Satellites and Artificial Intelligence: new technological frontiers in this sector

  On the occasion of World Meteorological Day, which falls on 23 March, the anniversary of the establishment of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1950 as a United Nations agency, the Air Force, as the institution responsible for the national meteorological service, renews its commitment to ensuring the country and the international community receive a service based on cutting-edge skills and technologies for atmospheric monitoring and weather forecasting.

Based on the theme identified by the World Meteorological Organization for WWD 2025, focusing on the need to achieve adequate global early warning capabilitiesClosing the early warning gap togetherIn collaboration with the scientific and academic community, the Italian Air Force promotes the dissemination of meteorological products in Italy and abroad, based on state-of-the-art detection and processing tools. Of particular importance is the range of products that the Italian Air Force makes available through its participation in EUMETSAT, the European organisation for the exploitation of meteorological satellites, which grants direct access to data detected by orbiting stations. The latest satellite launched, the first of the Meteosat Third Generation – Imager (MTG-I 1) constellation, thanks to a sensor developed by an Italian company, allows – for the first time worldwide – the detection of lightning generated within and between clouds.intra and inter clouds), in addition to a more accurate and detailed understanding of atmospheric composition. The enormous amount of satellite data and its reliability in terms of definition and updating, also thanks to ongoing experiments in the field of artificial intelligence, allow us to provide products of nowcasting, i.e. short and very-short-term forecasts.

Internationally, the Air Force plays a prestigious and fundamental role by representing Italy within the World Meteorological Organization. Through the WMO, Italy guarantees an extremely important contribution to the international community in the study of climate change. In fact, the Air Force, along with the CNR, participates in atmospheric monitoring based on an observational network of 32 stations, known as “globally relevant,” with the Monte Cimone observatory in the province of Modena.

The Italian Air Force Meteorological Service has always operated for the benefit of the national community through the dissemination of weather bulletins and collaboration with the Civil Protection Department, where Air Force meteorologists are permanently seconded. They provide daily information on severe weather events to activate the early warning process.

For further information on the activities of the Air Force Meteorological Service, please visit the official websites www.meteoam.it – www.aeronautica.difesa.it

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