A meteorologist aiming to make weather forecasting more accurate is one of three winners of an inaugural prize at the University of Leeds.
Ben Pickering, who completed a PhD in Atmospheric Physics at Leeds, wants to increase the use of technology to enhance the complex process of forecasting the weather.
His work has been recognised with the Nexus Innovation Award – introduced this year by the University’s business advice service Spark, which is based at the University’s collaboration and innovation hub Nexus.
“We rely on the forecast in so many ways,” said Ben.
“In just one example it is increasingly vital to the farmers’ economy as they now rely more heavily on forecasting to predict when to go out seeding, weeding and spraying. This enhances their efficiency as they can be more precise in how they operate. Cutting-edge weather data gives them that extra edge in an increasingly volatile climate.”
Forecasting will also become ever more important as weather-dependent renewable energies like solar and wind replace fossil fuels.
The more we rely on forecasting, the more we expect from it.
Weather forecasting has a social impact too. For instance, many people use the forecast in their planning, whether it is for organising a full-scale event or simply a day out with the family.
Ben has set up Wx Labs which involves building technologies such as weather instruments and data collection systems to improve local monitoring of the environment.
“My first main product is a 180-degree fisheye camera which can be embedded within a weather station to capture images of the whole sky horizon-to-horizon to give richer visual insights alongside the standard data that is currently collected,” he said.
Ben explained that those images can capture what percentage of the sky is covered in cloud and what the cloud type, shape and height is. Later he hopes to use the motion of clouds over time to estimate the winds aloft – a region of the atmosphere that this not well measured today.
These images would add to the data currently collected by local weather stations such as air pressure, air temperature and humidity and be interpreted by human forecasters and researchers and through AI techniques.
He is aware, however, that because of the volatility of the weather that has come about through climate change, our expectations of weather forecasting accuracy may have a limit.
I hope to garner interest that will translate into real commercial opportunities.
Wx Labs is a continuation of Ben’s academic goals to improve forecasting through novel observations, and ultimately improve decision making at personal, industrial and governance levels.
“The more we rely on forecasting, the more we expect from it,” he said.
“There is more dependence on the weather forecast to make decisions than there was in the past.
“But this is also an opportunity, because the more value people derive from better forecast products, the more they are willing to spend.”
Ben received £10,000 as the first prize winner of the Nexus Innovation Award for Spark Support Business.
“I am delighted to receive the award,” said Ben. “This funding will help us generate new customer leads through our first exhibitor booth at a key industry conference this year.
“I hope to garner interest that will translate into real commercial opportunities.”
These conferences attract meteorological operational forecasters from around the world as well as academics and businesses from relevant industries such as agriculture, the energy sector and the aviation sector. Ben’s initial goal is to persuade interested parties to take up an offer of a three-month trial of the sky camera station, which can then be purchased or returned.
A lot of people live in cities with limited access to green spaces. The ever-evolving sky is the last bit of nature that people can enjoy every day.
“I have always been fascinated by the weather,” said Ben. “I was struck with awe from a young age at how heavy snow transformed my neighbourhood and also got scared by a very close thunderstorm – which is ironic now that I chase tornadoes for fun!
“It was my family that suggested I became a meteorologist as they could see how obsessed I was with the weather.”
His long-term goal is for the camera stations to become affordable enough for families to buy for their own homes.
“A lot of people live in cities with limited access to green spaces. The ever-evolving sky is the last bit of nature that people can enjoy every day.”
Further recognition
The second prize winner was Dr Amanda MacCannell who co-founded Pathways Open with Sandeep Sharda.
The company helps connect businesses with the right academic minds for their research challenges. The £7,500 prize money will extend their business-to-business (B2B) outreach using technical tools and specialist support that are already generating engagement with clients in the pharmaceutical and nutrition industries. They also hope to open new client conversations at a key industry conference later in the year.
“The academics are already loving Pathways Open,” said Amanda. “It means their research can contribute to something bigger.”
Amanda was awarded a purple plaque after winning a UK Women in Innovation award and chose to have it installed at the University of Leeds’ Helix building.
The third prize winner was Husain Alogaily, the director of Compost-It, which helps businesses recycle their food waste. The funding will go towards investing in a specialised refuse truck which will allow Compost-It to increase its operational capacity by 4.5 times.
Husain said: “The support Spark and Nexus have given Compost-It has been instrumental to our growth.
“Taking part in business accelerators here was crucial in turning our initial idea into a viable business. Nexus believed in us so much, they became our first official business customer.
“We now want to help more businesses across West Yorkshire benefit from our reliable, sustainable food waste collection service, and ensure they are fully compliant with the new recycling laws.”
Further Information
For more information, please contact Jane Lewis by emailing jane.lewis3@leeds.ac.uk or pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk in the University of Leeds press office.
To contact Ben Pickering email ben.pickering@wxlabs.co.uk
Picture credits: Dr Amanda MacCannell and Husain Alogaily.