System, method and program product for providing populace movement sensitive weather forecasts

• US 8,854,219 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slingshot IOT LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Assuncao, Marcos Dias De, Flach, Bruno Da Costa, Gatti, Maira Athanazio de Cerqueira, Imamichi, Takashi, Netto, Marco Aurelio Stelmar, Rudy, Raymond Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/456,214
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 340/601, 702/3, 702/179, 455/414.3, 715/771
• US Class Current: 340/601
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/10 Devices for predicting weather conditions computers per se G06; display devices G09

Abstract

A weather forecast system, method of forecasting weather and a computer program product therefor. A forecasting computer applies a grid to a forecast area and provides a weather forecast for each grid cell. Population movement sensors sense population movement in the area. A swarm detector detects patterns in area population movement that indicate swarm activity, from which the swarm detector predicts swarm patterns. A planning module receives area weather forecasts and swarm patterns, and provides swarm path indications to the forecasting system for adjusting the grid applied to the forecast area.

Claims

1. A weather forecast system comprising:

a forecasting system providing a gridded weather forecast for an area;

one or more population movement sensors sensing population movement in said area;

a swarm detector detecting patterns in said population movement indicating swarm activity and predicting swarm patterns responsive to said swarm activity; and

a planning module receiving area weather forecasts and said swarm patterns, said forecasting system adjusting a grid applied to said area responsive swarm path indications from said planning module.

2. A weather forecast system as in claim 1, wherein said planning module further receives indications of non-weather related events and responsive thereto, provides said swarm path indications to said forecasting system.

3. A weather forecast system as in claim 1, further comprising a grid correlation detector correlating said predicted swarm patterns with cells in a current pattern and providing said correlation to said planning module.

4. A weather forecast system as in claim 1, wherein said planning module further generates warnings responsive to a revised forecast based on an adjusted said grid.

5. A weather forecast system as in claim 4, further comprising a notification system notifying affected population, said planning module providing said warnings to said notification system for notifying said affected population.

6. A weather forecast system as in claim 1, wherein said one or more population movement sensors include at least one fixed sensor.

7. A weather forecast system as in claim 6, wherein said at least one fixed sensor includes at least one cell phone tower, and said one or more population movement sensors include at least one mobile sensor, said at least one mobile sensor including at least one cell phone.

8. A method of forecasting weather, said method comprising:

forecasting weather for an area, said area being overlain with a populace centric grid segmenting said forecast area into cells, weather being forecast for each area within each said cell;

monitoring for indications within one or more of said cells of population swarming to or from one or more different locations;

revising said grid for population swarm responsive to each indication;

re-forecasting weather for said area with said area being overlain with said revised grid;

and once population swarm has ceased returning to forecasting the weather with a populace centric grid.

9. A method of forecasting weather as in claim 8, wherein monitoring for indications comprises:

monitoring for inclement weather;

monitoring area population movement sensors for population movement in said area; and

detecting sensed population movement indicating swarm associated area behavior.

10. A method of forecasting weather as in claim 9, wherein responsive to indications of inclement weather, said method comprises requesting a determination of current and expected population swarms.

11. A method of forecasting weather as in claim 9, wherein said area population movement sensors sense movement from area cell phones moving between cell phone cells in said area, and, swarm associated area behavior comprises:

indications of a swarm in said sensed cell phone movement; and

indications of non-weather related events in said area.

12. A method of forecasting weather as in claim 11, wherein responsive to indications of said swarm, said method comprises:

requesting a determination of a path of a current swarm; and

requesting a current weather forecast along said path.

13. A method of forecasting weather as in claim 11, wherein responsive to indications of said non-weather related events, said method comprises requesting a determination of a path of an expected swarm, said non-weather related events comprising the occurrence of emergencies.

14. A computer program product for forecasting weather, said computer program product comprising a non-transient computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code causing one or more computer executing said code to:

forecast weather for an area, said area being overlain with a populace centric grid segmenting said forecast area into cells, weather being forecast for each area within each said cell;

monitor for indications within one or more of said cells of population swarming to or from one or more different locations;

revise said grid for population swarm responsive to each indication;

re-forecast weather for said area with said area being overlain with said revised grid; and

once population swarm has ceased

return to forecasting the weather with a populace centric grid.

15. A computer program product for forecasting weather as in claim 14, wherein monitoring for indications comprises said one or more computer:

monitoring for inclement weather;

monitoring area population movement sensors for population movement in said area; and

identifying sensed population movement indicating swarm associated area behavior.

16. A computer program product for forecasting weather as in claim 15, wherein responsive to indications of inclement weather, said one or more computer requests a determination of current and expected population swarms.

17. A computer program product for forecasting weather as in claim 15, wherein monitoring said area population movement sensors monitors cell phones moving between cell phone cells in said area, and, swarm associated area behavior comprises:

indications of a swarm in said sensed cell phone movement; and

indications of non-weather related events in said area, said non-weather related events including emergencies.

18. A computer program product forecasting weather as in claim 17, wherein responsive to indications of said swarm, said one or more computer requests a determination of a path of a current swarm and a current weather forecast.

19. A computer program product forecasting weather as in claim 17, wherein responsive to indications of said non-weather related events, said one or more computer requests a determination of a path of an expected swarm.

20. A computer program product for forecasting weather, said computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code means for providing a gridded weather forecast for an area;

computer readable program code means for receiving population information from one or more population movement sensors in said area;

computer readable program code means for detecting movement patterns indicating swarm activity from said population information;

computer readable program code means for predicting swarm patterns responsive to said swarm activity; and

computer readable program code means for receiving area weather forecasts and said swarm patterns, said computer readable program code means for providing a gridded weather forecast adjusting a weather forecast grid applied to said area responsive to said swarm path indications.

21. A computer program product for forecasting weather as in claim 20, wherein said area population movement sensors include a local cell phone system, said computer readable program code means for receiving population information receives indications of area cell phone locations, and said computer readable program code means for detecting movement patterns monitors said cell phone locations moving between cell phone cells in said area, said computer readable program code means for forecasting weather further comprising computer readable program code means for waiting for population movement indicating swarm activity.

22. A computer program product for forecasting weather as in claim 20, further comprising computer readable program code means for correlating said predicted swarm patterns with cells in a current pattern.

23. A computer program product for forecasting weather as in claim 20, wherein said computer readable program code means for detecting movement patterns detect non-weather related events causing movement in said area.

24. A computer program product for forecasting weather as in claim 20, further comprising computer readable program code means for generating targeted warnings responsive to a revised forecast based on an adjusted said weather forecast grid.

25. A computer program product for forecasting weather as in claim 24, further comprising computer readable program code means for notifying affected population responsive to said targeted warnings.