Kenya AMDAR is a WMO-led Public Private Partnership between the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) and Kenya Airways (KQ) for the establishment and operation of a meteorological observing program facilitating the automated reporting of meteorological atmospheric information from a fleet of aircraft.
The AMDAR program uses the aircraft’s existing sensors, avionics and telecommunication systems to gather, process, and disseminate data. The data is used directly by KMD to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting services to aviation and public weather applications that meet sector-specific needs.
The project also brings wider benefits to Kenya, the African continent and the global community through the positive impact of the use of data in applications associated with climate monitoring and prediction, environmental protection, agriculture, health, and disaster risk reduction.
AMDAR expansion into the data-sparse regions, specifically Africa, will yield greater incremental benefits for developing and emerging markets, which in many cases are more vulnerable to weather-related phenomena than developed economies.