VISION

VISUALIZING WIND
CONDITIONS FOR
SAFETY IN THE SKY

Metro Weather, a Kyoto-based startup company, is taking a vital role in the development of the last mile “infrastructure of the skies” for an emerging “Advanced Air Mobility (AAM)/ Urban Air Mobility (UAM) society” where drones are expected to play active roles. We help achieving the development of infrastructures necessary for the safety of air mobilities including drones by not only observing and visualizing urban wind conditions (i.e., an infrastructure for air mobilities) in real time but also forecasting them with our compact Doppler lidar “Wind Guardian” and our wind forecast system called “Wind Foresight”. Furthermore, as our product and technology are also available for forecasting torrential rains and gusts that has caused ever-greater damages in recent years, Metro Weather is expected to contribute to the area of disaster prevention as well.

CORE TECHNOLOGY

Remote sensing
technology and
signal processing
technology

WindFore

Metro Weather’s core technology is the "Sky Scan" technology that “extract signals from noisy information” which we have cultivated over thirty years of large radar research at Kyoto University. It allowed us to use less expensive and low-powered components, and thus to achieve miniaturization of a lidar while maintaining its high performance (possible to measure up to twice the distance as where a device can accurately measure).

OUR PRODUCT

Wind Guardian

DOPPLER LIDAR

Observation distance
~15 km
Size
65 cm
* Adjustable according to an observation mode
Wind speed resolution
0.1 m/s
Range resolution
10 m~
* Adjustable according to an observation mode
Combining a dramatically reduced size and high performance level at a surprisingly affordable price:
The ultimate Doppler lidar
Developed through decades of proprietary research, Wind Guardian is the ultimate Doppler lidar, the only one of its kind in the world. In every aspect--size, functions and price--it boasts a competitive edge over its rivals in the market. In Wind Guardian, we have created a product that can truly make the “infrastructure of the skies” a reality.
Changes in wind direction and wind speed are measured using infrared lasers
We use an infrared laser to receive scattered light from particles and observe the mutation of the signal frequency due to the Doppler effect. This is used to measure the relative speed and direction of movement.
Measures wind speed/direction across a radius of up to 15km, highest performance in the industry
WindFore360 can measure wind speed and wind direction simultaneously at locations distant from the sensor. It can build up a three-dimensional picture of wind speed and wind direction at all locations within a radius of up to 15km or so around the sensor.
Installation of multiple units allows accurate measurements to be obtained over a wider area
WindFore360 can measure wind speed and wind direction simultaneously at locations distant from the sensor. It can build up a three-dimensional picture of wind speed and wind direction in increments as small as 10m and across a radius of up to 20km around the sensor.

A future of safer,
more reassuring skies
is close at hand.

Our compact Doppler lidar, Wind Guardian, is capable of visualizing wind conditions over cities (the “infrastructure of the skies”) in real time, enabling us not only to observe current wind conditions but to forecast future changes, thus ensuring safety in the infrastructure that is required for making the use of drones and other aspects of “air mobility” a reality.

OUR SYSTEM

Wind Foresight

Multi-Scale Wind Forecast System (MWFS)

Our wide-ranging and high-resolution wind forecasting system provides real-time forecasting of wind conditions, from several minutes ahead to several days ahead

Wind Foresight provides highly accurate wind condition forecasting data in real time, based on high-resolution weather forecasting simulations taking their default values from the three-dimensional wind measurement results obtained from Doppler lidar observation networks. This system creates more accurate forecasts of the sky environment using our proprietary sensing technology signal processing technology, created over 30 years of research. It supports the creation of a safe and reassuring infrastructure environment.
*Alpha version service starts in June 2022

MARKET

Urban disaster
Responding to the torrential rains that are occurring more and more frequently in recent times by maintaining and managing disaster-prevention facilities in urban areas and by establishing measures to prevent underground flooding and reduce the number of human casualties is a matter of urgency. Metro Weather’s Doppler lidars, when installed in large numbers on top of tall buildings, monitor wind conditions in the skies over cities in detail, making it possible to spot the accumulations of warm and humid air and ascending air currents rising to high altitudes that cause cumulonimbus clouds to form and develop, leading to torrential rainstorms.
Wind power generation
The most important element for determining whether an offshore wind power generation business can commence is the status of wind conditions in the area where the business is planned. Previously, wind speed had to be measured by using propellers and wind-testing equipment at a single observation point. Metro Weather’s Doppler Lidar means that wind conditions, an indispensable element when considering offshore wind power generation businesses, can be measured over a wider area, ensuring a high level of quality while enabling greater simplicity and lower costs than traditional technology.
Drones
Turbulent winds close to the ground level can result in large- and small-scale turbulence of various kinds, which poses a major threat to the safe operation of drones and other airborne vehicles. With the market for drones set to expand rapidly going forward, Metro Weather will provide information on wind conditions to drone operators and traffic controllers to ensure safe operation, by developing area-wide networks of compact Doppler lidars that enable a three-dimensional picture of wind conditions to be built up.
Aviation
Most aviation accidents occur during the so-called “critical eleven minutes”--that is so say, within four minutes of takeoff and within seven minutes of landing. With half of these accidents being caused by wind turbulence, the phenomenon known as “wind shear” (sudden changes in the direction of the wind in the area near the ground) is becoming a major threat to safe takeoff and landing. The compact, light-weight and low-cost Doppler lidars that we have created at Metro Weather allow the introduction of Doppler technology at regional airports, where the installation of such technology has hitherto been difficult for cost-related reasons.

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new world together!

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