New IBM tech warns of severe weather, disastersIBM and The Weather Company, an IBM firm, have introduced Mesh Network Alerts technology that provides a mobile method of communicating with underserved populations in developing countries to notify residents of potential severe weather events or disasters. Developed by IBM researchers, the breakthrough mesh technology will be available soon via The Weather Channel app in emerging markets. The mesh network technology links other nearby phones to extend the signal to help keep citizens connected and informed, and in the most severe conditions, might even help save a life. It's optimised for low bandwidth environments, but offers the same high-quality user experience and needed weather information, maps and alerts from The Weather Channel, says IBM. With reduced file size and bandwidth usage, many of the innovations piloted in this app are planned to make their way into The Weather Channel App for Android flagship later this year as well.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 20, 2017 10:00 UTC