The APEC Climate Center held the Expert Workshop on ‘IRI Climate Data Tools’, a climate data software developed by IRI, with Dr. Tufa Dinku. The workshop took place at the APCC headquarters in Haeundae, Busan, on November 12, 2018. The Workshop was held to share the knowledge and experience acquired through the IRI Enhancing National Climate Services Project with the APEC Climate Center.

APCC’s researchers spent time getting familiar with the IRI Climate Data Tools which can be applied to the Climate Information Services for Resilient Development Planning in Vanuatu (VAN-CIS-RDP), receiving a hands on training by the IRI expert. In terms of the VAN-CIS-RDP is a project that aims to develop and establish climate information services for decision making for agriculture in Vanuatu. The IRI’s ENACTS Project was implemented to incorporate climate knowledge into the national decision making process by improving the utility and availability of climate information.

The Climate Data Tools software is used to improve the accessibility of climate information through quality control of data and data homogenization, which refers to removing non-climatic changes to the data. Furthermore, it improves the compatibility between climate data and data produced in other fields such as agriculture and water resource. Through the use of CDT, users of other fields such as agriculture and water resource can more easily use climate data.

It is expected that the experience and knowledge acquired from the ENACTS project by IRI will play an important role in the success of VAN-DIS-RDP of APCC.