The Met Office is revamping its weather services through mobile and cloud in a new contract with CA Technologies.
CA’s API Management technology will be used for several of the department’s core functions, including securely sharing data with business partners and keeping the public, businesses, government and other agencies informed about the weather. These APIs collect the data to provide the services.
The Met Office plans to use this technology to produce new mobile and cloud-based services, including more mobile apps to provide more detailed information about weather conditions. These could be targeted at citizens organising their day-to-day life or organisations such as the armed forces planning exercises.
Using the data collected by mobile phones, including location, apps can provide more personalised information to the user.
Currently the Met Office has a Mobile Weather web app, Met Office Widgets that can be included on websites, and a weather app for mobile.
CA Technologies worked with Computacenter, the IT infrastructure services provider to deliver the service.
The Met Office’s Director of Information Technology, Charlie Ewen, said: "The Met Office combines the latest science with ground breaking advances in technology and local understanding to deliver operational advantage to our customers.
"We need to have the necessary knowledge, experience and flexibility to be able to apply our science across business and government to manage risks and opportunities as they arise from our weather."
Milko Van Duijl, Senior Vice President, UK and Ireland, CA Technologies, said: "API management is the glue that connects applications and one of the defining factors that separates the winners from the losers in the application economy. CA API Management will enable The Met Office to monetise its weather and climate data, accelerate mobile services development and grow the organisation."
