'Meteodrones' could improve Jersey's forecasting

Thursday 15 March 2018

An innovative new drone technology, which could increase the accuracy of weather forecasting and help reduce the numbers of flights unable to land at the airport due to fog, will be tested next week.

The current method of weather data collection, which is provided by Jersey Met, is not able to record data from the immediate atmosphere above us.

This ‘planetary boundary layer,’ is where the 'meteodrones' will fly. They are sophisticated miniature weather stations developed by Meteomatics, a Swiss company. and have already been used in trials the US weather service, the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the UK Met Office, and MeteoSwiss.

The meteodrones will source data and feed this detail into a model which uses all weather information to come up with a high resolution local weather forecast. The highly-detailed model delivers improved forecasts for aviation including data on visibility, wind speed and direction. It’s also useful for other industries such as energy companies and agriculture with details on humidity, rainfall, temperatures and thunderstorms.

Tony Moretta, CEO of Digital Jersey, said “The data collected from these drones could provide benefits for all islanders as well as providing a rich data source for Internet of Things companies. It could be a valuable addition to our ambition to be the first whole-country sandbox testing environment, not only being a test-bed for Meteomatics themselves, but also enabling other developers to source detailed data for a variety of uses.”

Ports of Jersey have shown a particular interest in the technology for aviation and shipping safety. But Meteomatics will also be meeting with Jersey Met, the Department for the Environment, Jersey Water, Jersey Electricity, the Department for Infrastructure and the Jersey Royal Company, as well as presenting to the Digital Jersey IoT and Infrastructure Group.

Deputy Steve Luce, Minister for the Environment, said “My department, which helped facilitate this trial, will be watching with great interest. There are so many aspects of the environment such as forecasting, farming, invasive species, and built environment, that could benefit from state of the art, real time drone technology, and I think this is a fantastic opportunity to learn about the benefits that might materialise from this new system.”

Dr Martin Fengler, CEO of Meteomatics said: “We are looking forward to showcasing the Meteodrones which can provide big benefits not only for weather forecasting, but also pollution monitoring and UVA level measurements. We have spent four years developing our sophisticated drones and there are many more uses for them. Partnering with agencies and developers as part of Sandbox Jersey could open new doors for us and for the island.”