New AI-Powered Weather App Released for Android Devices
December 17, 2018
Not only does everyone talk about the weather—they want to know everything about it, wherever they are.
The Weather Channel pioneered mobile weather a decade ago with the launch of its flagship app for Android and iOS devices. Since then, The Weather Channel application has consistently ranked #1 – most downloaded, most used, and most accurate, according to third-party validator ForecastWatch. Today, almost 50 million active users depend on The Weather Channel apps for crucial weather information and use it well over a billion times each month.
The Weather Channel newly released app for Android-based mobile devices reimagines how users get their weather information, with new features such as weather storytelling and artificial intelligence-powered custom alerts.
The Weather Channel has a history of defining how people consume weather on their phones. For example, it pioneered the interactive map in web browsers. The new release, which launched on Android on December 10, 2018, and is also available for the iPhone, brings new category-leading features to the largest mobile platform. In 2016, IBM acquired The Weather Company, which powers weather.com and The Weather Channel application globally.
What do consumers need in a weather app?
To meet the needs of such a large global user population, The Weather Company embarked on a year-long research, design and development effort. (See more on the team’s work in building a new app.)
Their research revealed that consumers need three core things in a weather application: the ability to understand current weather data as well as how that weather impacts their lives; assurance that the forecast is solid; and knowing what actions to take next based on their situation.
The app is designed to fulfill those needs through new, first-of-their-kind features. They include:
- A new home screen – A new data graph and personalized homepage, driven by machine learning and based on what individual users care about most.
- Trending conditions – A new hourly destination that trends the specific data users need to manage their lives. Need to understand wind quickly? Want to know what the humidity will do today? Users can check each as needed.
- Alerting – Lets users choose which real-time alerts to receive and when, right from the home screen, so you can be proactive in preparing for how weather conditions will impact your day.
- Snapshot to tell visual weather stories - An easily digestible, story-driven look at what's coming up, such as today's weather, tomorrow's weather, hourly and daily forecasts, and video highlights.
Putting AI to work
With a decade of experience developing weather apps, The Weather Channel mobile team decided it was time for a reimagining of the experience. “We need to set a new standard for how people consume weather and reset their expectations for what they get out of a weather service,” says Michael Rodriguez, vice president of mobile consumer products for The Weather Company.
The new Weather Channel app brings AI and machine learning to consumers in three key areas.
- Forecasts. Machine learning is used in generating all The Weather Channel forecasts.
- Insights. Machine learning algorithms analyze dynamic, constantly changing data and turning it into insights. For example, the new “Big Change” alert on iOS evaluates five days of weather to alert users if significant swings are coming in the next 24 hours.
- Heads Up. This feature learns from the user’s interests what stories and information she or he will want to see each day. A runner, for example, will see more data points about running conditions for the day, and an allergy sufferer will see more about pollen. And the new air quality insight will show how bad pollution indicators are outside.
The results indicate that users prefer these new capabilities. In the iOS version, which launched in August 2018, The Weather Company has seen a 20 percent increase in video engagement. That’s because the app recognizes users’ habits and can suggest videos that are most relevant to them at the right time.
Innovation acceleration
The Weather Company’s technological capabilities were raised when it joined with IBM. “IBM has accelerated us, and I believe that we are now further in AI and machine learning than any company out there,” says Rodriguez. “We are growing our technology stack, our capabilities and our ambitions.”
The AI and machine learning capabilities in the newly released Android app are results of that acceleration; as are probabilistic forecasts and a mesh alert network available on the lite version of the app. And IBM’s other businesses are tapping into The Weather Company’s data and expertise to power AI insights in industries such as agriculture and air and ground transportation.
Technological progress has helped The Weather Channel app advance from data to insights, and from local to personal. More granular weather detail gives consumers the trust they need to confidently make data-driven decisions, come rain or shine, helping to set a new standard for mobile weather.
Download the all-new app from the Google Play Store on your Android device, the App Store on your iOS device or from iTunes here.