QUEEN’S ROAD: Know Your Climate (KYC), a network of weather enthusiasts, is tracking the city’s micro-climate at multiple locations through rooftop stations set up on citizen’s homes.
Pavan Srinath and Saurabh Chandra of KYC are working with Rajeev Jha of Yuktix Technologies, a start-up, on this project.
Organisations such as the government’s Meteorological Department already track the weather, but the data is not directly available to citizens.
The network is setting up weather stations on home rooftops to gather information that can be shared through their website. The first station was installed at Pavan’s house in Jayanagar.
“Urban weather stations developed by us with 3G chips are inexpensive, as compared to regular stations.
About the station
An automated weather station has sensors that record temperature, pressure, humidity and rainfall. It costs less than `50,000, and can be installed on any rooftop. To get a station at your house, call 99727 83258.
Know Your Climate
Described as an initiative to promote better climate education, Know Your Climate began as a blog (blog.knowyourclimate.org).
These are smaller in size and can be fitted on to rooftops. Our station costs less than `50,000 as against `2 lakh for a regular one,” Pavan, who works as Head of Policy Research at Takshashila Institution, Ulsoor, said.
The group ensures the stations record high quality data that can be made available to citizens round the clock. Bengaluru’s minimum temperature has changed over the years, while the maximum has not changed, according to the network.
“The areas in and around lakes are cooler. We get a clear picture with micro-climate data,” Pavan, weather enthusiast at Know Your Climate, explained.
The project started with two stations, and now the number has gone up to seven. Five more are in the making. The idea is to have at least 30 to 40 such stations across the city.
“It is a continuous process. We need to capture real-time data for a complete year, covering summer, the rainy season and winter. We need to repeat it for some years so that we can compare the data. We get fresh insights into our climate over time,” he said.
The group is planning to link the data to Weather Underground (www.wunderground.com), which provides real-time weather information on the Internet. “They also have a mobile app through which messages can be sent to users,” he said.
Small stations could be set up at schools where kids could get to see data collection demonstrations, he explained. “There is scope to develop a mobile app showing what is happening in a neighbourhood. For instance, in Bengaluru, when it is raining in one part, the other is dry. If you know micro details, you can plan you day,” he explained.