Contributors   |   Messages   |   Polls   |   Resources   |  
Comments
Ariella
Ariella
2/2/2016 1:18:07 PM
User Rank
Author
weather
One of th applications of this is for telematics for drivers. Octo Telematics is one of the companies making use of IBM's harnessing weather data, applying that information to a driver scoring app. 

100%
0%
Mike Robuck
Mike Robuck
2/2/2016 2:47:22 PM
User Rank
Author
Re: weather
Ariella, I hadn't heard of Octo Telematics until now. Some people can't get enough weather-related info. We received more than a foot of snow over the weekend, and even our kids were checking weather apps, sites and social media in the hopes that school would be canceled. (It wasn't.) 

50%
50%
Ariella
Ariella
2/2/2016 3:47:39 PM
User Rank
Author
Re: weather
As the snow fell over the weekend a couple of weeks ago in our area, the kids got gypped of their snow day. However, even though the college was open, the instructor for the winter session class set up the final for the following Monday online because she realized that some people would have trouble making it in. The LIRR, for example, failed to restore service for the morning rush hour despite all its promises. But that's not just due to weather but to the way it set about snow removal and service restoration. Some stations did have service, while others just had people waiting out in the cold from 5 AM until they gave up and went home.

50%
50%
mhhf1ve
mhhf1ve
2/2/2016 9:02:08 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
> "One of the applications of this is for telematics for drivers"

Interesting.. Mapping data combined with weather data could become another essential service for autonomous cars... and for services like Uber/Lyft (to adjust surge pricing).

50%
50%
afwriter
afwriter
2/3/2016 11:51:23 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
I agree whole heartedly,  It is not so much about who owns the data or how it is mined.  It is more about how the data is used and how IBM works with companies to maximize the use of said data. 

50%
50%
Writerfo10281
Writerfo10281
2/4/2016 12:09:15 PM
User Rank
Gold
Re: weather
Agreed--if you own the data but do nothing with it, who cares?  IBM hasn't maximized what they have yet, so let's see what they do now...

50%
50%
DHagar
DHagar
2/8/2016 1:06:53 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
Writerfo10281, I think this is an excellent move on IBM's part.  It may suggest that they recognize the avenue for growth will be to deliver new value from the data. 

It looks like the acqusition of Weather Company brings some established data channels to generate profits, applications, as well as providing key elements to deliver more data in new markets.

Sounds like a smart move - needed as well!

50%
50%
batye
batye
2/23/2016 7:53:49 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
@DHagar  i could not agree more it very smart move... 

50%
50%
DHagar
DHagar
2/24/2016 1:43:21 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
Bayte, thanks.  It truly gives IBM the opportunity to monetize their data and create more value, as well as develop new markets.  If they do that, they will truly unleash new profit-making opportunities.

50%
50%
batye
batye
2/24/2016 2:26:05 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
@DHagar  yes, as IBM trying to find good way to survive at the present stage of the economy...

50%
50%
DHagar
DHagar
2/25/2016 1:50:34 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
bayte, yes, they are proving flexible and investing in new ways to adjust.  Not easy to do - so they get major kudos!

50%
50%
dlr5288
dlr5288
2/24/2016 8:38:32 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
I also think that this parnership is a great idea. Being that the app is so popular, it's a smart move! Also because the weather is something that everyone looks up, if not on a daily basis, at least weekly it's obviously important to the consumers.

It's good that IBM is able to see that the weather is able to add something to their company and will be able to add more data to the consumers.

50%
50%
DHagar
DHagar
2/25/2016 1:48:55 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
dir5288, I had not considered the consumer side with the weather as an added market, but you are absolutely correct.  Moving into services for the consumer opens up great opportunities, particularly with IoT, etc.  Great thought!

50%
50%
dlr5288
dlr5288
2/27/2016 1:29:48 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
Yes, thank you. I just know how often I use it and how much other consumers do as well. I think honesly that it wold help both sides o team up and I think it's a great idea overall. Probably some hard decisions and clashes were made, but I think in the long run it's a great idea for both sides.

50%
50%
DHagar
DHagar
2/29/2016 2:30:12 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
dir5288, I would imagine you are right about the "debate" that probably took place.  It is not easy to make those changes and move new directions.

I fully see your point and agree that the consumer-directed services is truly representing a new frontier.

50%
50%
dlr5288
dlr5288
2/29/2016 5:15:59 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
Yeah I'm sure the debate wasn't easy either, but I'm happy to see these two companies come together. Especially when I think it is in the best interest for the consumers.

Both IBM and the Weather Company were obviously, I'm sure, looking for new ways to pull in the consumers, but also I think it works out well in the costumers favor. That's what's really important.

50%
50%
batye
batye
4/1/2017 9:31:57 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
@dlr5288 I could not agree more I do hope as the end results consumers will be a winners :) but time will tell...

50%
50%
dlr5288
dlr5288
4/24/2017 12:51:24 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
I think it's important to always keep the consumers in the front of the minds of the businesses. Because after all, it is the people that keep the companies going.

50%
50%
freehe
freehe
2/27/2016 2:29:06 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
dlr5288, I had not considered the business side of weather either. However, when performing a SWOT analysis weather and natural disasters can be a threat to a business and are part of a disastery recovery plan.

Weather affects everything we do and affect everyone from businesses to individuals - children to adults and those with health issues. It seems like smart move. After thinking about it I guess it makes sense to buy the company although the purchase price seems too high for the assets IBM will be getting. IBM will be able to capitalize on their cloud technology and gain new customers which will increase revenue for IBM.

 

50%
50%
dlr5288
dlr5288
2/28/2016 8:06:55 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
That's a great point. Also yes weather does affect everyone, from businesses to individuals. That's why I think IBM decided to join up with the Weather Company. It affects so many things and people that I think consumers might be interested in the teaming up of the two partys.

It will be interesting to see how it turns out and if it actually was the best decision for IBM. Personally, I think it will turn out great, but there's always the possibilty that it can go very wrong.

50%
50%
daringfireball
daringfireball
2/3/2016 1:41:38 AM
User Rank
Steel
Re: weather
@Ariella I agree with you, The Weather Company's cloud-based data platform, which currently powers the fourth most-used mobile app daily in the United States and handles 26 billion inquiries each day, will allow IBM to collect an even larger amount and higher velocity of data sets, store them, analyzed them and in turn distribute them and empower richer and deeper insights across the Watson platform. The company's sophisticated models analyze data from three billion weather forecast reference points, more than 40 million smartphones and 50,000 airplane flights per day, allowing it to offer a broad range of data-driven services to more than 5000 clients in the media, aviation, energy, insurance and government industries. 

50%
50%
batye
batye
2/3/2016 4:03:34 AM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: weather
@daringfireball  same on my end I could not agree more... as it important...

50%
50%
daringfireball
daringfireball
2/3/2016 1:42:55 AM
User Rank
Steel
Re: weather
In addition, the deal will also gives IBM forecasting tools, cloud platform, data expertise and more touch points, which include mobile apps, websites, flight data and information products.

50%
50%
mhhf1ve
mhhf1ve
2/2/2016 8:51:43 PM
User Rank
Platinum
IBM and Apple are closer now, too
Apple switched away from using Yahoo for its weather data in iOS about a year or so ago... and started to get it straight from weather.com, instead of going through Yahoo as a middleman. But now Apple can get it from their partner in business, IBM. I'm starting to wonder how much IBM and Apple will start to overlap -- or if they'll stay complementary and divide up the business and consumer markets neatly somehow?

I also wonder where Google gets its weather data from now... 

50%
50%
mhhf1ve
mhhf1ve
2/2/2016 8:59:49 PM
User Rank
Platinum
How much of a monopoly on weather data is there?
This deal actually makes me question how strategic weather data can be... since a large company like Google that creates its own mapping data, could also probably produce its own weather data if it really wanted to? 

And with mobile phones starting to include barometers and temp gauges -- it might be "easy enough" to crowdsource certain weather data from smartphone users, say the way Waze does traffic data.

I suppose there is some reputation and skill involved in making weather predictions, but if Google can get an algorithm to beat the best human Go players, I'd imagine they could come up with a pretty decent robot weather forecaster, too.

Perhaps Watson is going to be trained on all the weather data to become a much better automated weather forecaster? (Putting local news station weather people out of jobs! Who will tell us the weather at 10:25pm and try to rescue pets from shelters?)

50%
50%
Ariella
Ariella
2/3/2016 8:42:15 AM
User Rank
Author
Re: How much of a monopoly on weather data is there?
@mhhf1ve I once heard a presentation by a meterologis at a science museum (I think it was at the New York Hall of Science). Anyway, the sources for data prediction are mostly the same for all meterologists, as they draw on the same satellite images. But there is always room for interpretation and spin on the likelihood of something hitting your area based when it currently is and the direction indicated by its movement.  We think the key thing is always getting the future right, but, actually forensics on weather is actually a thing. I just found this out when doing a search on meteorologists now. Forensic meterology is one of the services Accuweather provides as presented here: http://www.accuweather.com/adc2004/pub/products_services/fsexperts_all.asp?ex=joe

100%
0%
batye
batye
2/3/2016 1:56:58 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: How much of a monopoly on weather data is there?
@Ariella  I think you are right as everyone uses the same data but just interpretation of it everyone give it own :) 

50%
50%
mhhf1ve
mhhf1ve
2/3/2016 6:41:31 PM
User Rank
Platinum
Re: How much of a monopoly on weather data is there?
> "the sources for data prediction are mostly the same for all meterologists.."

Hmm. I seem to recall, tho, that local news stations used to "compete" with each other by saying things like one station owned (or had access to) some more advanced weather radar system than its rival news stations -- in some exclusive way. Certainly, there could have been some marketing BS in that claim, but is it really true that meteorogists all have access to the same weather data nowadays?

Maybe the differences aren't really significant between various weather sensor networks? It seems plausible that one set of temperature gauges and barometers set up only miles apart from another set... wouldn't really differ by that much.

But if weather data is weather data... then.. what did IBM just buy into? The database of historical weather data? A distribution network of weather data? 

50%
50%
Ariella
Ariella
2/3/2016 8:17:51 PM
User Rank
Author
Re: How much of a monopoly on weather data is there?
@mhhf1ve from what I've seen, IBM is not creating new sources of weather information here but acquiring existing ones in the form of  the Weather Channel (which already used IBM cloud services) and other such outlets.

In the analysis that Fortune put out a few months back, it explained the idea was adding this particular stream of data to others for a more comprehensive picture that factors weather into business decisions:

IBM said the acquisition will lift the company's new Watson Internet of things unit and related cloud platform. The Internet of things generally refers to devices like automobiles, manufacturing equipment, and toasters being outfitted with sensors that can connect to the web.

Big Blue said that its customers will now be able to link all of their business and sensor data from their connected devices with weather data using Watson. This, in theory, could help companies make better business decisions.

50%
50%
Itsmeshawn22
Itsmeshawn22
3/31/2017 11:54:35 PM
User Rank
Platinum
IBM Beefs Up IoT With Weather Company Deal
This is hard to see tha it beefs up with weather copany but it can be a very good thing to work with some kind of partnership with each other and can lead to very big future plans. It can also be a game changer with 2 ideas into one big one.

50%
50%


Latest Articles
Italy's 5G auction could exceed a government target of raising €2.5 billion ($2.9 billion) after attracting interest from companies outside the mobile market.
The emerging-markets operator is focusing on the humdrum business of connectivity and keeping quiet about some of its ill-fated 'digitalization' efforts.
Three UK has picked Huawei over existing radio access network suppliers Nokia and Samsung to build its 5G network.
Vendor says that it's its biggest 5G deal to date.
Verizon skates where the puck is going by waiting for standards-based 5G devices to launch its mobile service in 2019.
On-the-Air Thursdays Digital Audio
Orange has been one of the leading proponents of SDN and NFV. In this Telco Transformation radio show, Orange's John Isch provides some perspective on his company's NFV/SDN journey.
Special Huawei Video
10/16/2017
Huawei Network Transformation Seminar
The adoption of virtualization technology and cloud architectures by telecom network operators is now well underway but there is still a long way to go before the transition to an era of Network Functions Cloudification (NFC) is complete.
Video
The Small Cell Forum's CEO Sue Monahan says that small cells will be crucial for indoor 5G coverage, but challenges around business models, siting ...
People, strategy, a strong technology roadmap and new business processes are the key underpinnings of Telstra's digital transformation, COO Robyn ...
Eric Bozich, vice president of products and marketing at CenturyLink, talks about the challenges and opportunities of integrating Level 3 into ...
Epsilon's Mark Daley, director of digital strategy and business development, talks about digital transformation from a wholesale service provider ...
Bill Walker, CenturyLink's director of network architecture, shares his insights on why training isn't enough for IT employees and traditional ...
All Videos
Telco Transformation
About Us     Contact Us     Help     Register     Twitter     Facebook     RSS
Copyright © 2024 Light Reading, part of Informa Tech,
a division of Informa PLC. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms of Use
in partnership with