KJ Somaiya students collaborates with IMD to develop AI-based system to monitor heatwave
This system is now available to the public on the IMD website – https://kjsit-imd-heatwave.kjsieit.com/.
Mumbai: The students and faculty members of the KJ Somaiya Institute of Technology (KJSIT), Sion, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, have recently collaborated on a research project called the ‘Heatwave Watch System’ which can predict and alert about the heatwaves in the country.
This system is now available to the public on the IMD website – https://kjsit-imd-heatwave.kjsieit.com/.
Given the alarming rise in global temperatures and the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves, immediate attention is needed, professor Suresh Ukarande, principal of KJSIT, said. “To address this challenge, the two organisations have jointly developed an AI-based product, enabling IMD to monitor heat patterns and predict potential heatwaves across the country. Individuals can take precautionary measures to protect themselves by issuing early warnings to the public,” he added.
KJSIT have fostered numerous collaborations with industries to promote research and innovation, Professor Ukarande said, adding, “KJSIT and IMD have previously worked together on various climate data projects and their latest collaboration tackles the critical issue of heatwaves.”
The Heatwave Watch System was developed by Professor Radhika Kotecha, Head of the Information Technology Department at KJSIT, Dr Rajib Chattopadhyay, scientist at IMD Pune and a team of eight B.Tech students specialising in Information Technology from KJSIT.
Professor Kotecha said, “The project is a challenge for us. Heatwave Watch System is an automated approach. It employs data analytics and artificial intelligence techniques on a vast dataset spanning the past 70 years. This four-month research endeavour resulted in an impressive and user-friendly interface, overcoming the limitations of time-consuming manual systems used by meteorologists. The team faced challenges arising from urbanisation and climate change, which made it challenging to obtain accurate predictions from the available data.”
Appreciating KJSIT and the research and development team for their contribution to the development of the Heatwave Watch System, KS Hosalikar, Head of IMD Pune, said that this research has good potential to significantly contribute to the well-being of society and assist IMD in their work.
“These collaborative efforts reflect the progress of the Indian education system and the contributions of academic institutions to research and development for national benefits,” he added.
Sharvil Dandekar, one of the students involved in the development, said, “This is the first time I used my knowledge of AI in a Real-Time project. Through extensive research, data engineering and deep learning, they successfully captured intricate intra-regional, intra-seasonal, and spatiotemporal heatwave patterns from IMD’s meteorological data.”