Metro Weather Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Uji, Kyoto; President & CEO: Jun-ichi Furumoto; hereinafter “Metro Weather”) has acquired the “S-Certification,” which evaluates and certifies companies aiming to solve social issues and ESG management based on their management policies, business content, social impact, and other criteria. We are pleased to announce that we have acquired the S-Certification under the Social and Sustainable Business Standard.

We will continue to contribute to the safety and security of the world by solving social issues with our “Doppler LiDAR” technology.

◼️About S-Certification
The Social and Sustainable Business Standard is based on an agreement between THE KYOTO SHINKIN BANK (head office: Kyoto, Kyoto), Kyoto Hokuto Shinkin Bank (head office: Miyazu, Kyoto), Koto Shinkin Bank (head office: Higashiomi, Shiga) and the Yunus Social Business Research Center of Ryukoku University. The organization evaluates and certifies companies that aim to solve social issues and engage in ESG management based on their management policies, business activities, social impact, and other criteria.

◼️The Society Aimed for by MetroWeather
Metro Weather actively recruits local people from the Uji, Kyoto and talented international people, and has a diverse workforce regardless of gender, age, race, nationality, or other attributes. We respect and accept each other’s “differences” and actively utilize these “differences” as our strengths to create innovations that allow us to maximize our abilities. Furthermore, we’ve been taking on a challenge to build an organization that can provide value creation to an ever-changing business environment and diversifying customer needs, while preparing a flexible work environment with a staggered work schedule, etc.

Our goal as a company with such “glocal”(global＋local) human resources is to create a safe, secure, and affluent society through sustainable efforts to solve social issues using the Doppler LiDAR, which is filled with our proprietary technology.

◼️About MetroWeather’s Doppler LiDAR Technology
MetroWeather’s Doppler LiDAR leverages remote sensing technologies based on large-scale radar research and proprietary signal processing techniques. By emitting infrared laser beams toward fine particles suspended in the atmosphere and analyzing the slight frequency shifts caused by particle movement, the system can measure wind speed and direction with high precision. These measurement data are then provided to users.

Compared to conventional container-sized systems, Metro Weather’s advanced signal processing enables detection of even faint scattered light, allowing the device to be miniaturized to a compact 60 cm cube. Furthermore, despite using low-power laser beams, the system achieves wind condition observation within a 15 km radius—more than double the range of traditional models. Currently, the company is also developing object detection technologies based on its wind observation capabilities.

Metro Weather’s core signal processing technology has been recognized by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as globally superior and unmatched by competitors. As a result, Metro Weather was selected for the NASA SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program as a Japanese startup. Since 2022, the company has entered into a paid data supply agreement with NASA.

◼️Applications in Aerospace and Defense
In the aerospace and defense sectors, Metro Weather’s Doppler LiDAR is being developed for use in detecting suspicious drones near critical facilities. It also aims to serve as a “traffic signal in the sky” for commercial drone operations by enabling direct observation and visualization of wind conditions around drone ports, along flight routes, in urban areas with dense buildings, and over the ocean.

Metro Weather provides comprehensive services that equip drone and UAV operators and flight managers with the information needed to make informed go/no-go decisions. Accurate airspace management will contribute significantly to the safety of drone logistics and flying car operations, paving the way for new markets in aerial mobility. Ultimately, this will support the transformation of social systems and the realization of a more convenient and comfortable society.　※１

◼️Applications in Maritime Shipping
In the maritime sector, installing Doppler LiDAR on ships enables optimal route selection, contributing to reduced fuel consumption and lower CO₂ emissions—advancing the concept of eco-shipping. Metro Weather is the first company in the world to successfully install Doppler LiDAR on large vessels currently in operation.

In line with the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015, Japan, along with other nations, has declared its commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Metro Weather is dedicated to providing environmentally conscious clean tech solutions that offer practical pathways toward a sustainable society.

※１“Estimated and Projected Market Size of Industrial Drones in Tokyo”
(Tokyo Metropolitan Government Strategic Policy Information Promotion Headquarters, Strategic Business Division, Special Zone and Strategic Business Promotion Section, 2020)

Based on the assumption that the establishment of operational management services (UTM) supported by counter-drone systems will lead to the formation of a drone logistics market approximately 1.25 times larger, it is projected that by fiscal year 2027, this will result in the creation of a market with an annual value of approximately 5 billion yen.