Swiss firm Meteomatics’ Meteodrone weather tech makes US debut

Swiss tech company Meteomatics is set to launch its drone-based Meteodrone low atmospheric weather analysis platform in North Dakota today – a first in the US that the firm says will provide UAV and other aircraft clients a far clearer picture of rapidly shifting local weather conditions than standard forecasts produce.

Meteomatics fills the gap existing between the satellite, radar, aircraft, and other high-altitude methods for gathering data for wide-area forecasts, and the rapidly shifting wind, rain, sleet, fog, and other factors present at lower levels. It does so with its specialized Meteodrone system, featuring a drone that has received Federal Aviation Administration approval to fly up to 9,000 feet.

The craft’s data gathering during ascent and return to ground piece together a precise analysis of real-time hyper-local atmospheric conditions. That information then allows UAV and other aircraft operators to know how the weather…