Two domestically developed artificial intelligence (AI)-based weather forecasting systems have been launched in India. They provide hyper-local forecasts and warn of the possible consequences of adverse weather, as reported by
IANS, a partner of TV BRICS.
The first system forecasts the progress of the monsoon and issues forecasts every Wednesday for up to four weeks. The service is intended for farmers in 16 states and more than 3,000 sub-districts via the information dissemination systems of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. The system combines AI, long-term forecasts and statistics, enabling farmers to access data for planning fieldwork.
The second system is a pilot service for the state of Uttar Pradesh. It generates rainfall forecasts ten days in advance with a spatial resolution of 1 kilometre. The system uses advanced AI-based upscaling methods, as well as data from automatic rain gauges (ARGs), automatic weather stations (AWSs), Doppler weather radars and satellite-based rainfall datasets.
According to the Minister of Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, the new systems differ from traditional forecasting in that they not only report on the weather but also warn of its consequences and offer practical solutions. He said that farmers can now determine the timing of sowing, irrigation, crop protection and harvesting with greater local accuracy.
Singh noted that the second product could also be useful in the fields of water resources, renewable energy, urban planning, emergency management and infrastructure. The minister added that over the past decade, technology and data integration have significantly improved the accuracy of forecasts and public confidence in the Meteorological Department’s services.
The development was carried out by the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in collaboration with the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune (IITM), and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).
Early warning of natural disasters and monitoring of climate and weather changes are becoming key areas of application for cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence. The BRICS nations and their partners are global leaders in this field and are actively promoting the practical application of new technologies in meteorological services.
China has recently launched an AI-based weather forecasting pilot project aimed at enhancing the early warning capabilities of Belt and Road partner countries in responding to extreme weather. According to
CGTN, a TV BRICS partner, the China Meteorological Administration stated that the initiative encompasses joint research, data sharing, and field demonstrations. It is expected that within six months, at least six countries will have deployed the system, with early warning services covering a population of approximately 10 million. The new system supports forecasts across three time scales: short-term, medium-term, and sub-seasonal.
Egypt’s meteorological department is accelerating the introduction of advanced technologies to improve weather forecast accuracy and climate monitoring capabilities, with a particular focus on ensuring aviation safety. As reported by
Sada El-Balad, a TV BRICS partner, by 2025 Egypt had installed three new weather radars at airports in Hurghada, Port Matruh, and East Qantara, commissioned six automated weather stations, and upgraded the visibility monitoring system at airport in Cairo. At the heart of these technological upgrades is the deployment of supercomputers capable of processing vast amounts of meteorological data in real time and running high-resolution numerical forecast models.
Abdul Gapar Abu Bakar, Deputy Director-General of Malaysia’s National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), stated that the country is actively applying artificial intelligence and drone technology to improve the accuracy of weather forecasts and the efficiency of disaster response. According to
BERNAMA, a partner of TV BRICS, artificial intelligence is helping the National Disaster Control Centre (NDCC) to integrate data from meteorological departments more efficiently, enabling rapid assessment and the issuance of early warnings. Drones are being used to precisely identify disaster-stricken areas and improve the coordination of rescue efforts.