Japan’s Weathernews launches global app in 57 languages
The app is expected to help people prepare for disasters early by providing users with consolidated weather warnings from around the world.
Japan's Weathernews introduced a worldwide version of its weather application on Thursday, featuring support for 57 languages such as English, Chinese, and Hindi. The app's primary purpose is to assist users in preparing for emergencies by issuing early warnings about approaching rain clouds and providing consolidated global weather alerts.
The updated version enables users to monitor weather conditions and rain cloud movements within a one-square-kilometer radius, with data refreshed every ten minutes. Users also have the option to set up alerts for heavy rainfall in specific locations they have previously identified. The app's standard features are accessible free of charge, but advanced capabilities, like forecasting rain clouds three hours in advance and retrieving the preceding day's weather satellite images, require a subscription fee.
Monthly charges are $1.99 in the United States and €1.99 ($2.30) in the eurozone. Weathernews anticipates earning ¥5 billion from the global app over a five-year period, generated through service fees and advertising. Post-launch, the company plans to improve the precision of its weather predictions by integrating user-submitted local sky and perceived weather data from across the globe.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
