Climate Observations in 22 African Countries at 550 locations: the TAHMO network

The Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) was officially founded as a not-for-profit foundation in 2014. TAHMO has become the largest provider of scientific weather and climate data for sub-Sahara Africa, with over 500 stations in 22 countries, and a goal of 20,000.  The projection for 2020 is to have 800 stations running and reporting.  TAHMO has successfully shown that it is possible to run a high-quality cost-effective observation network in Africa through investing in relationships, strategic innovation in technology, management, and on-the-ground operations.

 

Technology -TAHMO partnered with METER Group in the co-design of the weather station. Originally, the thought was to develop a very cheap ($200) station, but robustness and accuracy were the driving goals, leading to a station with costs closer to $2000.  Many ideas have been bounced between the two teams and tested in the field in Africa, with no fewer than three generations of technology having been tested.

 

Operation - Over 90% of TAHMO stations are placed at (secondary) schools. This provides physical and, moreover, social protection. Educational material is provided to engage teachers and students and to encourage them to help out with simple maintenance, such as cleaning.

 

Financial sustainability - Stations have been funded through projects funded largely by donors and agencies. A large investment by IBM / Weather Underground formed the basis for a rapid expansion of 333 stations. To ensure long-term financial sustainability, TAHMO provides data services to commercial users, wherein the value chain run from raw data to actionable information. For this reason, TAHMO has become part of a network of entities that bridge the gap between weather station and information market. TAHMO provides data to the research enterprise and host governments at no cost.