Floods continue to devastate communities across Africa — destroying homes, displacing families, and claiming lives. To confront these challenges, OCHA ROWCA is developing an innovative decision-support system designed to strengthen anticipatory action and improve humanitarian response. In this interview, Philippe Musumba-Teso, Data Scientist, shares the journey of bringing this system to life.
The idea emerged in late 2024, when OCHA identified the urgent need to bridge the gap between scientific forecasting and humanitarian planning. The goal: generate exposure metrics that show where and when floods are likely to create humanitarian risks.
We needed to enhance OCHA’s analytical capacity for climate-related emergencies, particularly floods. If we can forecast impacts, we can enable anticipatory actions that prevent loss and damage.
The tool integrates multiple data sources into interactive dashboards and geospatial models, enabling rapid visualization of at-risk populations and infrastructure. While the platform is still under development, several products — including weekly flood exposure snapshots — are already operational and shared with countries to support decision-making.
Collaborative partnerships
Strong partnerships have been central to the system’s creation. We worked with the African Centre for Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), HotOSM for infrastructure data, and FAO for historical flood records to validate and assess outputs.
Non-traditional partners also played a role. Fathom, a private-sector organization, provided high-quality flood data free of charge for humanitarian use. A great example, in my view, of how private-sector engagement can enhance humanitarian operations.
Custom algorithms automate data processing and analysis, ensuring timely and accurate forecasts. Each Monday, OCHA publishes updated dashboards predicting population and infrastructure exposure to floods.
Empowering decision-makers
Built on ArcGIS and OCHA’s GeoPortal, the platform’s interactive maps and dashboards are tailored for humanitarian coordinators and sector actors. They enable rapid visualization of risks, supporting evidence-based planning and anticipatory action.
Ultimately, we have created a bridge between meteorological science and humanitarian planning. With continued collaboration, this tool will become a cornerstone for anticipatory action across the continent. Future iterations will expand to hazards such as heatwaves and landslides, with ACMAD planning to scale the system region-wide.
It’s all about teamwork!
I’m leading the project because I designed it, but it has been teamwork from the start. The IM Unit worked closely with the PI Unit, and this collaboration was key to the success of this project. Equally important was the trust that Roberto put in me. His guidance and confidence in my abilities gave me the space to fully engage and deliver results. He always made sure I had the resources I needed to bring this project to completion.
Contact
If you’d like to know more about the tool, contact Philippe at musumba@un.org.
