Technology is changing at a more rapid pace than ever before. Not only are we making breakthrough discoveries rapidly, but we are also upgrading existing technologies and using them in innovative new ways. Ever since the information superhighway was opened to humans, it has been challenging to keep up with the latest news and advancements.
One of the most overlooked ways in which technology has changed is in regards to weather. The weather has been part and parcel of our lives, but we rarely focus too much on it. Big Data has made minutely accurate weather forecasting possible in the last few decades. However, it has not stopped there. There has been a big change in the way we view weather data in recent decades.
What Has Changed in Weather Technology?
When talking about technology connected to the weather, we generally think of services that help with forecasting the weather accurately. With new advances, weather technology goes beyond merely telling you what the outside will look like. It will tell you how the weather will change, by how much, and how that will affect your day to day life and business operations. This is being called weather intelligence.
What Is Weather Intelligence?
Weather intelligence is your new best friend, especially if your field of work includes shipping, logistics, construction, or even event planning. Imagine a service that will tell you that there is a wildfire in the path of your deliveries while also reminding you to inform your customers of a two-day delay because of it. That is weather intelligence.
Why Is This Leap in Technology Significant?
With weather intelligence, you are left in a much more advantageous position to deal with the fallout of crisis situations. This is especially true of companies that have workers who go out in the field for their duties. Weather intelligence can tell you if it is safe for your employees to go out or whether it is best to avoid using the heavy machinery that day.
Businesses can assess if it is worth opening for the day, as weather intelligence can evaluate if it is more profitable to stay shut. This can be a considerable advantage, especially for small businesses. Small businesses often have much less room for error in operations than large corporations. Using weather intelligence, the slim advantage they get over their competitors can be the make-or-break factor for their business.
How Can I Use This for Myself?
Any leaps and bounds in technology are only useful if we can apply it to our lives and businesses. For example, jet packs may be a great idea and a testament to human ingenuity. Unfortunately, unless we can use it to get to work faster, it will never see mass use. Thankfully, weather intelligence has a wide range of applications for a variety of different fields.
Weather intelligence can be used to refine your business strategy minutely. If you’re looking to maximize profits but have tried everything else, it is time to look into weather intelligence and how to incorporate it into your business. If you want proof of concept before you drink the Kool-Aid, you can see the many times weather intelligence has been used by the military to ensure they get their money’s worth when investing in expensive infrastructure.
If you work in the retail segment, you can use weather intelligence to make decisions about what to stock and when. You can track changes in the weather that correspond to upticks in sales of certain items. You can also track changes that occur right before the weather changes and send yourself alerts about a predicted rise in sales. An easy example would be the uptick in umbrella sales when the rains hit. You can start stocking them when the humidity in the air increases, signifying impending rain.
Workers in the agriculture industry are some of the primary targets for weather technology since the field is so heavily affected by the climate. Crop protection, rotation, and even harvest times can be scheduled more efficiently. The construction industry can also benefit significantly from weather intelligence. You can make better decisions on when to schedule indoor and outdoor work, the best times for water-sensitive activities, and more.
Those working in logistics will be greatly benefitted from weather intelligence. One of the underrated things weather intelligence tracks is the air quality as you can see from the new site here. A decrease in air quality can be hazardous for your employees. Instead of sending them out in the field, you can assign them to less dangerous tasks till the air quality becomes normal. You can also schedule for natural disasters and how it will affect business operations as well.
