How Met Office weather and climate intelligence powers government and industry when it really matters
Steve Calder is the chief customer officer at the Met Office, working to ensure weather and climate intelligence can power future plans for local and national government, as well as support key UK industries to grow. Here, he discusses how innovative science and partnerships will prove crucial to the future success of government and industry
Hanging the washing out? Check the Met Office. Landing planes or managing the country’s electricity network? Check the Met Office. Wedding day plans? Probably still the Met Office. When it really matters, it’s always the Met Office.
Weather and climate science has never been more important. Climate change is already bringing increasingly frequent weather extremes to the UK. Severe weather and named storms are also never too far away from people’s thoughts, but how can such complex challenges be properly addressed by both government and business? It’s here where the Met Office has quite a unique position.
Over our 170-year history we’ve got a well-honed reputation of being the UK’s national forecaster. Trusted by the public when it matters, whether it’s stormy skies or clear ones, the Met Office is where people turn for the weather. But we also underpin countless industries, keeping the wheels of business in motion and enabling UK innovation and growth from Camborne to Lerwick.
Government, industry and innovation
At the apex between government and industry, innovation and a focus on customer needs is how the Met Office ensures a cohesive and fruitful relationship that benefits all. But what does that really mean?
Weather and climate intelligence is big business. Met Office expertise has long been behind safe aviation, defence operations, energy decision making and transport infrastructure. But the market is changing, so we change with it.
Government partners, like the MOD, rely on our expertise for high stakes operations. Increasingly, industry partners expect tailored, outcome-focused insights. Simply knowing the forecast isn’t enough. Knowing the impacts from it is the key.
Forecasting is changing fast. Competitors are using AI to move quickly, and we welcome that challenge; it keeps us sharp. But speed alone isn’t enough. Trust and verification are non-negotiable. That’s why we combine cutting-edge data science with proven meteorology, working with partners like the Alan Turing Institute to deliver innovation that stands up under pressure.
Fortunately, our historical reputation and demonstrated ability to adapt to new technology means we’re well-placed to advance and pivot to AI approaches to weather forecasting. The coming influence of AI on weather and climate forecasting could be transformational. But improvements have to be underpinned by credible science.
We know that existing physics-based approaches to forecasting have earned trust over time, so the same must be true of future AI approaches. This is why we work closely with the Alan Turning Institute to combine our meteorological expertise with their data science knowledge. A coherent and science-backed approach to innovative improvements that can really make a difference to the next generation of weather forecasts.
Customer-led weather and climate intelligence
We’re pivoting to a service-led model, one that is customer driven - because decisions, not data, drive value. That means listening hard and moving fast. We’re turning on the head of a pin to deliver what matters, when it matters. Agility isn’t a buzzword for us; it’s how we stay relevant in a world where expectations change overnight.
Working in partnership is one way to deliver this. Earlier this year, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Network Rail to help push forward research into severe weather and railway infrastructure. Where previous links may have focused on transactional relationships, a collaborative approach enables fast-paced research which could make a real difference to how disruptions are avoided and managed on railways, not just now, but long into the future.
We’ve signed a similarly ambitious agreement with the National Energy System Operator (NESO), reaffirming a shared commitment towards the transition towards a future clean, resilient and affordable energy system. This MOU encompasses both the short and long-term influence of the weather on the energy system, with a need for resilience against increasingly severe weather events and also knowledge around how to effectively use weather as a fuel for an efficient energy system.
While much of that work continues at pace behind the scenes, the partnership between Met Office and the BBC is very much public facing. By combining Met Office expertise on weather and climate with the BBC’s journalism and broadcasting expertise, we hope to deliver the most trusted information when it comes to not only weather forecasting, but also climate science.
In an age of rampant misinformation, trusted and consistent information between Met Office and the BBC can ensure the public gets what they want; timely, clear information with understandable guidance.
What’s important for us as an organisation is that we’re as fast paced and innovative as people need us to be. We’re going through a huge transformation ourselves, pivoting to agile delivery of services and we’re all embracing that. That is the best way for us as an organisation to ensure we continue to be one of the most trusted providers of weather and climate information in the UK and internationally.
The challenges discussed here aren’t unique to the Met Office. We can see across government and industry that need for agility, innovation and purpose. By adapting, like we have done throughout our history, we help make sure that the next generation also checks the Met Office when it really matters.
