JIS University Inaugurates Automatic Weather Station with IMD to Boost Research and Local Data Access

Kolkata, 04th October 2024: JIS University (JISU) inaugurated Automatic Weather Station (AWS) in collaboration with India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday, 3rd October 2024. The ceremony was graced by dignitaries, including Satyabraya Dutta, Scientific Office, India Meteorological Department; Subhendu Karmakar, Meteorologist, India Meteorological Department (IMD); Prof. Bhabes Bhattacharya, Vice Chancellor, JIS University; Dr. Neeraj Saxena, Pro Chancellor, JIS University; Dr. Atanu Kotal, Deputy Registrar (Academics); Dr. Manua Banerjee, HoD, Department of Earth Sciences & Remote Sensing, JIS University; Dr Atanu Bhattacharya, Associate Professor, Department of Earth Science and Remote Sensing, JIS University; and Dr. Asutosh Goswami, Assistant Professor, Department of Earth Sciences and Remote Sensing, JIS University. This inauguration marks a significant milestone for both JISU and IMD.

Since JIS University signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 28th November of last year, our focus has been on utilising data from the IMD to enhance our students’ research and dissertation work. The MoU included a clause for establishing an automatic weather station (AWS) on the university premises and the groundwork for this initiative began well before today’s inauguration. The AWS will have profound implications for society as it allows our students to collect real-time data directly on campus with updates every 15 minutes. This capability opens up exciting possibilities for their research and dissertations. Moreover, the benefits extend beyond university; the AWS will also serve a radius of 100 kilometers, providing valuable data to surrounding areas such as Belghoria, Sodepur, Kalyani, New Barrackpore and Birati. Thus, the automatic weather station stands to make a significant contribution to both academic research and the broader community.

Sardar Simarpreet Singh, Director, JIS Group, said, “This initiative not only improves our academic programs but also shows our dedication to helping the community with useful data and research. By providing our students with modern tools and real-time information, we enable them to make informed choices that can positively affect the environment and society. Working together with the IMD, we are creating a culture of innovation and teamwork that will benefit future generations.”