WMO AI Conference: AI for Weather Prediction, Advances, Challenges & Future Outlook
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Rapidly evolving artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies are transforming the way in which environmental datasets can be used to drive Earth system forecast models and deliver services.
The integration and application of these technologies offers a transformative opportunity for many more WMO Members to develop their own weather prediction capabilities with consequential improvements to meteorological, climatological, hydrological, marine and related environmental forecasts, services and warnings of hazardous events.
Forecasts based on utilization of AI/ML are emerging with major developments by private sector technology companies, based in part on data sets provided by national and international public sector organizations. The research and operationalization of new approaches is expected to continue to accelerate in the coming decade, providing new opportunities for meteorological, climate and hydrological services at an unprecedented use scale using public sector produced data sets including innovative new ones, through an expanding community driving the development of AI/ML solutions in National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) and the research sector. The joint contributions of industry, academia, WMO global and regional data producing centres and NMHSs have already yielded promising quasi-operational prediction systems.
The integration of AI/ML and big data technologies is also transforming how businesses engage with weather and climate service providers. By using AI-driven analytics and real-time data, businesses and NMHSs will be able to automate and optimize weather-driven decision-making across a range of critical sectors. Broadly across both public and business service lines, these technologies are offering avenues for new services and service delivery mechanisms. Clearly, there is tremendous potential to both lower the barrier to entry for WMO Members and to support uplifting their weather prediction capabilities. The time to do so is now. Public and private sectors and academia can realize this potential by working together to accelerate the realization of benefits from these new technologies.
The WMO AI Conference will be livestreamed on 9 and 10 September, covering Sessions 1 to 7.
For access, please contact ppe
wmo [dot] int to request the Zoom registration link.
News Release
Outcomes of the Conference
Slides from Panel Sessions
- S2 - Earth System Prediction: Current AI/ML Development Pathway
- S3 - Service Implications
- S4 - Data Requirements and Supporting Infrastructure
- S5 - Explainability, Interoperability and Evaluation
- S6 - Opportunities for Capacity Development
- S7 - Making Regulatory Frameworks Fit for Purpose
Related documents
- Draft WMO Call for Extraordinary Congress
- Geneva Declaration – 2019: Building Community for Weather, Climate and Water Actions
- Unified Data Policy
- Policy guidance on the contribution of non-traditional sources, including those using artificial intelligence, to the WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System (WIPPS) (relevant pages: pp. 1-2 and pp. 5-10)
- WIPPS AI Road Map
- Code of Ethics
List of Participants
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Ms Abeer Asiri | International Cooperation Supervisor, Saudi Arabia |
| Mr Mohamed Alebri | Director of Meteorology Department, NCM |
| Ms Alya Al Mazrouei | Director of Research and Weather Enhancement Department, NCM |
| Mr Omar Al Yazeedi | Deputy Director-General, NCM |
| H.E. Dr Abdulla Al Mandous | President of WMO and Director-General of National Center of Meteorology (NCM) in the UAE |
| Mr Rashed Alhosani | Seismic Engineering Specialist, NCM |
| Dr Maryam Al Shehhi | Assistant Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Khalifa University (KU) |
| Dr Christof Appenzeller | Permanent Representative of Switzerland with WMO |
| Prof. Vladan Babović | Professor and Leading Scientist |
| Ms Ko Barrett | Deputy Secretary-General, WMO Secretariat |
| Prof. Stephen Belcher | Chair, WMO Scientific Advisory Panel |
| Dr Natacha Bernier | Director of Higher Education and Research, Chief Scientist, Météo France |
| Dr Veronique Bouchet | Senior Director, Science & Innovation Department, WMO Secretariat |
| Dr Wessel Bruinsma | Netherlands |
| Mr Joshua Campbell | HMEI Chair/Campbell Scientific |
| Dr Catherine De Burgh-Day | Chair, TT-AI4Wx, WMO Research Board |
| Dr Murat Elge | Head of Meteorology Department, Abu Dhabi Polytechnic |
| Dr Diana Francis | Assistant Professor, Earth Science, Khalifa University (KU) |
| Dr David John Gagne | Co-lead of AINPP (WIPPS Pilot Project) |
| Prof. Hosni Ghedira | Expert in AI Research and Engagement |
| Dr Neil Gordon | Independent Consultant, New Zealand |
| Mr Rei Goffer | Co-Founder, Chief Strategy Officer, Tomorrow.io |
| Eng Younus Habib | Technology and Communications Director, Saudi Arabia |
| Dr Pedram Hassanzadeh | Associate Professor, University of Chicago |
| Mr Cyrille Honoré | Director, DRR, MHEWS Office and Public Services Branch, WMO Secretariat |
| Dr Chris Horvat | Assistant Professor, collaborator with Allen AI |
| Mr Pan Jinjun | Engineer-in-Chief, China Meteorological Administration (CMA) |
| Dr Karthik Kashinath | Distinguished Scientist & Engineer, NVIDIA Corporation |
| Mr Kenneth Anthony Kerr | Science and Technology Officer, Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) |
| Mr Albaraa Khayat | Numerical Weather Predictions, Saudi Arabia |
| Ms Suejong Kim | Assistant Director, Korea Meteorological Administration |
| Mr Tatsuya Kimura | Director, Public-Private Engagement Office, WMO Secretariat |
| Dr Patrick Kinyua | AI expert at ACMAD |
| Dr Hyesook Lee | Director, AI Weather Meteorological Research Division, KMA |
| Mr Ian Lisk | President, WMO Services Commission |
| Mr Abdullatif Malik | Director BD, EU/ME, Tomorrow.io |
| Dr Prashanth Marpu | Space42 |
| Mr Eoin Moran | 2nd Vice President of WMO and Director of Met Éireann |
| Mr Daniel Muller | Director, International Affairs Office, NOAA |
| Mr Amos D. Mtonya | Dept of Climate Change and Meteorological Services, Malawi |
| Mr Kenneth Robin Mylne | Chair, ET-OWFS, WMO Infrastructure Commission |
| Dr Grey Nearing | Research Scientist, Google Research |
| Dr Abayomi Okanlawon | Senior Meteorologist, Nigeria (NiMet) |
| Dr Florian Pappenberger | Deputy Director-General & Director of Forecasts, ECMWF |
| Mr Radenko Pavlovic | A/DG of Centre for Met and Environmental Prediction |
| Dr Alan James Peixoto Calheiros | Coordenação de Pesquisa Aplicada e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico |
| Mr Agustin Pesciallo | Senior Strategic Product Partnerships Manager, Google |
| Dr Johannes Schmude | Senior Research Scientist, Manager, IBM Research |
| Dr Naseema Beegum Shyju | Senior Scientist, Space42 |
| Mr Atiya Shouk | Support Services, Saudi Arabia |
| Dr Roar Skålin | Permanent Representative of Norway with WMO and WMO Executive Council member |
| Dr Niall Robinson | Developer Relationship Manager for Weather and Climate, NVIDIA Corporation |
| Dr Paolo M. Rutti | Chief Scientist, EUMETSAT |
| Dr Ayman Salem Ghulam | President, RA II, Saudi Arabia |
| Mr Anthony Rea | Moderator |
| Mr Ashish Raval | HMEI Vice-Chair/Synoptic Data |
| Mr Julian Green | CEO, Brightband |
| Mr Nir Stav | Senior Director, Infrastructure Department, WMO Secretariat |
| Dr Kenji Takeda | Director, Research Incubations, Microsoft Research |
| Dr Mariam Tidiga | Burkina Faso National Meteorological Agency Director-General |
| Dr Pascal F. Waniha | Vice-President, WMO Infrastructure Commission |
| Ms Bryn West | US Embassy in Abu Dhabi Representative |
| Mr Kevin White | Senior Director, AI for Good Lab, Microsoft |
| Mr Yuki Honda | Chief, Earth System Prediction Section, WMO Secretariat |
| Ms Monica Youngman | Chief Scientist, NOAA |
| Dr Kanghui Zhou | China Meteorological Administration |
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