Spotted: Being able to better track weather and predict near-future conditions allows communities to better plan for and respond to the natural disasters that are becoming more severe and frequent, partly as a result of climate change. One solution comes from Zurich-based climate tech data platform Jua. The company uses an artificial intelligence (AI) prediction model to create regularly updated, high-resolution weather forecasts.
Rather than simply tweaking existing methodologies, Jua has built an entirely new weather prediction platform. The new modelling system provides details of one square kilometre at a time and includes weather anywhere in the world. The platform uses tens of millions of sensors to provide high-resolution imagery. By comparison, current systems typically rely on hundreds of thousands of sensors.
More than 15 different parameters are tracked by the platform, including wind speed and direction, precipitation, and air pressure. The company adds new areas of information to the platform every quarter. The power of the AI solution contributes to significantly less computing energy use, despite providing greater volumes of data and levels of detail.
The platform is currently available on request with plans to release it more broadly in early 2023. In October 2022, the company closed a successful round of seed funding that raised €2.5 million to put towards the full platform launch.
As climate change continues to affect more and more communities, access to the highest quality, near-to-real-time data becomes ever more essential. Springwise has spotted projects facilitating this, from a weather data app for farmers to renewable energy predictions that help producers match supply with demand.
Written By: Keely Khoury