This is how your smartphone helps predict the weather

Target: around use Collect as much satellite navigation data as possible from as many different locations as possible by the end of June 2022. It is then evaluated by researchers at ETH Zurich and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Laxenburg (Austria), who implement the ESA project.

Signals change

And how is that supposed to work? job? Scientists can actually draw conclusions about atmospheric phenomena, including weather, from satellite signals. They know, for example, how the strength or propagation times of signals change with a certain water vapor content in the atmosphere.

If trends in long-term water vapor concentration are now recorded, this knowledge can then flow into weather models and be used to obtain more accurate local weather forecasts, especially for rain.

How is the weather in space?

By the way, researchers can also use the collected user data to improve weather forecasts in space, for example regarding solar storms that can affect the operation of satellites and communications.

If you want help, you can use the app to take measurements at different locations from time to time. The view of the sky should be clear, and the smartphone should remain still or lying down.

Collect data for a few seconds

Then, all you have to do is launch the app, tap on Start Recording and wait a few seconds, or tap Sign in in the background for a long-term recording. To stop recording, click on Stop Recording. Then, the data set can be uploaded to Camaliot’s servers.

The scientists promised that all data would be treated anonymously and stored only on European servers. Initial issues with the app, which users have complained about in the Google Play Store, are said to have been resolved via updates.

Cameliot . Frequently Asked Questions

Cameliot App on Google Play Store