Dashboard/Frequently Asked Questions

Platform FAQ & Methodology

Technical specifications, model attribution, and institutional forecasting guidelines

The platform ingests high-resolution numerical weather prediction (NWP) data directly from DCCMS operational forecasting infrastructure:

DCCMS WRF (Weather Research & Forecasting @ 4km Resolution)

High-resolution regional atmospheric model run on-premise at DCCMS headquarters in Blantyre. It produces daily 4-day forecast horizons across a 199×170 spatial grid for convective precipitation, 2m maximum/minimum temperatures, and 10m surface wind velocity.

Ingestion Schedule: Daily 07:00 Central Africa Time (CAT)

Model runs are ingested daily into the platform cache. All hazard matrices and district impact scores refresh automatically upon completion of the morning pipeline cycle.

Malawi's Impact-Based Forecasting (IBF) framework translates hydrometeorological thresholds into actionable operational tiers. The system defines five distinct states:

No Action

No Action Required: Atmospheric and hydrometric conditions remain within normal seasonal baselines. No unusual impact on communities or livelihoods is expected.

Be Aware

Be Aware (Yellow): Hazardous weather is possible. Communities and sector leads should remain informed and monitor DCCMS bulletins for rapid developments.

Be Prepared

Be Prepared (Orange): High likelihood of significant adverse impacts. Pre-position relief supplies, notify District Civil Protection Committees (DCPCs), and prepare evacuation centers.

Take Action

Take Action (Red): Extreme, life-threatening conditions expected. Immediate execution of Early Action Protocols (EAPs), targeted evacuation, and emergency logistics deployment.

Incomplete

Incomplete Data (Hatched Grey): Displayed when local station telemetry is offline, hydro-gauge telemetry is stale, or baseline census coverage is insufficient. The platform refuses to synthesize fake numbers, rendering a hatched indicator to alert forecasters to ground-truth data gaps.

Need operational support or data integration assistance?

Department of Climate Change and Meteorological Services (DCCMS) · Blantyre, Malawi

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