Zomato Launches Weather Union: India’s First Crowd-Sourced Weather Infrastructure
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has unveiled a groundbreaking initiative called Weather Union, which represents India’s first crowd-sourced weather infrastructure. Developed in collaboration with the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences at IIT Delhi, this innovative project features a proprietary network of over 650 on-ground weather stations strategically placed across the country.
Posting on social media platform X, Goyal highlighted that this initiative is a pioneering step in India’s weather monitoring capabilities. He stated, “These weather stations, developed by Zomato, provide localized, real-time information on key weather parameters such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and rainfall. Currently available across 45 large cities, we are expanding this in other Indian cities very soon.”
The Weather Union system holds significant potential for unlocking a wide range of weather-related applications for enterprises and research institutions. By open-sourcing this data, Zomato aims to enable other companies and institutions to leverage this wealth of weather information for various needs, thereby fostering a collaborative environment that benefits the wider community.
“We have opened up free access to this project for all institutions and companies in the country,” Goyal noted. He believes that utilizing real-time weather data can boost the productivity of multiple sectors within the Indian economy. “At Zomato, it was crucial for us to have access to precise and real-time weather information to make the right business decisions to serve our customers better,” he added.
The installed weather devices capture real-time data and employ machine learning techniques to optimize the network and ensure operational continuity under various weather conditions. In a unique twist, many Zomato employees have also volunteered to host weather stations at their homes, contributing to the network’s expansion and helping build a robust weather monitoring infrastructure.
As Goyal explained, “We are looking forward to further expanding this infrastructure and welcome volunteers who are willing to provide space on their premises for these weather stations, thereby contributing to nation-building.”
Weather Union is a not-for-profit initiative and will be managed under the Zomato umbrella alongside Feeding India, Zomato’s CSR initiative aimed at combating hunger and malnutrition among underserved communities in India. Launched in 2021, Feeding India has successfully delivered over 14 crore meals through partnerships with 140 NGOs in 40 cities across the country.
With Weather Union, Zomato is set to revolutionize the way weather data is gathered and utilized in India, providing a valuable resource for enterprises, researchers, and the general public alike.