When small errors in the forecast have an outsized impact on your operations, you need weather confidence to make the right decisions.
A weather-critical business is a one whose operations, revenue, or safety are significantly impacted by weather conditions. These businesses must actively monitor and respond to weather changes to optimize performance, ensure continuity, and mitigate risks.
Weather-critical businesses need easy, reliable access to high-quality weather data for operational decision-making. Unfortunately, traditional weather forecasts lack precision at the local level and leave businesses exposed to sudden shifts in conditions.
In this post, we’ll explain how you can overcome the limitations of traditional weather forecasts using the latest advances in weather sensing and forecasting from Xweather.
Why your weather forecast gets it wrong
For many businesses, even small local differences in temperature or wind speed can have a big impact on operational efficiency. Weather forecasting draws on billions of data points from weather stations, sensors, and satellites around the world. However, these forecasts lack details at the local level. The nearest weather station may be many kilometers from your location.
What's more, local weather conditions can vary greatly even over short distances due to differences in topography, land use, proximity to water systems, and the unique built environment. Measurement gaps, microclimates, and local features lead to approximations and errors in the forecast. Traditional forecasts also take hours to produce, leaving you with outdated information when you need it most.
What you can do about it
The best way to improve on the public forecast is to measure your local environment. Deploying a modest network of wireless weather sensors provides ground-truth weather observations for training a more accurate forecasting model for your key locations. These hyperlocal forecasts help companies optimize their operations and resource use, enhancing efficiency and uncovering new opportunities for innovation and cost-saving.
Even with these benefits, we understand that many companies do not want to take on the burden of installing, operating, and maintaining a weather-sensing network and training forecast models. We have tackled this challenge head-on with Xweather Optimize, which combines sensors, software, and advanced AI-powered forecasting in a complete solution delivered as a subscription service.
Let’s take a look at each part of this unique solution.
Your own custom weather sensor network tailored to your needs
Xweather Optimize delivers all of the benefits of having your own weather-sensing network with none of the headaches. Our experts will assist you in selecting sites to install a network of wireless Vaisala AtmoCast sensors at your key locations.
AtmoCast is a compact, all-in-one wireless weather sensor that offers proven accuracy, easy installation, and hassle-free operation. AtmoCast sensors deliver exceptional accuracy using the same sensor technology found on the Mars Perseverance rover and trusted by meteorological agencies worldwide.
Observations from AtmoCast are quality-controlled to ensure consistent, reliable data for the device's lifetime. Wireless NB-IoT communication allows easy setup and connectivity, while the built-in battery with solar charging ensures all-year operation. Fully wireless AtmoCast sensors can be installed in almost any location in 15 minutes with no electrical connections required.
We also manage your network of sensors, eliminating unexpected maintenance and servicing costs. The service includes remote monitoring, quality-controlled data, and a continuous hardware warranty.
A more accurate forecast for the locations that matter to you
Xweather Optimize uses machine learning, trained on your local sensor observations, to deliver a more accurate forecast for your locations. Our Xcast technology improves accuracy at all forecast horizons, achieving an average 50% improvement across all deployed sensors. Forecasts are updated every 15 minutes so that you can make decisions with the latest information. Calibrated confidence limits for every forecast help you prepare for a range of scenarios rather than relying on a single predicted value.
Bringing it all together
We have designed every part of Xweather Optimize for ease of use. Wireless AtmoCast sensors offer easy installation and hassle-free operation. With a Vaisala-managed sensor network, remote monitoring and quality-controlled data are included as standard, and you eliminate maintenance and servicing worries. Xcast technology combines sensor data with advanced machine learning to produce an accurate, hyperlocal forecast for each location. Bringing it all together, Xweather Optimize includes a modern, cloud-based UI for configuring and managing the service and an API for integrating observations and forecasts into your daily operations.
When small errors in the forecast have an outsized impact on your operations, you need weather confidence to make the right decisions. Learn more about solving your weather challenges with Xweather Optimize.
