Applications of Japanese Weather Data Compiled in the Age of Big Data

Applications of Japanese Weather Data Compiled in the Age of Big Data

Though based in Japan, Weathernews Inc. is actually the world's largest provider of weather-driven risk information. Using Japan's largest proprietary network of intelligent sensors installed around the country, and 30,000 local reports received daily from members of a 4 million-strong grassroots community of weather enthusiasts called, Supporters, Weathernews has pioneered a new way of using feature-phones and smartphones for weather forecasting for the people of Japan. Our latest efforts include developing applications for state-of-the-art smart homes to enhance people's lifestyles even at home.

This data-gathering framework is set to go global with the release of, SkyPiece, a smartphone application with social media functionality for sharing photos of skies around the world. This presentation hopes to deepen the meteorological communities awareness of what happens in Japan when the large volume of data collected from these participating individuals is shared publicly via Weathernews' mobile, internet and cable television content by introducing success stories and challenges of weather forecasting in the age of “big data.”