Earth Science Minister Harsh Vardhan on Monday launched a mobile application, Mausam, for India Meteorological Department as apart of the celebration of its Foundation Day. The weather app will offer services such as weather forecasts, radar images and other warnings, he said.
The Mausam mobile app is designed to communicate weather information and forecasts in a lucid manner without technical jargons, the ministry said. It said that users can access observed weather, forecasts, radar images and be proactively warned of impending weather events.
The Mausam mobile App, available both on Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store, has the following five services:
1. Current Weather -Current temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction for 200 cities updated eight times a day. Information on sunrise/ sunset and moonrise/ moonset are also given.
2. Nowcast- Three hourly warnings of localized weather phenomena and their intensity issued for about 800 stations, and districts of India by State Meteorological Centres of IMD. In case of severe weather, its impact also is included in the warning.
3. City Forecast – Past 24 hours and 7 day forecast of weather conditions around 450 cities in India.
4. Warnings- Alerts issued twice a day for all districts for the next five days in colour code (Red, Orange and Yellow) to warn citizens of approaching dangerous weather. The colour code Red is the most severe category urging authorities to take action, Orange code prompts authorities and public to be alert and Yellow code prompts authorities and public to keep themselves updated.
5. Radar products: Latest station wise radar products updated every 10 minutes
The Mausam mobile app will be an important tool for dissemination of weather information and warnings in an attractive and user friendly manner which will meet the requirements of public, the ministry said.
The mobile app has been designed and developed jointly by ICRISAT’s Digital Agriculture & Youth (DAY) team, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune and the India Meteorological Department, the ministry added.
