Abu Dhabi To Host Workshop On AI Innovations For Weather Prediction And Environmental Services

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) will host a significant workshop on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Weather Prediction and Environmental Services. This event, under the patronage of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), is scheduled from 9th to 11th September 2025 at the NCM headquarters. The workshop underscores the Centre’s dedication to adopting advanced scientific solutions to improve meteorological services in the UAE, aiding decision-makers and society in addressing climate challenges.

Participants will delve into AI's role in environmental datasets, aiming to boost WMO Member States' capabilities in weather forecasting, climate monitoring, hydrology, and marine services. The focus will be on enhancing hazard warnings' accuracy and data-driven decisions while examining AI integration's opportunities and challenges. Discussions will cover innovative environmental observation methods, advanced forecasting systems deployment, and strategies for capacity-building, especially for developing countries.

Experts from public and private sectors, academia, WMO modeling centres, national meteorological services, technical commissions, research boards, and the Scientific Advisory Panel will attend. This diverse group aims to exchange knowledge and best practices while collaborating on innovative solutions. They will develop strategies to enhance national and international capabilities in weather prediction with an emphasis on transparency and multi-stakeholder cooperation.

Key topics include evaluating current observational data, ensuring AI model compatibility, developing integrated processing systems, establishing protocols for model evaluation, and promoting source code sharing. Practical applications will be a focus to ensure operational services' sustainability while maintaining forecast quality and reliability. Participants will also explore strengthening capacity-building to reduce the digital divide through public-private partnerships.

The workshop seeks to establish a strategic framework for collaboration among public sectors, private sectors, and academia within the hydro-meteorological value cycle. Participants will review best practices for collecting non-traditional environmental observations that support AI solutions development. This effort aims to improve environmental forecasting on a broad scale.

A strategic framework for collaboration between public sectors, private sectors, and academia is another goal of this workshop. Recommendations and dialogue mechanisms will be drafted to address emerging challenges and accelerate AI models' development for weather prediction. These recommendations will inform discussions at the WMO Extraordinary Congress from 20th to 24th October 2025 under the theme "WMO Call to the Industry."

UAE's Role in Technological Innovation

The workshop provides a platform for launching joint initiatives aimed at delivering advanced meteorological services globally. It strengthens the UAE’s role as a regional leader in technological innovation. The National Center of Meteorology highlights that this event represents a strategic step toward leveraging modern AI technologies for enhanced weather prediction.

This initiative aligns with the UAE’s vision of promoting innovation and technological investment. The workshop seeks to strengthen national expertise by fostering collaboration among stakeholders. It supports delivering advanced meteorological services that positively impact society by protecting lives from weather-related hazards.

Hosting this event in Abu Dhabi reinforces the UAE’s position as a regional hub for meteorology and environmental AI. It reaffirms its commitment to supporting global efforts in environmental forecasting by providing accurate data for strategic decision-making against climate change impacts.

With inputs from WAM