{"id":41463,"date":"2025-04-10T00:01:37","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T23:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=41463"},"modified":"2025-04-09T15:42:30","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T14:42:30","slug":"vodafone-update-on-harnessing-uk-mobile-network-to-measure-rain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/04\/vodafone-update-on-harnessing-uk-mobile-network-to-measure-rain.html","title":{"rendered":"Vodafone Update on Harnessing UK Mobile Network to Measure Rain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Broadband ISP and mobile operator Vodafone<\/a> has revealed more details about how they’re harnessing their UK mobile network to provide more accurate rain “nowcasting<\/em>” (i.e. short-term forecast of rainfall – from a few minutes to a few hours ahead). This is supported by the River Severn Partnership\u2019s Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR) and Wireless DNA.<\/p>\n

The trial is being run across the River Severn<\/strong> catchment area, which has a long history of flooding. An estimated \u00a3230 million per year is said to be spent across the region to manage and mitigate damage to infrastructure brought by floods. Suffice to say that being able to understand exactly where the rain may be falling or will soon fall can help to mitigate or manage such problems.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> The RSPAWIR is a \u00a33.75m initiative, wholly funded by the Government’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and managed by Shropshire Council on behalf of the River Severn Partnership (the RSP area covers 6,000 square miles in England).<\/div>\n

Crucially, rain and other forms of precipitation in the atmosphere can absorb and scatter microwave<\/strong> radio signals (i.e. the links that exist between some mobile masts), reducing their strength. The interference this creates is typically considered a negative thing, which can reduce the performance of such connections.<\/p>\n

However, the same disruptions also create data that can be processed to “function as a virtual rain gauge, providing pinpointed and precise precipitation data<\/em>“, which is what Vodafone<\/a> has been experimenting with. “Wireless DNA will monitor all signal variations to identify those caused by precipitation and share this data with the River Severn Partnership to enhance early warning systems for flooding and improve flood defences for local residents<\/em>,” said the mobile operator. The additional data will supplement conventional systems, like radar and rain gauges, with a dense layer of ground-level observations.<\/p>\n