4392071 CAIRO
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40121 Bologna
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
08009 Barcelona
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08552 Taradell
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
1000 ADDIS ABABA
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W21K19 Addis Ababa
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Partners (2)
60311 Frankfurt Am Main
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5025001 Bet Dagan
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