IBM has launched a global high-resolution atmospheric forecasting system, IBM GRAF, saying more accurate weather forecasting can help governments and companies greatly improve their operations. IBM said GRAF can help bridge the gap between Indian …
New Delhi :
As many as 94% of top Indian business leaders believe climate change and adverse weather conditions have had a negative impact on business operations while around 72% believe they disrupt local economy, a study by IBM and The Weather Company shows.
The report released on Thursday also said a significant number of Indian citizens said they were not confident about the local weather forecasts.
IBM has launched a global high-resolution atmospheric forecasting system, IBM GRAF, saying more accurate weather forecasting can help governments and companies greatly improve their operations.
“We work with 168 different governments today around the world, and we are in touch with Indian government as well,” said Cameron Clayton, general manager at IBM Watson Media and Weather. “We want to work on providing accurate forecasts as it has a massive impact on the GDP.”
IBM said GRAF can help bridge the gap between Indian forecasting system and global models.
The 15-day weather forecasts released in India start from 80% accuracy and by the end of the 13th day the accuracy percentage falls to 50%, Cameron said. IBM GRAF claims to keep the accuracy levels consistent throughout the 15-day.
“In the tests we ran, our model is around 30% more accurate (than Indian system) and we have so far designed to issue 12 million pieces of forecast information through IBM GRAF, which will improve the forecast quality massively in India,” Cameron said. “While we have collaborated with various governments across the country, we believe that the only way to get there is through public-private partnership.”
IBM is keen to present its forecasting models to India through a publicprivate partnership agreement.
IBM said its weather forecasting models have helped farmers in Kenya receive crop insurance in less than three days.
The company has received some interests from private insurers in India, too.
“Insurance companies are slowly consuming our data, mostly historic and advisory, to make better decisions,” said Himanshu Goyal, India sales and alliances lead at IBM. Two insurance companies in the country are using its models, he said without naming them.
Several businesses in sectors ranging from aviation to agriculture, have welcomed IBM GRAF.
Tata Coffee is leveraging IBM weather prediction products to receive accurate forecasts, soil moisture and soil temperature information for better results.
“In the aviation industry, our models have helped bring down turbulence by 50%, and the same capability is being brought to India,” Cameron said.
source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Econonmic Times / Home> Business News> News> Economic News> Agriculture / by Bhavya Dilipkumar, ET Bureau / December 13th, 2019
