In Taiwan, rain is inevitable, but exactly when and where will it fall, and for how long? Weather forecasts give a general idea, but what if you need more precise information, say, in order to decide when to hang up your laundry? A new app developed by the science ministry has you covered.
It may seem like a somewhat unlikely project for the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction to undertake—after all, a little drizzle is hardly a disaster. But the center has unveiled an app that will forecast rain in your area over the following hour with a high degree of precision. The app covers the area in a 10km radius around the user, giving a local, minute-by-minute picture not available from regular weather forecasts.
The center’s head says the app combines data from the Central Weather Bureau’s eleven weather stations around Taiwan and its radar data with observations from satellite constellation Formosat-7 and forecasting technology developed by two Taiwanese universities. The addition of information from Formosat-7, in particular, can make these short-term forecasts up to 10% more accurate.