Ranet Project

Project Title:

Ranet Project

Responsible Organisation:

RANET

Website:

http://www.ranetproject.net

Organisation Type:

International Collaboration

Project Director:

Partner Organisations:

United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), and a variety of NGOs

Administrative Country:

Project Region:

Africa

Project Country:

Project Funding:

Meteo-France, the UK Met Office, the National Meteorological Service of Spain, the French Embassy of Niger, the United States Embassy of Niger, FAO, UNDP, SNV.

Type of technology used:

Communication

Technology Details:

Support Of Technology Company:

*Technical support from First Voice International, Wantok Enterprises Limited, the FreePlay Foundation, and Volunteers In Technical Assistance.

Conservation/Developmant Focus:

Project Duration:

Ongoing

Project Aims:

The RANET project combines radio with the Internet to disseminate weather and climate-related information to remote communities throughout Africa. By using radios and the Internet, RANET helps marginalized communities in remote locations access and interpret hydro-meteorological and environmental information. Given that weather forecasts and climate predications play a crucial role in a variety of human activities, including agriculture, health, and disaster mitigation, RANET plays an important part in helping African countries in these areas. The consortium that comprises RANET is a varied list of organizations who believe that environmental information, while not a panacea to the numerous challenges that face many communities, is nonetheless a vital component of any sustainable development strategy. Beyond helping marginalized communities gain access to hydro-meteorological information, RANET also seeks to build human capacities and raise public awareness of the uses of ICTs.

Project Activities:

While the Internet is not an option in many parts of rural Africa, RANET uses wind-up or solar powered radios to deliver satellite radio broadcasts to remote areas. Not only does RANET provide access to weather and climate information, it also enables remote communities to share information with Africans in other regions. Through the Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA) satellite network, RANET gives villagers the opportunity to send e-mails to send feedback about meteorological observations in their area.
Activities include:
• Awareness development;
• Training;
• Partnership development;
• Pilot activities to demonstrate various community technologies;
• Broadcast management;
• Development of a dissemination network through partnership and platform development.

Project Results:

Future Steps:

By 2005, RANET hopes to equip villagers with the technology and skills to send e-mails to its upload site, which will then be re-broadcast as text messages to mobile devices.Similar efforts are planned in South and Southeast Asia.

Technology Lessons Learned:

Contact Name 1:

RANET

Telephone/Fax 1:

Postal Address 1:

Email 1:

ranet@ranetproject.net

Contact Name 2:

Telephone/Fax 2:

Postal Address 2:

Email 2:

Organisation Summary:

General Text:

Project Image: