Climate change is an escalating and urgent health challenge, particularly for populations already facing health and economic disparities. By integrating satellite data, weather patterns, and health sector insights, we can better predict disease outbreaks, respond to evolving health needs, and mitigate the impact of extreme weather events.
PATH Digital Square is partnering with Wellcome, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the World Health Organization (WHO)-World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Joint Programme for Climate and Health to support the development of digital public infrastructure and digital public goods aimed at enhancing climate- and health-informed data systems.
Under this initiative, PATH Digital Square is launching an open call for software applications, content and services that help to integrate the use of climate and weather information to protect and improve human health, enhancing our ability to predict and respond to climate-related health risks. By leveraging global knowledge and expertise, this work aims to identify and curate a collection of global goods that will strengthen interoperable climate and health information sharing more systematically across sectors to support health system resilience in the face of a changing climate. Tools that meet the criteria below and that map to the proposed climate-health maturity framework will be included in the Global Goods Guidebook for Climate and Health (GGG4CH), an extension of the existing Global Goods Guidebook. The GGG4CH will be a freely available online resource that provides information on mature, open-source software applications and services that are adaptable to different countries and contexts.
This initiative marks a pivotal step in advancing efforts to build interoperable climate- and health-informed data and information systems to address the growing challenges climate change poses to public health. While current meteorological data is often standardized, healthcare professionals and policymakers cannot consistently access it nor use it to inform health decision-making. By making global goods that combine meteorological and health data more readily accessible for decision-making, leaders can better predict and respond to disease patterns, outbreaks, and other health system priorities that are impacted by extreme weather.
Criteria for consideration
Applicants must meet certain minimum requirements to be considered a Global Good for climate and health. The software must:
Be available and published under an open license such as OSI-Approved licenses.
Demonstrate relevance to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)1
SDG #3 Good health and well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all, at all ages and
SDG #13 Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
Meet the requirements of the Digital Public Good Standard2 and be registered3 (or provide proof of having applied for registration4) as a DPG.
The first round of the open call will run from March 31, 2025, to April 30, 2025.
Apply
To apply, register on the application portal, and complete the application form and the Climate and Health Maturity self-assessment tool, which are both available on the application portal. The completed application form and maturity model must be submitted to the application portal by the deadline.
All applications will be reviewed by technical Peer Review Group (PRG) members. The Global Goods Review Board (GGRB) will meet to consider the PRG’s recommendations and will make a final decision. All applicants will be notified of the GGRB’s decisions by the end of May 2025. Successful applicants will be added to the Global Goods Guidebook for Climate and Health, which is planned for its official launch at the end of August 2025 and followed by wide virtual dissemination.
Contact Linda Taylor (ltaylor@path.org) and Abby Minor (aminor@path.org) for questions.