The Weather Company and UCAR will develop meteorology based on new global model

The Weather Company, division of IBM, at the beginning of July, 2017 announced plans for quality improvement of meteorological forecasts around the world. For this purpose the company will begin to cooperate with consortium "University Corporation of Atmospheric Researches" (UCAR, the USA) and the National center of atmospheric researches (NCAR, the USA) — a federal research and development center for the meteorological and geocosmic systems.

The alliance will develop the advanced models based on supercomputer technology IBM of new generation. This approach will integrate world-class meteorological knowledge from The Weather Company, examination IBM Research in the field of high-performance computing, supercomputer systems based on servers OpenPower and meteorological model of community NCAR.

Joint work will rely on the advanced scientific developments and technologies for the purpose of creation of a dynamic model on the scale of certain storm fronts which can predict meteorological events at the local level.

The existing international operational models predict weather changes up to regional meteorological events, such as snowfalls and hurricanes. The alliance will develop model which will improve weather and climatic forecasting thanks to the optimized processing system of the phenomena of small scale, for example, of separate thunderstorms which can influence weather, specified in IBM.

It is planned that the model will function in high spatial and temporary resolution. It will cover all Globe and will provide forecasts in those regions of the world which are insufficiently covered by the existing local meteorological solutions. At the same time, the weather model expands the existing borders of possible and gives an idea of meteorological science of the future.

Supercomputer power

IBM and UCAR will be engaged in joint design of the solution for modeling of weather on the basis of IBM Power Systems and OpenPower technologies at the expense of what it will be provided sufficient computing power for creation of meteorological modeling. The solution will be optimized for work based on the systems of new generation with IBM Power9 processors. As expected, the first buyers will be able to use development at the end of 2017.

Model for cloud scale

Adaptation of an open forecasting model in different scales of NCAR for the purpose of optimization of its work on computers of new generation will become one of the first projects within this program.

While the existing regional models functioned more than 10 years in the scale allowing locally it was quite difficult to predict thunderstorms, to use this mechanism in global solutions. Work of the models considering the convective phenomena of weather internationally not only will allow to make short-term forecasts of thunderstorms, but also to create more exact forecasts for days, weeks and the months ahead, are convinced of IBM.

"This project is large partnership between the private and state organizations, it will contribute to the development of meteorological forecasting. With its help the enterprises making important decisions on the basis of weather conditions will get advantages" — the president of UCAR Antonio J. Busalakki considers.