Jackson School Team Uses AI to Forecast Weather at Paris Olympics
- Aug 6, 2024
A University of Texas at Austin research team, led by Professor Dev Niyogi and postdoctoral fellow Manmeet Singh, is using AI tools to provide daily forecasts of weather conditions in Paris during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The forecast includes the usual rain chance, wind speed, temperature and humidity, as well as a more novel measure called “thermal comfort” — an indicator of how hot on-the-ground conditions actually feel after the surrounding shade of buildings and trees are taken into account.
Provided as a supplement to the regular forecast provided by Météo-France, the official French meteorological association, the daily UT forecast is one of about a half-dozen weather forecasts sent to Olympic officials through a project supported by the World Meteorological Organization. The project includes a range of international research organizations — including the national weather services of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden — each with their own forecasting approach and focus.
“We can all contribute in our own ways at these events,” said Niyogi, who is a professor at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences and the Cockrell School of Engineering. “I’ll never be an athlete at the Olympic level, but to the best of my ability, I feel this is the way I compete in the spirit of the Olympics.”