The Weather Paywall
Down To Earth|October 16, 2019
There will be heavy rainfall in... (subscribe to read on). That’s how all weather information will be delivered in the future, if private players are allowed to have their way. The chase to control and commodify forecast data is heating up. Competition could lead to greater accuracy in predictions, but it might also corrupt the public service that has so far been free.
Akshit Sangomla
The Weather Paywall

EARLY THIS year, when information and technology behemoth IBM announced that its Weather Company had created a powerful new global weather forecasting system, it evoked hope and fear at the same time. The company claims that its new Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System, or graf, will provide the “most accurate local weather forecasts ever seen worldwide” and can predict something as small as thunderstorms or as fickle as tropical cyclones that keep meteorologists on their toes till making the landfall.

Every day at Weather Company’s office in Brookhaven, in US’ state of Georgia, some 600 meteorologists, data analysts and a supercomputer analyse weather-related information gathered by governments and intergovernmental agencies through their weather stations, sophisticated radars, aeroplanes and spy satellites, and feed those into graf. To ensure that the forecasts reflect localised and near-real-time atmospheric, land and oceanic conditions, the team also harnesses data from some 270,000 personal weather stations (PWS) run by weather enthusiasts across the world and from hundreds of millions of smartphones, whose “pressure” and “location” sensors keep relaying data even as the user is on the move, talking or taking a nap. These data are then processed by the artificial intelligence-powered graf to issue 12 trillion pieces of forecast information for virtually every 3 sq km patch of the globe on an hourly basis. By comparison, the best available government or intergovernmental models have a resolution of 13 sq km and can update forecasts only once in every six hours.

“The information we generate and distribute consists of observations (realtime and historical), short- and longterm, seasonal and impact-based information, such as how crop yields or power generation will be impacted by weather,” says Kevin Petty, director of science and forecast operations at IBM.

Denne historien er fra October 16, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra October 16, 2019-utgaven av Down To Earth.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA DOWN TO EARTHSe alt
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Down To Earth

A SPRIG TO CARE FOR

Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits

time-read
3 mins  |
November 01, 2024
DIGGING A DISASTER
Down To Earth

DIGGING A DISASTER

Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.

time-read
2 mins  |
November 01, 2024
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Down To Earth

REVIEW THE TREATMENT

Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient

time-read
3 mins  |
November 01, 2024
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
Down To Earth

MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE

As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production

time-read
4 mins  |
November 01, 2024
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Down To Earth

Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?

Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag

time-read
4 mins  |
November 01, 2024
TROUBLED WOODS
Down To Earth

TROUBLED WOODS

Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 01, 2024
BLINDING GLOW
Down To Earth

BLINDING GLOW

The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November 01, 2024
GROUND REALITY
Down To Earth

GROUND REALITY

What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?

time-read
6 mins  |
November 01, 2024
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
Down To Earth

GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC

On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.

time-read
6 mins  |
November 01, 2024
Vinchurni's Gandhi
Down To Earth

Vinchurni's Gandhi

A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara

time-read
2 mins  |
November 01, 2024