India’s first fully digitised meteorological observatory launched in Pune; paradigm shift, says IMD chief The Central Agro-Meteorological Observatory (CAgMO) in Pune, operated by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), has become the country’s first fully digital observatory. Launched on World Meteorological Day, the facility marks a significant shift in how meteorological data is recorded, according to IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra. The observatory uses digital instruments to collect surface-based weather data, including temperature, rainfall, atmospheric pressure, soil temperature and moisture, and wind speed. All data will be geo-tagged and transmitted via WiFi, enabling automated, real-time recording. Mohapatra emphasized that this transition enhances the accuracy and reliability of weather data, which is critical for global weather forecasting. He noted that the IMD’s vision of Mission Mausam-2030 includes digitizing all observatories within a set timeframe. The observatory, located on the campus of the College of Agriculture in Pune’s Shivajinagar, combines both manual and automated instruments. While some data is still recorded every three hours, the shift to digital systems allows for hourly readings and real-time archiving. Ranju Madan, head of the Surface Instrumentation division at IMD, highlighted that replacing mechanical analog instruments with digital ones improves data precision and resolution. India currently operates 206 full-time and 320 part-time meteorological observatories that collect data daily. The National Data Centre at IMD, Pune, houses all meteorological data collected since 1901. The digitization of observatories aims to increase data frequency and resolution, which is essential for maintaining high-quality records.#india_meteorological_department #imdad #pune #mrutyunjay_mohapatra #central_agro_meteorological_observatory
