Current research projects and programmes
TAMSAT product development and capacity building programme
TAMSAT continually develops and improves our rainfall estimates - working closely with key stakeholders to ensure that the products we develop are useful and applied robustly.
- Exploiting environmental data for food security in Africa: A new rainfall dataset for monitoring and early action aims to develop and demonstrate the utility of TAMSAT's new gauge-satellite merged dataset
- Investigators: Ross Maidment, Emily Black (University of Reading), Seydou Traore (AGRHYMET)
- Partners: CHIRPS programme
- Funders: GCRF
- CREWS aims to build caapcity for drought early warning in West Africa
- Investigators: Ross Maidment
- Funders: World Meteorological Organisation
SatWIN and INFORM programme
TAMSAT's financial sector activities have been developed via the SatWIN (Satellite data for Weather Index INsurance) programme, and the follow on project, INFORM (INtegrated FORcasting for Mitigation of risk)
- INFORM aims to implement the TAMSAT-ALERT technology into the Red Cross early action protocols
- Investigators/Partners: Emily Black, Vicky Boult (University of Reading), Martin Todd, Dom Kniveton (University of Sussex), Emmah Mwangi, Maurine Ambani (Red Cross), George Otieno (ICPAC), Mary Kiladi (Kenya Meterological Department), Shamton Wararu (National Drought Management Authority)
- Funders: GCRF, NERC (SHEAR programme)
- SatWIN-ALERT aims to integrate the TAMSAT-ALERT soil moisture forecasts and estimates into weather index insurance and forecast based finance initiatives.
- Investigators: Emily Black, Ross Maidment, Vicky Boult, Tristan Quaife (University of Reading), Rahel Diro, Dan Osgood (IRI), Thabbie Chilongo (Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources)
- Partners: World Food Programme, Risk Shield, Pula Advisors, Africa Risk Capacity
- Funders: DFiD, NERC (SHEAR programme)
- SatWIN-Scale developed a set of methodologies for scaling out index insurance from the local to the national scale
- Investigators: Emily Black, Ross Maidment, Matthew Young, Charlie Williams, Elena Tarnavsky, Tristan Quaife (University of Reading)
- Partners: IRI, Risk Shield
- Funders: NERC
- SatWIN-Toolbox developed a set of tools for adapting rain gauge based WII into satellite data based schemes
- Investigators: Emily Black, Tristan Quaife, Elena Tarnavsky, Marc Stringer (University of Reading), Agrotosh Mookerjee (MicroEnsure)
- Partners: Institute for Environmental Analytics, IRI
- Funders: Innovate UK
TAMSAT-ALERT drought forecasting programme
In recent years, TAMSAT has extended our meteorological monitoring into a full agricultural drought forecasting system (TAMSAT-ALERT). The projects listed below were instrumental in developing and applying this system
- TAMSAT-ALERT platform development extended the TAMSAT-ALERT system to work on a high resolution grid, and developed a web interface for the system (in development)
- Investigators: Emily Black, Ross Maidment (University of Reading), Guy Griffiths, Debbie Clifford (IEA)
- Partners: ENACTS, Risk Shield
- Funders: NERC and Innovate UK
- Drought Risk Finance Science Laboratory (DRiSL) aims to develop new ways of comparing monitoring products and services for drought financing
- Investigators: Martin Todd, Dom Kniveton (University of Sussex), Emily Black, Vicky Boult (University of Reading), Dan Osgood (IRI), Claire Harris (Start Network)
- Partners: Global Parametrics, Welt Hunger Hilfe (world without hunger)
- Funders: DFiD, NERC (SHEAR programme)
- TAMASA (Taking Maize Agonomy to ScAle) is a major programme focused on applying novel technologies to maize yield improvement in Ethiopia and Tanzania
- Investigators: Peter Craufurd (CIMMYT), Emily Black, Tristan Quaife (University of Reading)
- Funders: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- GoatSAT aims to apply the TAMSAT-ALERT approach to forecasting of goat parasite transmission risk in Africa
- Investigators: Eric Morgan (University of Belfast), Tristan Quaife, Emily Black (University of Reading), Taro Takahashi (Rothamsted Research), Casper Nyamukondiwa (Botswana International University of Science and Technology), Patson Nalivata (University of Malawi)
- Partners: Elephants for Africa, Self Help Africa
- Funders: BBSRC
- Drought risk financing for Pakistan aims to develop an operational drought monitoring programme for finance release in Pakistan
- Investigators: Emily Black, Ross Maidment (University of Reading)
- Partners/Funders: START Network, Save the Children
Africa climate variability and change programme
Assessment of long term variability and change is key to interpreting present day drought risk. TAMSAT has recently participated in a number of climate change focused projects
- Cocoa and climate change aims to assess the impact of climate change on cocoa cultivation in West Africa, South America and Indonesia
- Investigators: Emily Black, Tristan Quaife, Ewan Pinnington, Caroline Wainwright, Patrick MacGuire
- Funder: Mars-Wrigley confectionary
- HyCristal aims to assess the impact of change in the water cycle on the climate of Lake Victoria.
- Investigators include: Rosalind Cornforth, Emily Black, Caroline Wainwright (University of Reading), John Marsham (University of Leeds), Dave Rowell (Met Office)
- Funder: Future Climate for Africa programme (NERC/DRiD)
UK National Capability
TAMSAT is heavily involved with building the UK's capability for carrying out research relevant to developing countries
- ACREW aims to build capability for early warning of atmospheric hazard in developing countries
- Investigators include: Emily Black, Steve Woolnough, Matthew Young, Caroline Wainwright, Vicky Boult
- NCEO ODA aims to build capability for exploitation of Earth observation data in developing countries
- Investigators include: Tristan Quaife, Ewan Pinnington
Selected past projects
Enhancing Resilience to Agricultural Drought in Africa through Improved Communication of Seasonal Forecasts (ERADACS) (Global Challenge Research Fund)
Tristan Quaife, Emily Black
The management of atmospheric hazard in Africa (NERC)
Emily Black, Matt Young
Monitoring the Impact of the 2015/16 El Niño on Rural Water Insecurity in Ethiopia: Learning Lessons for Climate Resilience (NERC)
Emily Black
The influence of lake/wetland-climate feedbacks on African hydroclimate (Leverhulme Trust)
Emily Black, Charlie Williams
BRAVE2: NERC UpGro project on groundwater modelling for Ghana (NERC/DFID)
Emily Black
CCAFS flagship project: CASCAID (USAID)
Emily Black, Ross Maidment
Operational rainfall estimates for Africa (MARSOP 4) (European Commission)
Emily Black, Ross Maidment, Matt Young
Characterising rainfall trends in Africa (NERC studentship)
Caroline Dunning, Emily Black, Richard Allan
Process-based uncertainty estimates for TAMSAT (NCAS-Climate)
Ross Maidment, Emily Black
Improved Rainfall Monitoring for Food Security for Africa (NERC studentship)
Matthew Young, David Grimes, Charlie Williams
Building resilience in Africa, through groundwater resources (BRAVE) (NERC)
Emily Black, Elena Tarnavsky
Operational Rainfall Estimation for Africa (MARSOP Project): Improved Calibration and Validation
Elena Tarnavsky, David Grimes, Marc Stringer, George Dugdale
African Rainfall Estimates for GEONETCast
Elena Tarnavsky
Geostatistical Approaches to Merging Satellite-Based Rainfall Estimates and Rain Gauge Observations
David Grimes, Elena Tarnavsky
30-year Satellite-Based Rainfall Time Series and Climatology for Africa (TARCAT)
Ross Maidment, David Grimes, Richard Allen, George Dugdale, Elena Tarnavsky
Climate Change And Food Security (CCAFS): Rainfall Data Generation and Analysis for African Meteorology
David Grimes, Elena Tarnavsky, Ross Maidment
Ensemble-Based Approach to River Flow Forecasting
Tim Bellerby (University of Hull), David Grimes
Quantitative Crop Yield Forecasting using Seasonal Rainfall Forecasts and Satellite Rainfall Estimates
Helen Greatrex, David Grimes, Tim Wheeler
Satellite-Based Rainfall Estimation for the Arabian Peninsula
Mazen Assiri, David Grimes
Multi-Spectral Rainfall Estimation over Africa using Meteosat Second Generation
Rob Chadwick, David Grimes
Investigation of Neural Network Algorithms for Rainfall Estimation
Erika Coppola, David Grimes
Rainfall Estimation System for the IGAD Region of East Africa as Part of the EU-funded 'Remote Sensing for Food Security' Programme
Rogerio Bonifacio, David Grimes, Iain Russell
Agrometeorological Information System for Sudan as Part of a WFP-funded Famine Vulnerability Assessment Mapping
Rogerio Bonifacio, Iain Russell
Geostatistical Methods for Ensemble Representation of Satellite-Based Rainfall
Chee-Kiat Teo
Improvements in Rainfall Estimation Methodology and Information Dissemination in Southern Africa
Rogerio Bonifacio, David Grimes
Comparison of Rainfall Estimation Techniques for Drought Monitoring, Improvement of Calibration Technique and Climatologies of Northern and Southern Africa from Satellite Rainfall Estimates
Virginia Thorne
Monitoring Agricultural Pest Habitats
Rogerio Bonifacio
Use of Microwave Imagery in Rainfall Estimation and Soil Moisture Measurement
June Morland
Flood Forecasting in the Indus Valley
George Dugdale
Applications of Geostatistics to Rainfall Estimation
Eulogio Pardo
Application of Satellite Data to Hydrology in the Senegal River Basin
Mariane Diop
Investigation of the Impact of Spatial Variability of Rainfall from Convective Storms on the Small-Scale Variability of Soil Moisture in the Sahel
Ian Flitcroft
Relating Line Squalls and Easterly Waves
Mariane Diop
Investigation of Convective Storms over the Sahel
Menghestab Haile
Measurements of Surface Energy and Water Fluxes in the Sahel
George Dugdale