Latest news with #BharatForecastingSystem
Time of India
7 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Can better weather forecasts help cool inflation? India is betting on it
Can better weather forecasts help cool inflation? India is betting on it Rajesh Sharma May 30, 2025, 17:39 IST IST A high-resolution weather model and supercomputing muscle are helping India decode the most unpredictable force driving its economy — the monsoon In a country where a failed forecast can mean failed crops, and heavy rains in the wrong place can upend lives, getting the weather right isn't just a matter of convenience — it's a matter of national importance. India has now taken a major step in this direction with the launch of the Bharat Forecasting System ( BFS ), the world's most detailed global weather model.
Mint
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Mint
India gets new weather model — what's different, how it will improve monsoon forecast, and benefit farmers, explained.
India this week launched a new weather model with significantly boosted forecasting capabilities that can predict weather for smaller geographic areas more acurately and in a localised manner. The indigenous weather forecasting system, developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the Bharat Forecasting System (BFS) is debuting this monsoon season, reports said. The new model is called Bharat Forecast System. According to Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh, the new system places India among the global leaders in weather prediction, PTI reported. The ministry has spent close to ₹90 crore on a new supercomputer to power the platform. The plan is to double the size of India's weather radar network in two years to feed the model with additional data, it said. The new supercomputer Arka, was installed at the IITM campus last year with a capacity of 11.77 petaflops and storage capacity of 33 petabytes. What does this mean? What are the benefits? The new system can forecast at a resolution of around 6 km, double the previous capability and highest in the world— which means it can zoom in on smaller regions and give localised reports for better rainfall prediction and flood preparation. More localised predictions will also help farmers make informed decisions ahead of weather events. The earlier resolution is 12 km. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) told reporters the new system "will focus on all weather parameters, with rain being the key". A more localised and accurate weather model will also aid in public safety announcements and arrangements. Why did India need homegrown weather model? Usually, the EU's Integrated Forecast System and the US' Global Forecast System are considered "gold standard", Bloomberg noted. Many countries, including India use their data to extrapolate for own regions. Notably, these global forecast models have resolution between 9 km and 14 km, according to a PTI report. Further, predicting rainfall in the tropics is much harder compared to areas further away from the equator. This is because the smaller weather patterns that drive precipitation in the tropics are harder to discern. The new platform uses a grid structure to divide the globe into triangles and make predictions for areas as big as a cluster of villages. M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences noted, 'The tropical region is a chaotic region for weather. The change in weather patterns is unpredictable and higher resolution models are required to capture the spatial changes. Earlier, we used to issue one forecast for four villages. The BFS will enable us to issue separate forecasts for each of the four villages.' Minister Jitendra Singh added knowing the precise location and time of heavy rainfall can improve processes before and after a disaster — saving lives and money. Farmers can also better time their planting activities with more detailed forecasts, raising crop yields. Singh added that the BFS would boost monsoon tracking, aviation, cyclone monitoring and disaster management, agriculture, waterways, defence, and flood forecasting, and also support key ministries. (With inputs from Bloomberg and PTI)
Hans India
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Hans India
India launches most precise weather model
New Delhi: In a major boost to India's weather prediction capabilities, the government on Monday unveiled the Bharat Forecasting System (B Bharat Forecast System was made possible through the installation of Arka, a new supercomputer at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology campus last year. Arka boasts a computational capacity of 11.77 petaflops and a storage capacity of 33 petabytes FS) — the world's highest-resolution weather model, operating on a 6-kilometre grid. Developed by researchers, including Parthasarathy Mukhopadhyay, the model aims to deliver more granular and accurate forecasts, especially for small-scale weather patterns. "This significant milestone represents a major leap in India's self-reliance in meteorological sciences, enabling more accurate and granular weather forecasts up to panchayat level for disaster risk reduction, agriculture, water resource management and public safety," a senior official from the Earth Sciences Ministry said. The BFS was made possible through the installation of Arka, a new supercomputer at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) campus last year. Arka boasts a computational capacity of 11.77 petaflops and a storage capacity of 33 petabytes. 'The previous supercomputer 'Pratyush' used to take up to 10 hours to run the forecasting model. Arka performs the same data-crunching within four hours,' Mukhopadhyay said. Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh dedicated the Bharat Forecasting System (BFS) to the nation at a function in New Delhi. The BFS will leverage a network of 40 Doppler Weather Radars from across India to generate highly localised forecasts. It provides insight into weather events likely to take place in a grid of 6 km by 6 km against the earlier models that gave predictions for a 12 km grid. The number of Doppler radars is expected to rise to 100, which would allow the weather office to issue nowcasts — short-term forecasts for the next two hours — for the entire country. The system offers high-resolution forecasts for the tropical region between 30 degrees South and 30 degrees North latitudes, which includes the Indian mainland spanning from 8.4 degrees to 37.6 degrees North. In comparison, the global forecast models run by the European, British, and US weather offices operate at resolutions ranging from 9 km to 14 km.
Hans India
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Hans India
Bharat Forecast System: India launches world's most precise weather model
New Delhi: In a major boost to India's weather prediction capabilities, the government on Monday unveiled the Bharat Forecasting System (B Bharat Forecast System was made possible through the installation of Arka, a new supercomputer at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology campus last year. Arka boasts a computational capacity of 11.77 petaflops and a storage capacity of 33 petabytes FS) — the world's highest-resolution weather model, operating on a 6-kilometre grid. Developed by researchers, including Parthasarathy Mukhopadhyay, the model aims to deliver more granular and accurate forecasts, especially for small-scale weather patterns. "This significant milestone represents a major leap in India's self-reliance in meteorological sciences, enabling more accurate and granular weather forecasts up to panchayat level for disaster risk reduction, agriculture, water resource management and public safety," a senior official from the Earth Sciences Ministry said. The BFS was made possible through the installation of Arka, a new supercomputer at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) campus last year. Arka boasts a computational capacity of 11.77 petaflops and a storage capacity of 33 petabytes. "The previous supercomputer 'Pratyush' used to take up to 10 hours to run the forecasting model. Arka performs the same data-crunching within four hours," Mukhopadhyay said. Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh dedicated the Bharat Forecasting System (BFS) to the nation at a function in New Delhi. The BFS will leverage a network of 40 Doppler Weather Radars from across India to generate highly localised forecasts. It provides insight into weather events likely to take place in a grid of 6 km by 6 km against the earlier models that gave predictions for a 12 km grid. The number of Doppler radars is expected to rise to 100, which would allow the weather office to issue nowcasts — short-term forecasts for the next two hours — for the entire country. The system offers high-resolution forecasts for the tropical region between 30 degrees South and 30 degrees North latitudes, which includes the Indian mainland spanning from 8.4 degrees to 37.6 degrees North. In comparison, the global forecast models run by the European, British, and US weather offices operate at resolutions ranging from 9 km to 14 km. The BFS arrives at a critical time when weather anomalies are increasingly influencing India's economy, particularly in the form of sticky food inflation. The government, in its latest Economic Survey, noted that frequent extreme weather events over the past two years have played a significant role in driving up food prices. Data from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) cited in the report highlighted that the total crop area damaged in 2024 due to extreme weather was higher than in previous years. India Meteorological Department (IMD) data revealed a notable increase in the frequency of such events. Between 2022 and 2024, heatwaves were recorded on 18 per cent of days, a sharp rise from 5 per cent during 2020 and 2021. The Economic Survey recommended developing climate-resilient crops, improving data systems, and reducing both crop damage and post-harvest losses to achieve long-term price stability.
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First Post
26-05-2025
- Climate
- First Post
What is Bharat Forecasting System for more apt weather predictions?
The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) launched the indigenous Bharat Forecasting System (BFS) in Delhi on Monday (May 26). Developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), the model aims to make weather forecasts more localised and accurate. Being the only numerical weather prediction system in the world with a high resolution of six km, it will be operated by the IMD read more People make their way through a waterlogged road near Gandhi Market at Matunga after heavy rains, in Mumbai, May 26, 2025. PTI India has unveiled an indigenous weather forecasting system that will make the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) forecasts more accurate. The Union Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) launched the new Bharat Forecasting System (BFS) in Delhi on Monday (May 26). The system has been developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and will be operated by the IMD from this monsoon season. Its unveiling comes as India has witnessed an early onset of monsoon rains , with heavy showers battering Kerala and Mumbai. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Let's take a closer look. What is BFS? BFS is a made-in-India weather forecasting system that aims to make the weather department's predictions more localised and accurate. Touted as the world's highest-resolution weather model, BFS will provide forecasts with a 6 km resolution. This makes it the only numerical weather prediction system in the world deployed at such a high resolution. Speaking to ThePrint, IITM director Suryachandra Rao said, 'The new BFS has a resolution of 6 km at the tropics and around 7-8 km resolution at the poles. The current range of our system is only around 12 km. This will remarkably improve our forecasting accuracy.' Similar systems operated by the European, British and American weather offices have a range between 9 km and 14 km. Union Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh took to X to hail the 'first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art' weather prediction system. He said BFS will 'boost monsoon tracking, aviation, cyclone and disaster management, agriculture, waterways, defence, flood forecasting, and also support key ministries. Its exclusive highlight is that it focuses and caters to India's panchayat level requirements.' Launched the first-of-its-kind, state-of-the-art indigenous 'Bharat Forecast System' #BharatFS by 'India Meteorological Department' under the Ministry of Earth Sciences #MoES. A major leap in IMD's capabilities, this breakthrough places India among global leaders in weather… — Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) May 26, 2025 STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD IITM scientists behind BFS told ThePrint that, in a first, a version of the global forecasting system (GFS) model has been developed for short and medium-range weather prediction over India using the triangular-cubic-octahedral (Tco) grid. This grid structure, used in numerical weather prediction and climate modelling, provides a higher resolution over the tropics at a range of about 6.5 km. 'The tropical region is a chaotic region for weather. The change in weather patterns is unpredictable and higher resolution models are required to capture the spatial changes,' M Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, said, as per PTI. 'Earlier, we used to issue one forecast for four villages. The BFS will enable us to issue separate forecasts for each of the four villages,' he said. How BFS works Developing the Bharat Forecasting System was possible after the installation of the new supercomputer Arka at the IITM campus last year, with a capacity of 11.77 petaflops (a unit to measure computer processing speed) and storage capacity of 33 petabytes – a petabyte is equivalent to 1,000 terabytes (TB). 'The previous supercomputer 'Pratyush' used to take up to 10 hours to run the forecasting model. Arka performs the same data-crunching within four hours,' Mukhopadhyay told PTI. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD MoES secretary Ravichandran said the data from 40 Doppler weather radars from across the country will be used to operate the weather forecasting model, enabling the weather department to issue more localised forecasts, and nowcasts or weather forecasts for the next two hours. The plan is to increase the number of these Doppler radars to 100, which would allow for IMD to issue nowcasts across the country. Why it matters India's BFS comes at a time when the weather has become more uncertain, with extreme events becoming more common. As climate change affects India and the rest of the world, the new weather forecasting system will improve the forecasts by 30 per cent. Pedestrians wade through an inundated road amid rains, in Mumbai, May 26, 2025. PTI BFS, which had been on a trial run since 2022, has shown a 30 per cent improvement in the prediction of extreme rainfall events and a 64 per cent improvement in forecasts for core monsoon regions, ThePrint reported. It also displayed improved results for cyclone tracks and intensity forecasts. 'This is a pretty big improvement, but we will not stop at that. Our efforts will be to continuously better our capabilities,' Ravichandran said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD With inputs from agencies
