Press Release

Panasonic Weather Solutions Introduces Panasonic Global 4D Weather –The World’s Most Advanced Global Weather Forecasting Platform

01/06/16 | 2 MIN READ

Providing weather forecasts with higher accuracy, reliability and granularity, to help governments and businesses make better operational decisions

LAS VEGAS, NV – January 6, 2016 – Panasonic is pleased to announce that Panasonic Weather Solutions is now operating the world’s most advanced global weather forecasting platform, Panasonic Global 4D Weather. This innovative weather prediction capability, including an industry-leading global weather model, takes full advantage of Panasonic’s exclusive atmospheric datasets, which include the continuous feed of detailed tropospheric data in four-dimensions (longitude, latitude, altitude and time). It also employs cutting-edge data quality control and data assimilation.

Panasonic Weather Solutions is the only private entity in the world with a custom-developed, end-to-end global weather-modeling platform. “Inaccurate weather forecasts cost the global economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually,” said Don DeBlasio, Executive Director of Panasonic Weather Solutions. “With Panasonic’s Global 4D Weather forecasting suite, we strive to improve our partners’ operations within governments and weather-sensitive industries such as: aviation, shipping, maritime, renewable and exploratory energy markets, and commodity trading.”

Forecasted global atmospheric flow depicted by midlevel water vapor.

Across the globe, hundreds of commercial aircraft are collecting and reporting critical weather observations in real-time, using Panasonic’s patented atmospheric TAMDAR (Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting) sensors. The lightweight sensors measure humidity, temperature, wind, pressure, icing and turbulence, and the data is reliably transmitted via the Iridium global satellite system. TAMDAR-acquired atmospheric data and all of the other globally available datasets, including all satellite radiance data, are filtered through Panasonic’s sophisticated quality assurance and data assimilation processes to drive an array of sophisticated, high-resolution weather forecasting models, global and regional.

Recent weather events, such as Hurricane Joaquin, highlight the superiority of Panasonic Weather Solutions’ weather forecasting capabilities — from atmospheric data collection to high-performance numerical models that consistently run on an 11,000-core supercomputer named Sora.

Panasonic Global 4D Weather Platform – Technical Details
• Panasonic-Enhanced Hybrid 4D-Ensemble-Var Global Forecast System
• 13 kilometer horizontal resolution and 64 vertical levels
• 4 forecast cycles/day (00Z / 06Z / 12Z / 18Z) with a 10 day duration
o 1-hour forecast increments through hour 24
o 3-hour forecast increments through hour 240
• Includes full Panasonic TAMDAR data assimilation
• Enhanced Tropical Cyclone relocation algorithm for improved TC track forecasting
• Improved Gravity Wave Drag parameterization for greater stability and reproducibility

Panasonic Weather Solutions:
Panasonic is partnering with governments to enhance public safety, as well as leading corporations in multiple vertical markets to improve operational performance and become more environmentally friendly, with best-in-class weather forecasting.

Contacts: 
Brian Bardwell
Panasonic Avionics
+1 949 462 1742
Brian.Bardwell@panasonic.aero 

Sarah Stabile
Hi-Impact Communications
+1 646 453 9453
sarah@hi-impactcommunications.com