- ByStartupStory | May 9, 2024
Deepinder Goyal, co-founder of the food delivery giant Zomato, announced the launch of ‘Weather Union’, India’s pioneering crowd-supported weather infrastructure. This new initiative aims to offer real-time, localized weather data to the public and institutions, enhancing decision-making and productivity across various sectors.
The Weather Union boasts a vast network of over 650 on-ground weather stations, making it the largest private weather infrastructure in the nation. Currently, these stations cover 45 major cities, with plans to expand further. “These weather stations, developed by Zomato, provide localized, real-time information on key weather parameters such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, rainfall etc,” Deepinder Goyal explained in his announcement on X (formerly Twitter).
In an ambitious move to support the community, Goyal also revealed that Zomato is offering free access to this crucial weather data through an Application Programming Interface (API). “Wait. What? Free? Really? Yes, we believe that this data is too valuable to keep to ourselves or to monetise; therefore, as a Zomato Giveback, we are opening up access to this data to everyone for public good,” Goyal stated.
The initiative, aptly named ‘Zomato Giveback’, aims to empower companies and research institutions with precise weather information that can significantly boost economic productivity. Goyal shared that Zomato had already partnered with CAS – IIT Delhi and anticipates more collaborations soon.
The inception of Weather Union was driven by Zomato’s own need for accurate weather information to enhance service delivery. “At Zomato, it was crucial for us to have access to precise and real-time weather information to make the right business decisions to serve our customers better. Hence, we took it upon ourselves to develop a solution capable of empowering us on this front,” Goyal commented on the necessity of developing such a platform.
As Weather Union plans to expand its network, Zomato has called for volunteers willing to host weather stations. Goyal highlighted the community spirit driving this initiative, stating, “Also, a lot of Zomato employees have hosted weather stations at their homes. As we look forward to further expanding this infrastructure, we welcome volunteers who want to provide us space on their premises to install these weather stations and contribute to nation-building.”
Weather Union not only sets a precedent for private sector contributions to public data infrastructure but also highlights a progressive step towards utilizing technology for the greater good.
