Recently the Ministry of Earth Sciences unveiled the Bharat Forecasting System (BFS).
- Commissioning Authority: The model was officially handed over to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for operational use.
About Bharat Forecasting System (BFS)
- The BFS is the country’s first indigenously developed high-resolution weather forecasting model.
- Developed by: Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune.
About India Meteorological Department (IMD)
- IMD is one of the earliest government departments created for systematic observation, regular reporting, and scientific forecasting of weather in the Indian subcontinent.
- IMD serves as one of the six Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres of the World Meteorological Organization.
- Establishment: IMD was established in 1875 with Mr. H. F. Blanford appointed as the Meteorological Reporter to the Government of India.
- Nodal Ministry: IMD is an agency under the Ministry of Earth Sciences
- Headquarters: It is situated in Delhi
- It has six Regional Meteorological Centres (RMCs) catering to six regions of the country
- Objective: IMD is mandated to make meteorological observations, weather forecasting, and seismology for the Indian Subcontinent.
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Key Features of Bharat Forecasting System
- High Spatial Resolution: BFS offers a 6 km x 6 km spatial resolution, the highest among global weather models.
- Efforts are underway to refine it further to 3 km and 1 km resolutions.
- Faster Processing Power: The model runs on the newly installed Arka supercomputer at IITM, which has a processing capacity of 11.77 petaflops and 33 petabytes of storage.
- Performance Efficiency: Arka reduces model run-time from 10 hours (earlier on the Pratyush supercomputer) to just 4 hours, enabling timely and efficient forecast generation.
- Use of Doppler Radars: BFS incorporates data from 40 Doppler Weather Radars across India. This network is to be expanded to 100 radars for comprehensive coverage.
- Geographical Scope: The model can provide forecasts for the tropical region extending from 30°S to 30°N, covering the entire Indian mainland.
Purpose and Applications of BFS
- Enhanced Forecast Accuracy: BFS significantly improves forecast accuracy for localised weather events by reducing the area unit from 144 sq km (12 km x 12 km) to 36 sq km (6 km x 6 km).
- Disaster Risk Reduction: High-resolution predictions help in early warnings for extreme weather events such as cyclones, flash floods, and intense rainfall.
- Support for Agriculture: Panchayat-level forecasts can support crop planning, irrigation management, and protection against climate shocks.
Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM)
- IITM is a premier research institute focused on atmospheric and climate sciences.
- Establishment: IITM was established in 1962 under the India Meteorological Department and became autonomous in 1971.
- Ministry Affiliation: It functions under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), Government of India.
- Headquarters: IITM is headquartered in Pune, Maharashtra.
- Research Role: It conducts advanced research on monsoon dynamics, climate change, air pollution, and cloud physics.
- Key Facilities: The institute hosts “Pratyush,” and other top-tier supercomputers, and maintains observational networks and labs.
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- Water Resource Management: Accurate rainfall predictions aid in reservoir management, flood control, and water distribution planning.
- Public Safety and Urban Planning: Real-time and localised forecasts improve preparedness and planning for civic bodies, disaster response teams, and urban administrators.
- Short-Term Nowcasts: BFS enables generation of nowcasts very short-range forecasts for the next two hours—critical for managing rapidly evolving weather systems.
Significance of the BFS
- Self-Reliance in Forecasting: The BFS reduces dependence on foreign forecasting models and enhances India’s indigenous capability in weather science.
- Global Competitiveness: While global models from Europe, the UK, and the US operate at 9–14 km resolution, BFS surpasses them with its 6 km grid forecast.
- Strategic Applications: Improved weather forecasting is expected to benefit sectors like aviation, defense operations, power generation, and transport logistics.
Additional Reading: India’s Weather Forecasting
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