18 May 2016: In order to support improvement in GCC weather forecasting ability Advanced Conferences and Meetings (ACM) launched the WeatherTech GCC conference in 2015 the first event of its kind in the region to provide a platform to discuss optimization of next generation technologies to revolutionize the collection, analysis and distribution of weather forecasting data in the GCC.

This year the 2nd Annual WeatherTech GCC will take place on the 1st and 2nd of November 2016 in Abu Dhabi UAE and will build on the success of the 2015 event that brought together 120 attendees from seven nations over two days. The 2nd Annual WeatherTech GCC will gather the GCC weather and forecasting community and continue to support economic development, enable future sustainability and help to mitigate weather risk to industry and individuals.

The global climate is changing and it is happening now. We will continue to experience climate change in the coming decades as increasing volumes of heat restricting greenhouse gasses are created by human activities and amass in the atmosphere.

The World Meteorology Organization has reported that the past several decades have been significantly warmer than the previous one and that the period 2011 – 2015 was the hottest on record, and the year 2015 with an extra boost from a powerful El Nino was the hottest since modern observations began in the late 1800s.

Temperature rise is a part of a more complex scenario. Seasonal patterns have been disrupted and this has increased the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. The GCC has an arid and challenging climate for human habitation. In order to ensure extremes of weather do not slow down the pace of economic development improvement in weather forecasting, monitoring and warnings are required.

Due to scientific and technology advances it is possible to provide useful climate information services to support climate resilience, adaptation and mitigation. The GCC’s national weather services and industry have a major role to play in utilizing scientific observations, research and operational climate services that society will need in order to face the future. In response to this acute need for improvement in climate sustainability GCC leaders have continued to invest in improved climate management and weather research.

Mohammad Karam Ali, the former Director of Kuwait National Meteorological Centre and a speaker at WeatherTech GCC 2016 said ‘There is no doubt that the international conferences, seminars and workshops in the Gulf Cooperation Council are held to introduce and discuss the latest developments and new modern weather and techniques (WeatherTech GCC) as well as the exchange of experiences between experts in the field of science meteorology and climate, which plays an important role in improving the knowledge and access to the most appropriate and the latest tools to issue weather forecasts and climate to ensure the safety of individuals and communities and to reduce losses.’

Noureldin Ahmed National Project Manager at the Sudanese Higher Council of Environment and a past delegate at WeatherTech 2015 also added “The event was a good opportunity to exchange good practices and networking with different people from different fields. New ideas and linkages. I will share the outputs of the conference with my different networks”

The conference program was developed with esteemed Advisory Board members from Kuwait National Meteorological Center, Kuwait Institute of for Scientific Research (KISR), National Center of Meteorology and Seismology UAE (NCMS), Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, UAE University and Arab Gulf University.

This event will feature the GCC’s meteorology leadership, scientists and innovators. Abdullah Mohammad Al Mannai, the Director of the Meteorology Department at Qatar Civil Aviation Authority who will lead a discussion panel about inviting investment in weather technology to achieve sustainability in the GCC and improving forecasting knowledge by the communication between local regional and international networks. Dr. Tarek Sadek, the First Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations (UN), will discuss the linking strategy, policy and climate change modelling. A case study about the integration of weather data to improve the forecast accuracy in Kuwait will be presented by Mohammed Karam Ali, Former Head of Meteorology at Kuwait Meteorological Centre. Another case study by Dubai Municipality about the implementation of Tsunami early warning prediction systems will be presented by Eman Ahmed Al Khatibi Al Falasi, Head of Dubai Municipality’s Geodesy and Hydrographic Survey Section at Dubai Municipality.

 “The multidisciplinary topic addressed by the conference was a positive point. The interaction between scientists according to each panel discussion, the atmosphere and the organisation were excellent.” said Abdulrazak Bannari, Head of Geoinformatics Department at Arabian Gulf University.

This unique platform is for specialists to share best practice, evaluate solutions and implement innovations in weather forecasting and climate change, to ensure current and future development objectives are achieved. This innovative and specialised event will provide an opportunity for meteorologists, scientists, policy makers and creative thinkers to generate solutions to overcome challenges, develop future strategies and to guide improvement.

WeatherTech GCC is supported by premium industry solution providers who will showcase their products to support the objectives of the weather and forecasting community; Jinyang, Leosphere, OTT Hydromet, CAE, EWR and SMG amongst others.

Visit the event’s website for the full list of speakers, sponsors and the programme. www.weathertechgcc.com

To know more about the sponsorship opportunities where you may showcase your solutions, please contact - priya.gopal@acm-events.com