SMA Strengthens Partnership with GeoSphere Austria to Enhance Weather and Climate Services

The Chief Executive Officer of the Seychelles Meteorological Authority (SMA), Mr Vincent Amelie, accompanied by a WMO technical expert, undertook a strategic visit to GeoSphere Austria in Vienna from 10–11 February 2026. The mission, facilitated under the CREWS Southwest Indian Ocean (SWIO) and the CREWS Accelerated Support Window (ASW) Seychelles, aimed to strengthen institutional collaboration and identify concrete areas for technical and scientific cooperation between the two institutions.

During the visit, discussions focused on enhancing multi-hazard early warning systems, advancing impact-based forecasting, and strengthening the delivery of climate services. A key area of engagement was Austria’s Multi-Hazard Impact-Based Advice Service (AMAS), an operational framework that translates meteorological hazards into clear, risk-informed and actionable advice for decision-makers.

The visit also provided an important platform to discuss climate services at a critical moment for Seychelles. With the recent development of the National Framework for Climate Services (NFCS), strengthening the operationalization and delivery of tailored climate information is now a priority. Exchanges with GeoSphere Austria allowed SMA to explore practical approaches to co-producing climate services with users, improving sector-specific advisories, and integrating climate data into national planning and decision-making processes.

In addition, the delegation explored innovative monitoring and forecasting tools, and emerging technologies. Opportunities for knowledge exchange, capacity development, and technical cooperation were identified, including the strengthening of data utilization and the enhancement of operational forecasting capabilities.

The visit concluded with agreement on priority areas for collaboration and preparations toward formalizing the partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding. This engagement marks an important step in advancing SMA’s strategic objectives, reinforcing institutional capacity, and strengthening the delivery of multi-hazard impact-based warnings and climate services to enhance national resilience.