WP6 - Dissemination, Training and Assessment
Objectives
- To coordinate a minimum of nine extended exchange visits between European and African institutions, at an average rate of three per year, to allow focused capacity development by training a broad numbers of scientist in single institutes.
- To ensure coordination of targeted training events within workshops.
- To focus training events to end-user and stakeholder demands and academic background.
Task 6.1a Exchange visits (ICTP, UNILIV, UP)
In many cases, effective training or specific tasks require only a small group or even a single individual to travel to a specific institution or series of institutions within a country. This could be the case when a specific IS and SDSS (see WP 5.1) needs to be implemented or a particular institute requires training on specific climate forecasting tools. Also certain tools have steep learning curves and training is more effective when provided over longer period of time. In these cases extended visits to African institutions are far more cost-efficient and effective than workshops.
In many cases extended visits will be planned according to emerging training requirements. However, at this point, we can already identify training needs beyond those addressed by regular workshop:
In the early stages of the project, as part of the WP1.1 effort, visits are planned to UNILIV to achieve capacity building in the structure and use of the disease impact dataset.
Extended visits will be necessary to ICTP for training in the implementation and use of IS and SDSS in WP5.1
A longer visit of ICTP staff to Blantyre, on the location of pilot project three, will be necessary to oversee the implementation of the wireless health forecast and warning system planned.
Extended visits are likely to be required by European institute staff to all pilot project locations.
Task 6.1b Coordination of focus groups (ICTP, UNIMA)
This task is closely related to Tasks 6.2b and d. After all, training and dissemination often occur concurrently. Specific focus groups will be planned during all workshops ensuring that, within individual institutes, there is an effective exchange of knowledge between staff that have participated to an extended visit and staff that have participated to a general workshop.
D6.1.a Assessment of results from first year extended visits. M15.(ICTP)
D6.1.a – Assessment report from first year extended visits
D6.1.b Assessment of results from second year extended visits. M30. (ICTP)
D6.1b: Assessment of results from second year extended visits
M6.1.a First exchange visits concluded. M9. (ICTP)
M6.1a: First Exchange Visits Concluded
Objectives
- To contribute to the European and African goal of building a knowledge based society by disseminating original scientific results on the climate driven health impacts to the public health policy makers and institutes.
- To develop and maintain a website expected to endure past the duration of the project and:
- Act as a platform to exchange results within the project consortium.
- Describe the project and present its results and progress to the internet community.
- Summarize the projects findings in a form discernable to end users.
- To host blogs and forums that will keep track of progress of training activities and pilot projects.
- To release a news-letter twice a year summarizing the project’s main achievements to all partners and end users alike.
- To produce and distribute a bilingual English-French brochure outlining the partners, the scope and the work planned by the consortium.
- To encourage consortium partners to publish in open source journals whenever possible to maximize accessibility to scientific results.
- To hold two targeted workshops in African institutions in the first stages of the project with the aim to:
- Provide introductory training in DSS implementation and use.
- Provide introductory training in seasonal to decadal climate forecast products.
- Allow individual groups of end-users to define the typology and format of the information they require for effective health risk assessment.
- To hold a series of single targeted workshops in African institutions in the later stages of the project with the purpose of evaluating the preliminary results from field projects and allow feedback from end users.
- To hold two one week symposiums, to be hosted at ICTP and an African partner institution, with the aim to:
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- Present the projects tailored results on seasonal to decadal predictability of climate driven health impacts to a community of end-users and stakeholders along with the broad community of climate impact scientists.
- Allow disease specific and region specific focus groups between researchers and end users that will monitor pilot project progress and coordinate future work.
Task 6.2a Project web site (ICTP, with UNILIV WP7)
A website will be developed and maintained throughout the lifetime of the project and act as a platform to exchange results and monitor progress within the project consortium. The site will be maintained at UNILIV and will benefit from the highly successful “virtual online collaboration at Liverpool” or VOCAL system already set there. The site will house the blogs and forums that will keep track of progress of training activities and pilot projects and will distribute electronic versions of the bilingual printed material produced by the project. The site will also be the primary medium through which the mapped results of fields such as disease sensitivity to climate variability, climate related increases in risk to human health and climate-dependent vector population dynamics will be distributed outside the consortium.
Task 6.2b: Workshops in Dakar and Blantyre (CSE and UNIMA)
The first workshops will be held in Dakar and Blantyre, location of two of the pilot projects, both within the first 15 months and will have a fact-finding component. The aim will be to find out from stakeholders and users the desired components of a web-based integrated decision support system (for WP5.1) and where appropriate offer training. In the Malawi pilot project (WP5.4), training will be offered in the use of the WiFi network to log malaria and tick born disease incidence on the central database. In the Senegal project climate dependencies of Rift Valley Fever (existing EU FP6 AMMA network) and malaria need be identified. In Ghana a peri-urban malaria study developed with AMMA will be utilized. (As far as possible these will aim to take advantage of existing programs to reduce time and financial costs. For example, under an established program, ICTP is organizing a summer school at KNUST, Kumasi, in summer 2010, and would offer a zero-cost opportunity for a QWeCI mission) thus complementing the workshops in Senegal and Malawi.
Task 6.2c Symposiums at ICTP and Pretoria
A symposium will be held at ICTP by month 24 and also at an African institution (possibly in Pretoria) by month 36. These symposia will give an opportunity to exchange scientific results between all members and work packages of the consortium but also it would provide a forum for scientific exchange with other research communities and presentations to elements of the media.
In particular, in the ICTP symposium, training will be offered in the implementation and use of specific IS (Information Systems) and SDSS (Spatial Decision Support Systems) with WP 5.1. Opportunities would also be given to hold region or disease specific focus groups which would serve to monitor the progress of the pilot projects and plan future work. (ICTP, UNILIV)
Task 6.2d Follow up workshop in UCAD
A second focused workshop is planned for the later stages of the project (deliverable by month 30). The aim in this case is to finalize pilot project field work and monitor the integration of the disease models into IS and SDSS with WP5.1. Specific requirements for further training will certainly have emerged from the first stages of the project. These requirements will be met at this event. (UCAD, ICTP, KNUST)
Task 6.2e English-French brochure
In the early stages of the project, a bilingual Anglo-French brochure will be produced and distributed in Europe and Africa presenting the project mission, its pilot projects and partners, its funding bodies and participating countries. The brochure will publicize to the media and general public the positive impacts of the project on health and society. (ICTP, UNILIV, CSE)
Task 6.2f Project newsletter.
A twice yearly newsletter will be published on the website and through identified emailing lists. The newsletters will provide updates and status reports on pilot projects and the general progress towards the goals of the consortium. (UNILIV, ICTP, KNUST)
D6.2.a Project website. M3. (ICTP, UNILIV)
D6.2.b Bilingual English-French brochure. M12. (ICTP, UNILIV, CSE)
D6.2b Bilingual English-French brochure.
D6.2.c Two Reports on first African Workshops in Dakar and Blantyre. M18. (ICTP)
D6.2c: Report on African Workshops
D6.2.d Report on the follow-up Pretoria (location to be confirmed) workshop. M30. (ICTP, UNILIV)
D6.2d: Completion of Pretoria workshop
D6.2.e Twice annual newsletter M6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36 and 42. (UNILIV and ICTP)
D6.2.e – Twice Annual Newsletter
D6.2.e – Twice Annual Newsletter (M18)
D6.2.e – Twice Annual Newsletter (M24)
D6.2.e (M30) – Twice annual newsletter
D6.2.e – Twice annual newsletter (M36)
D6.2.f Non-technical summary of the project overview for end-users (including policy makers, NGOs) M40. (ICTP and UNILIV)
M6.2.a Completion of the ICTP Symposium. M24. (ICTP)
M6.2a: Completion of the ICTP symposium
M6.2.b Completion of the Pretoria Symposium. M36. (UNILIV)
M6.2b: Completion of the Pretoria Symposium
The objective of this workpackage is to assess the achievements of each pilot project and make further recommendations. Specifically it will
Assess each pilot project success in collating disease incidence data
Assess the relative success of the disseminating products (forecasts or climate projections) to stakeholders in each pilot project
Assess the perceived quality of the products by the stakeholders
Assess the level of use of the pilot project products
Identify practical improvements that could be made to address shortcomings in the dissemination methods
Taking the level of skill and uncertainty of the forecasts into account, attempt to assess their actual (according to their use within the pilot projects) and potential (if perfect decisions were taken based on the forecasts) economic value in terms of health treatment and disease prevention and the effective cost involved in their production and dissemination. This is the first attempt at an end-to-end quantification of the impacts of weather and climate on heath in low income countries.
Make recommendations concerning continuation and extending existing pilot projects
Identify potential regions and countries in which products and project technology could be beneficial
Task 6.3a Collate each pilot project’s assessment of the data collection efforts and forecast impact on end-users in each pilot project – input from WP5.2, WP5.3, WP5.4 (UNILIV, UOC, ICTP)
Task 6.3b Compare the relative merits and successes in each region, and identify recommendations for addressing failures. Identify further regions where the science and technology of the pilot project may be implemented successfully in the future. (ICTP, UNILIV, UOC, KNUST, CSE, UNIMA, IPD, UP)
D6.3.a: Final Pilot Project Report: summarizing the success and failures in each pilot project and making recommendations for improvements and future pilot projects. M38. (UNILIV, UOC, ICTP, KNUST, CSE, UNIMA, IPD, UP)