Interesting link between ICT network growth and LIRNEasia’s interest in applying ICTs to disaster preparedness:
BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | Mobile masts signal rain showers
“The signals from mobile phone masts have been used to measure rainfall patterns in Israel, scientists report.
A team from the University of Tel Aviv analysed information routinely collected by mobile networks to make their estimates.
Writing in the journal Science, the researchers say their technique is more accurate than current methods used by meteorological services.
The scientists believe the technique can also measure snowfall, hail or fog.
“It may also be important because if you know there is heavy rainfall – you can warn about floods,” Professor Hagit Messer-Yaron, of the University of Tel Aviv, told the BBC News website. “
It is indeed an astonishing find. I’ve read about this from several sources. May be SL can incorporate this method to get accurate weather patterns. Ofcourse this should be implemented via a pilot project. I don’t know if the met office has sub stations around the island. They can be linked together and the data can be processed at the sub stations and then integrated and supplied to the met office in colombo.. Ideal workable project for a webservice..