Why in the News?Â
India Meteorological Department (IMD) celebrated the 150th Year of its establishment and service to India.
About IMD:
- Genesis: Established in 1875, one of the first scientific departments of India.
- Role: National Meteorological Service of India, the principal government agency for meteorology and related subjects.
- Ministry: Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Mandate of IMD:
- Take meteorological observations and forecasts.
- Warn against severe weather phenomena.
- Provide meteorological statistics for agriculture, industries, etc.
- Conduct and promote research in meteorology and allied disciplines.
- Detect and locate earthquakes and evaluate seismicity in different parts of India.
Recent Initiatives launched by IMDÂ
- National Framework of Climate Services (NFCS): It is premised on the concept of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) launched by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).Â
- NFCS aims to set up a platform that will provide climate information and services helpful for agriculture, energy, disaster management, health and water sectors. .Â
- Indigenously Developed Decision Support System: Its a Web-GIS-based integrated Decision Support System (DSS) known as Weather Analysis and Forecast Enabling System (WAFES).Â
- WAFES serves as a visualization platform to analyse meteorological observations and prediction models. .Â
- It provides real-time information for various sectors such as Urban, Power, Hydrology, Health, Energy, Agriculture, Transport and Tourism under the “UPHHEATT” initiative (for the cause of welfare).
- Panchayat Mausam Sewa Portal: To help farmers in planning their agricultural activities.Â
- IMD’s Mobile App: IMD launched an integrated GIS-based interactive mobile app MAUSAM for all weatherrelated services
