"I'll make sure you won't be getting soaked anytime soon."
I am a Weather Data Technologist and spend a lot of time working with the whole spectrum of Business & IT at Infoplaza to help develop innovations for Weerplaza, Weeronline, Buienalarm and various corporate customers.
A classic problem that precipitation radars face is that forecasts are not always correct. This is because we use the latest radar images to create a 'nowcast' for the next few hours. A shower can develop or disappear suddenly, and we don't always see that coming on the radar.
However, you can sometimes see clouds growing on satellite images and know that they can become a shower soon. And within radar images, there are sometimes patterns that say something about extreme weather, such as heavy wind gusts or even the chance of a tornado. Using computer vision algorithms and machine learning, I’m currently investigating whether that data can be used to see where a shower will form, how heavy it will be, or if it will disappear. This way, we can improve the forecast and thus also the display on Buienalarm, Weerplaza and Weeronline.
In addition to users being better informed, such improvements are also of interest to various companies. Think about the owners of greenhouses who want to know if their windows should be closed or organisers of festivals who are responsible for their visitor’s safety. The weather is truly relevant for everyone!
Being a bridge-builder
In my work, it gives me great satisfaction when our team innovations are actually implemented. For example, we recently developed and finalized a new weather model that shows how slippery and icy a road will become. You work with colleagues from different teams, such as meteorologists, WeatherTech engineers, infrastructure engineers, and application developers. As a BIT expert, you quite naturally take on the role of bridge-builder between these different team members. You help ensure that people understand each other and everyone is well informed within the project. This way, you work together towards a better product and a better weather forecast for everyone - so you don't get soaked anymore.
Within the programme, I mastered several disciplines to switch between business and technology. I learned why organisations work the way they do, how technology can be deployed, and how to build it! In addition to hard skills, the soft skills are also enormously important. I acquired skills to develop what can be seen as a helicopter view - and that is what Business Information Technology is all about.
