ClimaCell

ClimaCell is a developer of a hyper-local weather forecasting platform intended to improve weather forecasting with new micro weather information. The company's platform utilizes wireless signals, connected vehicles, satellite-to-ground microwave signals, street cameras, and other technologies along with traditional meteorological data sources to provide accurate, real-time, location-specific, and on-demand weather forecasts. ClimaCell's platform processes the data through proprietary models. The platform includes measurements on temperature, wind profiles, and precipitation data.

ClimaCell's platform is powered through their use of open government weather data and their proprietary use of what the company calls virtual sensing data. One of the sources of this data is from microwave and satellite links from satellite receivers for televisions or cell towers, and signals from point-to-point networks built for hospitals, financial traders, cloud providers, and railways for weather-related data.

Typical cellular network topology in an area of 3000 km2. (credit:climacell.co)

Similar to these microwave and satellite links, ClimaCell uses weather data from airplanes and drones which transmit wind, humidity, and temperature data from various elevation levels and various regions.

ClimaCell uses data from connected cars, which are able to detect the use of windshield wipers, the activation of ABS braking systems in the case of slippery conditions, and the use of fog lights in times of low visibility. ClimaCell says these points of data help inform their weather models with the context provided from traditional weather data to better understand the weather conditions.

ClimaCell uses data, which they say is anonymized, from mobile device sensors for possible observations about the weather. For example, if cell phone batteries are dying sooner in a specific area for all users, that can indicate colder weather. And virtual sensing technology can use cell phone sensors for barometric pressure data.

Mappng a mobile devices barometric pressure (credit: climacell.co)

ClimaCell's platform also uses image processing and deep learning to process data from live outdoor camera feeds. The company also suggests this capability will be expanded to dashcams as the technology becomes more widespread. Their platform is capable of identify weather conditions such as precipitation type and intensity, fog, and cloud coverage.

CBAM is ClimaCell's proprietary weather forecasting model. The company says the model is capable of ingesting data feeds from it's virtual sensing technology and providing forecasting for local regions. The modelling is capable of providing users information based on the desired location, resolution, coverage and user set parameters. ClimaCell says the platform is capable of offering users fine-scale terrain resolving, with real-time updates every fifteen minutes, and is delivered through their different climate forecasting products.

Visualization of ClimaCell's data feed and CBAM's data ingestion capability. (credit: climacell.co)

Through ClimaCell's CBAM model, they offer users road risk scores. The risk is scored on a five-point system, where a one represents little-to-no weather related risk and a five represents poor visibility, heavy precipitation, and poor road coverage. A five can also represent flooding present. The system is intended to offer transportation, construction, and general consumers better information for route planning up to eighteen hours before reaching an impacted area.

With ClimaCell's data and weather forecasting platform, the company offers urban flood forecasting. This forecasting can be delivered up to 36 hours ahead of the flooding event. The platform works to predict flooding events through an understanding of city planning standards and historical events. The platform has been deployed in cities across Asia, South America, Africa and Europe. And the company suggests the model is capable of predicting a coming flood and the floods severity level and expected flood time.

ClimaCell's business-to-business product of the same name, their all-in-one weather dashboard, provides users with real-time weather information and data. Users receive historical data, real-time data, and forecasting for twenty different weather parameters and offers various map layers. The dashboard offers users global weather coverage, and local weather data, including precipitation, lightning, and air quality.

The ClimaCell also allows users the chance to set up customized weather parameters and alerts for specific locations and weather conditions. The industries ClimaCell suggests their dashboard is best for include:

• Aviation
• Construction
• Sports and Outdoor activities
• Energy
• Drones

Overview of ClimaCell's Dashboard. (climacell.co/climacell/)

As well as their dashboard, ClimaCell offers a weather data API for their weather data and forecasting and offering customizable parameters.

ClimaCell's Weather for AI (WAI) offers users historical weather information for locations worldwide to help those users train artificial intelligence models and predictive weather models and their possible impacts. WAI users are also supposed to be capable of defining the location, resolutions. coverage, and parameters for their needs. The industries ClimaCell believes are best served by WAI include:

• Automotive
• Aviation
• Construction
• Energy
• Restaurants and Retail
• Sports
• Technology

ClimaCell's Health Operations Optimization Platform (H.O.O.P.) offers users air quality data combined with hyper-local weather data through their weather dashboard and their weather API. The air quality data includes historical air quality, real time air quality, and forecasted air quality data. The data offered for air quality through H.O.O.P. includes:

• Health recommendations
• O3
• PM10
• PM2.5
• CO
• NO2
• SO2
• Primary Pollutant
• Global AQ index
• Pollen

Gridded air quality data capture visualization. (credit: climacel.co/air-quality/)

Speaking on their launch of their air quality information, CEO and co-founder of ClimaCell Shimon Elkabetz said:

Air quality impacts everyone's lives in ways big and small, and the recent fires in the Amazon are a reminder of its impact. ClimaCell is uniquely positioned to leverage its Weather Operating System to provide historical, real-time, and forecasts of air quality anywhere in the world.

Since 2019, ClimaCell has offered a business-to-consumer weather forecasting mobile application. The mobile app was initially launched on iOS in August 2019 under the name Forecast & Radar by ClimaCell. The application was launched on Android in February 2020 under the name Weather Assistant by ClimaCell. Through the mobile weather app, users receive local weather forecasting and current condition information driven by ClimaCell's data.

ClimaCell offers an independent non-profit organization to offer reliable localized weather information for areas underserved by traditional weather solutions. The non-profit began in East Africa and worked with local governments, NGOs, and local communities to help the implementation of critical weather warning systems and data. ClimaCell's intended aim to reduce hunger and the incident of infectious disease by keeping people out of poor weather through early warnings.