Weather Information Network and Data System

Weather Information Network and Data System Latest News

An ambitious Weather Information Network and Data System project by an Agriculture Ministry body to install automatic rain gauges and automatic weather stations in States is proceeding at a crawl due to shortage of land.  

About Weather Information Network and Data System

• It is a national initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) to strengthen weather data infrastructure across India.
• It is a programme to set up a nationwide network of weather sensors to supply hyper-local weather data.
• It employs Automatic Weather Stations and Automatic Rain Gauges to collect hyperlocal weather data at the Block and Gram Panchayat levels. 
• It integrates weather data pooled from IMD, State Governments, and public/private technical organisations into a single, unified national-level WINDS portal.
• This is mainly to aid in computing insurance estimates and payouts under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
• It is run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and executed through the Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC). 

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Features of WINDS

• It harnesses advanced weather data analytics to provide stakeholders with actionable insight to make informed weather decisions on agriculture.
• WINDS will provide farmers with critical weather-related information and data.
• The WINDS initiative prioritizes the establishment of a robust network of meteorological stations.
• The goal of this effort is to create a large network of weather stations that spans the whole nation.
• The goal is to close the knowledge gap and empower decision-makers, farmers, and stakeholders at the grassroots level.

Source: TH