Weather forecasting project breaking ground

In road transport, emergency rescue services and in the natural sciences, innovative developers are working to combine vehicle tracking and mobile meteorological observation systems based on satellite-based positioning technologies to deliver important weather information.

Knowing what to expect from the weather is vital in many areas of activity, including, mass media, agriculture, construction, sports and leisure, and particularly in the transport sectors.

"Look across the entire chain of weather service development, and you will see satellite-based positioning technologies becoming increasingly important," says Carmen Aguilera-Rios of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), "from global observations and atmospheric modelling to forecasting and delivery of weather information to the user."

Aguilera-Rios believes climate change is an important driver of new meteorological research as well as the development of more specific, more localised and instantaneous weather services. "And it is small and medium-sized enterprises [SMEs] that are playing the key roles," she says, "as they represent the majority of weather service-providing companies."

Better and more prices weather forecasting

The EU-funded GalileoCast project brings together three small companies to develop innovative weather-related services that use satellite positioning technologies. 'GalileoRoads' is one such service being launched by GalileoCast, using hybrid methods that combine fixed and mobile meteorological observations to produce very-high-resolution road condition models and weather forecasts.

"Hybrid weather observing networks using GNSS are able to produce much more accurate weather data than what is available today with conventional fixed network methods," Aguilera-Rios says, "and this means we can get better local weather analyses and forecasts."

GalileoCast project coordinator Pirkko Saarikivi of the Foreca company in Finland explains, "With GalileoRoads, we use GNSS signals to deliver very accurate forecasts to mobile users in their precise locations," a valuable capability in goods, livestock and dangerous materials transportation, for example, where knowledge of road conditions is crucial for safety and timeliness.

Saarikivi says the first operational application based on GalileoRoads is currently being introduced in Finland, with the Finnish Transport Agency having already included mobile observations in its general data architecture for nationwide road services. GalileoCast partners are also working with local road authorities, stakeholders and private companies in neighboring countries with a view to opening cross-border markets for the new service.

"Future transport systems will take this kind of service for granted and a multitude of new applications will emerge taking advantage of satellite technologies," Saarikivi predicts. "Plenty of R&D and standardisation work still needs to be completed to prepare the marketplace, but we believe that once these systems are widely used, the economic benefits will be very large, due to more fluent, eco-friendly and safe transport."

Environmental science and protection

A second service developed by the GalileoCast project, called 'GalileoBirds', shows how satellite-based positioning can contribute to the ecological sciences, helping researchers better understand the movements of bird populations.

"This kind of information can be useful to scientists but also to citizens who are concerned about or just interested in the environment," says Saarikivi.

At a 'GalileoBirds’ demonstration during the 2010 'Galileo Application Days' in Brussels, visitors saw how data on the positions of birds is collected and processed, allowing the precise tracking of movements along annual migration paths.

Not stopping there

The GalileoCast project team was so pleased with their results, having achieved their goal of developing two original satellite navigation-based services, that they simply could not stop. So they proceeded to develop two more completely new ideas not included in the initial project plan: The first of these, 'GalileoRescue' is a weather forecasting service for search-and-rescue (SAR) teams working to save lives in regions hit by natural disasters.

"GalileoRescue can deliver high-quality weather information even when local meteorological infrastructure is completely wiped out by a natural catastrophe," says Saarikivi, "a situation that we saw during the recent earthquake episode in Haiti."

GalileoRescue was developed by Foreca's Icelandic partner IMR. A pilot service called SARWeather is to deliver weather information to the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), a joint initiative of the United Nations and the European Commission that provides near real-time natural disaster alerts around the world as well as tools to facilitate response coordination. In addition, SARWeather is being integrated into Ireland's 'Decisions for Heroes' (D4H) SAR decision support software system.

GalileoActive

Finally, GalileoCast partners have also developed a new service for mountaineers and other outdoor hikers, which they call 'GalileoActive'. "This is a web- and iPhone-based weather forecasting service that tells people what to expect at their precise location," says Saarikivi," but it also allows them to communicate with other service users in nearby areas."

GalileoActive is now being beta tested by a growing user community, with full-scale operational launch scheduled for winter 2011-2012.

A model project

"The innovation process demonstrated by partners in the GalileoCast project has been truly extraordinary," Says Carmen Aguilera-Rios. "Four pilot services have been validated with real customers representing key target markets. Looking at feasibility and market potential, we can see a keen interest in these new GNSS enabled service applications for weather-related businesses. And GalileoCast is also an example of focused R&D led by SMEs."

The GSA is calling on similarly minded SMEs to take note; this is precisely the kind of co-operative research that can make a difference, both to citizens and businesses in need of good weather forecasting, and to companies ready to innovate and ultimately capitalise on new opportunities presented by satellite-navigation technologies, including Europe's EGNOS and Galileo systems.

More information:

• GalileoCast website