A Decade Defined by Climate Volatility
Tomorrow.io CMO Dan Slagen opened this year’s conference highlighting several unprecedented and devastating weather events that rocked communities across the globe in 2023 – from unexpected hurricanes and storms to severe droughts and floods. Slagen noted these are examples of weather’s increasing unpredictability, underscoring the urgent need for advanced weather intelligence systems to help businesses, governments and communities safeguard their futures.
The launch of ClimaCon itself also illustrates the soaring demand for reliable weather insights. When Tomorrow.io hosted the first ClimaCon just four years ago, 500 people attended. This year’s ClimaCon4 saw 5,000 participants – a tenfold increase.
Better Data Builds Better AI
Slagen spotlighted the important role quality data plays in building accurate AI systems – “garbage in, garbage out.”
He explained Tomorrow.io’s proprietary datasets, including its growing satellite constellation delivering exclusive hyperspectral imagery, enables its AI assistant Gale to deliver unmatched accuracy in real-time weather monitoring and alerting.
Gale provides businesses and governments the unique capability to stay one step ahead of impending weather threats.
Next-Gen Boosts Forecast Accuracy by 30%
Maya Chalamish, Director of Product at Tomorrow.io, unveiled details of the organization’s new weather forecasting platform, Next Gen. By combining core modeling techniques with initial satellite imagery and generative AI, Next Gen achieves remarkable 30 percent boost in weather prediction accuracy compared to existing forecasting systems. The platform’s boosted precision empowers organizations across industries – from airlines to construction firms – to make better operational decisions in the face of weather volatility.
Enhanced Thunderstorm Analytics Spot Severe Events
In addition to improving overall forecast accuracy, Next Gen offers sophisticated thunderstorm analytics.
The system leverages real-time data on storm development, intensity and motion to provide detailed visibility into tornado, hail and flood threats. Energy companies, event venues and other weather-sensitive businesses can leverage these enhanced analytics to implement safety measures and minimize operational disruptions from severe weather.
New Mapping Visualizations Track Hyperlocal Impacts
Chalamish also announced new mapping capabilities allow customers to visually track weather conditions like wind speed/direction at a hyperlocal level. The enhanced color-coded, wind barb visualizations empower businesses from renewable energy to aviation to optimally position infrastructure and assets based on local weather patterns.
Mobilizing $100M to Empower Farmers Globally
Slagen shared an update on Tomorrow.io’s latest collaboration with its non-profit arm, TomorrowNow.org to expand access to weather intelligence solutions for small hold farmers across the developing world.
The organizations are working with public and private sector partners to mobilize more than $100 million to provide 10 million small hold farmers in Kenya and other African nations advanced weather insights and decision agriculture capabilities to strengthen food security and prosperity.
R1 & R2 Validate Satellite Constellation
In 2023, Tomorrow.io achieved a major milestone on its mission to provide weather radar coverage for remote and underserved communities by launching its first two satellites, R1 and R2. Initial test scans from the satellites spotted Hurricane Otis off Mexico up to 12 hours earlier than existing systems, proving the life-saving potential of its planned satellite constellation going live in 2024.
AI Assistant Automates Weather Response Protocols
Chalamish explained Tomorrow.io’s platform utilizes AI to enable automated responses to specific weather triggers. Transportation and logistics leaders can preset protocols to automatically reroute shipments based on storms. Airlines leverage similar capabilities to minimize weather disruptions. Automating these previously manual processes boosts enterprise efficiency and safety.
Probabilistic Forecasting Models Weather Uncertainties
While most weather forecasts offer a single outcome, Next Gen’s probabilistic capabilities provide a spectrum of possible scenarios along with their respective likelihoods.
This approach provides business leaders and city planners a more comprehensive view into the best and worst case weather impacts to inform contingency plans and fortify operations against climate volatility.
The Future Weatherproofed
In closing, Dan discussed how technologies like Next Gen and the growing satellite constellation underscore Tomorrow.io’s commitment to spearheading the ongoing weather intelligence revolution.
By continuing to enhance predictive capabilities and expand access to reliable weather insights globally, the company aims to empower organizations worldwide to confidently weatherproof their operations and investments against an increasingly unpredictable climate.
