Understory, the weather network and analytics company, announced last week that it received a patent for its mechanical strain-based weather sensor, a key component in its weather station technology.
“To date, weather infrastructure has been expensive, with most costs going to ongoing maintenance and recalibration,” says Understory CEO Alex Kubicek. “This patent changes the game. For the first time, Understory has created a privately owned and operated network that collects and delivers granular weather data to clients across industries including insurance, agriculture and research organizations.”
With its patented solid-state sensor, Understory is the only company in the world that can deploy cost-effective weather sensor technology that provides real-time data on the ground. The sensors consist of a stainless steel ball that detects wind, rain, hail and other atmospheric elements via the application of force. Data is then derived from directional information on geospatially specific weather conditions, and the patent proves measurables including angle of impact, momentum and size of hail. Understory then utilizes the sensor information across an area to understand impact on property damage. Agricultural applications include measuring rainfall and evapotranspiration to provide on-the-ground insight to optimize growing operations for modern growers.
“Understory’s patented technology provides actionable information that radar, satellite and other remote sensing technologies fail to deliver and cannot replicate,” says Bryan Dow, Understory co-founder and vice president of deployments. “Access to hyper-local weather data is valuable across industries. For example, the insurance industry can understand storm-related property damage to reduce loss control, and the agriculture industry can optimize operational decisions that boost crop yields.”
There are currently 500 stations deployed across five major U.S. metropolitan areas and a national expansion planned to increase Understory’s sensor network to 5,000 sensors by the end of 2019.
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