India to integrate AI for severe weather forecasting

AI to predict weather: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is exploring the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve its climate modelling capabilities to refine its forecasts for extreme weather events such as floods and droughts. 

KS Hosalikar, who heads climate research and services at IMD, indicated that the adoption of AI could bolster the quality of predictions while potentially reducing costs, according to Reuters. Presently, the department relies on mathematical models and high-performance computing for its weather forecasting.

AI technologies have already been deployed to issue public alerts for severe weather conditions, including heatwaves and disease outbreaks such as malaria. Hosalikar further revealed plans to expand the network of weather observatories to the village level, aiming to augment the granularity and accuracy of forecasting data.

To facilitate this technological transition, the government has inaugurated a dedicated centre for AI-driven weather forecasting, with forthcoming workshops and conferences scheduled to deliberate on this initiative.

Given the country’s diverse climatic conditions and its substantial population of 1.4 billion, the refinement of weather forecasting assumes paramount importance. The country's role in global agricultural production, ranking second in the production of commodities like rice, wheat, and sugar, underscores the necessity for accurate predictions.

Meanwhile, at the recent Wired Impact Conference in London, Sims Witherspoon, the climate action lead at Google's DeepMind, introduced a strategic framework termed ‘Understand, Optimise, Accelerate.’ This framework delineates a systematic approach to harnessing AI technologies in combating climate change.