Topic outline

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    Course Description

    How to Take This Course

    Approximate time to complete:  2 to 2.5 hours. This course makes use of text, interactive graphics, case-studies and activities to introduce the basic concepts of impact-based forecast warning systems. After completing this course you will be better equipped to help your organization advance an impact-based approach in hydro-meteorological services, disaster risk reduction and related areas. 

    Please note: Each module opens in a new window. Please allow popups in your browser. For instructions on how to do this in your browser, search the internet for "How to enable popups." 


    • Module 1: Fundamentals of IBFWS (~25 min)

      • Module 1 Quiz
        Restricted Not available unless: The activity Start Module 1 is marked complete
    • Module 2: Roadmap to the IBFWS Paradigm (~50 min)

      • Module 2 Quiz
        Restricted Not available unless: The activity Start Module 2 is marked complete
    • Module 3: Best Practises for Collaboration and Strategic Partnerships in IBFWS (~50 min)

      • Module 3 Quiz
        Restricted Not available unless: The activity Start Module 3 is marked complete
    • Module 4: Effective Communications Strategies for Impacts-Based Warnings (~30 min)

      • Module 4 Quiz
        Restricted Not available unless: The activity Start Module 4 is marked complete
    • Final Exam

      A score of 70% is required to pass this exam. You may make as many attempts as you wish. Only your highest score will be counted. Passing this exam is required to obtain credit for course completion. 

      Note that you must be enroled and logged into this site to access the quizzes. Instructions on how to enrol are to be found under "How to take this course" at the top of this page. 

      • Final Course Exam Quiz
        Restricted Not available unless:
        • The activity Module 1 Quiz is marked complete
        • The activity Module 2 Quiz is marked complete
        • The activity Module 3 Quiz is marked complete
        • The activity Module 4 Quiz is marked complete
    • Providing Feedback

    • References, Glossary, Media Attributions

    • Acknowledgements

      The following people contributed to the development of this resource:

      WMO, Disaster Risk Reduction and Public Services Branch (DPS)

      • Cyrille Honoré, Director
      • Adanna Robertson-Quimby, Programme Officer
      • Samuel Muchemi, Scientific Officer
      • Ata Hussain, Scientific Project Coordination Officer (Severe Weather Forecasting Programme)

      WMO, Education and Training Programme (ETRP) 

      • Luciane Veeck, Education and Training Support Officer

      WMO Expert Team on General Service Delivery (ET-GSD) Sub-Group, 2022

      • Dr. William Lang, UK Met Office, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
      • Saskia Willemse, MeteoSwiss, Switzerland 
      • Carolina Cerrudo, National Meteorological Service, Argentina

      Instructional Media Designer, Technical Writer 

      Special Thanks 

      The course development team also would like to express gratitude to those who took time to discuss or review the development of this course including but not limited to: ET-GSD - Kai-Kwong Hon (Hong Kong Observatory, Hong Kong, China) , Zhang Di (China Meteorological Administration, China), Gerald Fleming (Ireland), Evan Morgan (Bureau of Meteorology, Australia), Chris Noble (MetService, New Zealand), Siobhan Ryan (Met Éireann, Meteorological Service, Ireland), Fatima Sabai (National Meteorological Service, Morocco), Haruka Watanabe (Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan), Elizabeth Viljoen (South Africa Weather Service, South Africa), John Koch (National Weather Service, United States of America) and Yohei Kurose (Japan Meteorological Agency, Japan), COMET/UCAR - Paul Kucera and Tsvetomir Ross-Lazarov.