It has taken the inspiration of former TV weather presenter Jane Bunn to bring together all available data into a package expected to power precision farming
We all know Jane Bunn as a popular meteorologist and television personality, but didn’t Jane was on the verge of delivering the “holy grail of weather info” to farmers.
There is just one catch, the app being developed needs a little bit of money from willing investors to produce and finally release this AI-powered platform with hyper-local forecasts via a mobile app. An investment of up to $1.5 million to be exact.
‘Jane’s Weather’ intends to help growers make more informed decisions by aggregating information from the top global weather models into one platform, eliminating the need to compare across different weather apps and sites.
The app was created by Jane Bunn, a familiar face in loungerooms across Australia after more than 15 years presenting the weather on The Weather Channel, WIN News, ABC News, and recently 7NEWS Melbourne.
Jane Bunn said bringing together all available data under one umbrella is just the first step, because relying solely on traditional weather models is no longer sufficient to power precision agriculture.
“Most farms have some sort of weather network setup, but they aren’t located near a bureau station, so traditional weather models don’t incorporate their data into forecasts,” Jane added.
“We’re working on bridging that gap by using data direct from a user’s farm to supplement those holes in the current weather modelling and create a more accurate picture.
“The latest update to Jane’s Weather is incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence to customise forecasts to each site’s unique terrain, giving farmers the best data to inform things like spraying windows, crop growth predictions, frost mitigation and irrigation scheduling.”
To unlock this capability, Jane’s Weather is seeking investment of up to $1.5 million from angel, corporate and institutional investors through AgriFutures growAG., an online agrifood innovation platform that connects users to investment opportunities, research and expertise from Australia and around the world.
AgriFutures growAG. Engagement Manager, David Lord, said it was an exciting opportunity for investors looking for scalable technology that aims to solve a fundamental problem facing every agriculture industry – accurate local weather forecasts.
“Farmers constantly have to make high value decisions based on the weather, so they need the most accurate information,” David Lord added.
The funding will be used to scale up machine learning from local observation networks to tailor the forecast to individual properties and bring the forecast range down to a 1 x 1km grid.
“Showers and thunderstorms are a huge part of our weather here in Australia, but these beasts are not that big – less than a kilometre wide,” Jane Bunn explained.
“It’s amazing when you really pinpoint weather data and see that one area is getting drenched and another close by is completely dry.
“The top weather models currently forecast on a 9 x 9km or 12 x 12km grid, with some models even up to 50 x 50km. That’s just not accurate enough to know what’s happening across your farm.
“We need funding to access the remaining data which will enable high resolution forecasts on a 1 x 1km grid.”
Jane added, “Jane’s Weather was all about helping farmers drive efficiency and mitigate risk.
“With traditional models, farmers have to sit and watch the forecast to identify windows in which they can do spraying or irrigating.
“With hyperlocal forecasting and AI-driven predictions the app can say ‘you won’t be able to do that job until 3pm with today’s weather, so you can go and do something else in the meantime.’
“By taking the most accurate data and applying this machine learning, it gives farmers results tailored to exactly what’s happening on their property, removing the uncertainty of gambling on what the weather might do.
“The AI can take all the data about a crop you’ve planted, including soil moisture, temperature and sunlight, and make super accurate predictions based on previous data collected on those factors.
“It’s the holy grail of information for growers, taking what has traditionally been vague, turning that on its head and making it incredibly precise for their individual operation,” jane concluded.
To learn more about Jane’s Weather, how to investment your hard earned money, or to get in touch, head to growAG.: https://www.growag.com/listings/opportunity/janes-weather-1-5m-investment-opportunity
*This investment opportunity is only for professional and sophisticated investors as defined in the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). The content of this opportunity is intended for use by persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments and must not be acted or relied upon by any other person including, without limitation, retail clients.
