Bengaluru: The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has operationalised three artificial intelligence-based global weather models through its institutes, which support forecasters in predicting severe weather events and improving forecast accuracy, the ministry said before the Parliament on Thursday, 13 August.
Union Minister of Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh gave the response to a question raised in the Rajya Sabha. He said that indigenously-developed AI and machine learning-based applications have been developed by scientists from government institutes to improve observational data processing, weather monitoring, and nowcasting of severe weather events, such as cyclones, heavy rainfall, and other natural disasters across the country.
“Further, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which falls under the Ministry, has developed the Multi-Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System (MHEW-DSS), a Web-GIS-based platform for monitoring and forecasting severe weather events across the country, including Odisha,” Singh said in his reply.
The ministry said that the central MHEW-DSS integrates geospatial technologies with meteorological observations, numerical weather prediction models, and impact-based forecasting to support timely decision-making for cyclones, heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and other severe weather events. It also brings together technology, data, and institutional coordination to strengthen the delivery of early warning services.
The reply added, “It is designed with an emphasis on scalability, interoperability, and user-centric delivery, enabling seamless operations across sectors and geographical regions.”
The minister said that it also provides sector-specific advisories to central and state government authorities, disaster management agencies, communities, and industries, supporting preparedness for extreme weather events.
“By translating scientific forecasts into actionable alerts and advisories, the MHEW-DSS supports public safety, health, agriculture, energy management, and disaster preparedness,” the reply read.
The ministry also said that it had signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) and collaborative arrangements with various national organisations to promote technical and scientific cooperation, facilitate data sharing and support research, education, and capacity-building initiatives.
These institutes include the Indian Council for Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology, and Siksha’ O’ Anusandhan Deemed University (SOADU), among others.
(Edited by Aakriti Handa)