Union minister Jitendra Singh launches AI-enabled systems for hyper-local weather forecasts

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday launched two advanced weather forecast products developed under the Ministry of Earth Sciences MoES, aimed at delivering hyper-local, impact-based and artificial intelligence AI-driven weather services across the country.

Union minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday launched two advanced weather forecast products developed under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), aimed at delivering hyper-local, impact-based and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven weather services across the country. Both products have been launched as a pilot service. The monsoon advance forecasting system will provide probabilistic forecasts of monsoon progression every Wednesday up to four weeks in advance. The other instrument, called the high spatial resolution rainfall forecast for Uttar Pradesh (UP), will generate rainfall forecasts at one-kilometre spatial resolution up to 10 days in advance. ''The newly launched systems mark a major shift from conventional weather forecasting towards impact-based and decision-support forecasting, capable of providing precise, location-specific and actionable information to farmers, administrators, disaster managers, and citizens,'' said Singh. The minister highlighted that the advance forecasting system combines AI-based forecasting models, extended range prediction systems and statistical techniques to provide operationally useful forecasts for agricultural planning and preparedness. He added that the high spatial resolution rainfall forecast uses AI-driven downscaling techniques and integrates data from automatic weather stations, Doppler weather radars, and satellite-based rainfall datasets, etc. Speaking about communicating information to vulnerable communities, Singh said that there are multiple modes of dissemination, including mobile phones, radio, television, and print media, among others. ''Since information will be made available to administrators, district collectors, and panchayat functionaries, they also become our communicators and passengers in such situations (where people do not have mobile phones),'' said Singh. Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of meteorology at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), added that displays installed at vegetable markets and other markets will show the forecasts. ''Members of Krishi Sakhi and Pashu Sakhi (rural self-help groups) will also get this information and will communicate it at the block and panchayat level,'' Mohapatra stated.