WEATHER FORECASTING USING SATELLITE DATA AND MOBILE-SENSOR DATA FROM MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20160116640A1
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Published: 04/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Phillips, Derek, Robertson, Ian M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,088,601 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 2001/006 Main server receiving weather information from several sub-stations

Abstract

This disclosure describes techniques and apparatuses for weather forecasting using satellite data for a macro-location and mobile-sensor data from mobile devices within that macro-location. These techniques in some cases improve macro-location weather forecasting and, in some other cases, forecast micro-climates within the macro-location.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving satellite weather data for a macro-location that includes a first micro-location;

receiving mobile-sensor data from mobile devices associated with users, the mobile-sensor data sensed by the mobile devices at the first micro-location or a second micro-location included within the macro-location; and

forecasting, based on the mobile-sensor data and the satellite weather data, a future micro-climate for the first or the second micro-location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the satellite weather data includes a location of a cloud and the mobile-sensor data sensed by the mobile devices at the first or second micro-location is determinable to include information about the cloud.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein forecasting the future micro-climate is based on a relationship between the location of the cloud and the information about the cloud.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein forecasting the future micro-climate is further based on comparing the relationship between the location of the cloud and the information about the cloud and historic relationship data between prior locations of prior clouds and prior information about the prior clouds from prior-received mobile-sensor data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving mobile-sensor data receives mobile-sensor data sensed by the mobile devices at the first micro-location and the second micro-location and wherein the forecasting is based on the mobile-sensor data from both the first and second micro-locations.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving mobile-sensor data receives mobile-sensor data sensed by the mobile devices at the first micro-location and the forecasting forecasts the future micro-climate for the first micro-location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving mobile-sensor data receives mobile-sensor data sensed by the mobile devices at the second micro-location and the forecasting forecasts the future micro-climate for the first micro-location.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile-sensor data includes one or more of:

an audio recording of a microphone of one of the mobile devices;

an orientation of one of the mobile devices;

a movement read by an accelerometer of one of the mobile devices;

an image or video recording of a camera of one of the mobile devices;

an on or off condition of one of the mobile devices;

or an effectiveness of a touch screen of one of the mobile devices.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein forecasting the future micro-climate is further based on a prior micro-climate historical model for the first or second micro-location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first or the second micro-location is a street or alleyway and the other of the first or second micro-location is another street or alleyway roughly parallel to the street or alleyway and immediately adjacent or within a two-block distance.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein forecasting the future micro-climate for the first or second micro-location is further based on historic location data for the first or second micro-location, the historic location data indicating a likelihood of various weather conditions.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, responsive to determining that the future micro-climate for the first or the second micro-location includes adverse weather, causing a warning to be issued to one or more mobile devices in the first or second micro-location.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

determining a weather-forecasting model based on historic weather-related satellite images for a macro-location and historic mobile-sensor data sensed by mobile devices within the macro-location; and

forecasting, based on current weather-related satellite images for the macro-location and the weather-forecasting model, weather conditions for the macro-location.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the historic weather-related satellite images include top-down cloud images and the historic mobile-sensor data includes bottom-up cloud images, and wherein determining the weather forecasting model determines a finer resolution weather patterning for the top-down cloud images based on the bottom-up cloud images.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the historic mobile-sensor data includes indications of rain and determining the weather-forecasting model correlates particular types of satellite images with the rain.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein at least some of the historic mobile-sensor data is received from multiple micro-locations within the macro-location and determining the weather-forecasting model predicts weather for the macro-location in addition to the multiple micro-locations.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein at least some of the historic mobile-sensor data is received from a micro-location within the macro-location and determining the weather-forecasting model predicts a micro-climate differently at the micro-location than some other micro-location within the macro-location.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising:

receiving, from multiple mobile devices and over a timespan, indications of an adverse weather condition occurring or commencing;

forecasting, based on locations of the multiple mobile devices and times in the timespan at which the multiple mobile devices indicated adverse weather conditions, a future location and time at which the adverse weather condition is forecasted to commence; and

sending a warning to one or more other mobile devices at the future location and prior to the time at which the adverse weather condition is forecasted to commence.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein determining the future location determines, based on satellite image data, a speed and direction of a weather condition causing the adverse weather condition.

20. The media of claim 18, further comprising sending a map showing the adverse weather conditions to the one or more other mobile devices at the future location.