Zomato, the food delivery giant, has recently launched ‘Weather Union’, a weather monitoring system in India. It has over 650 on-ground weather stations that provide real-time data on temperature, rainfall, humidity, wind speed, and direction.

The company’s website displays live weather conditions in 45 cities. The system is open to institutions and companies, and the Application Programming Interface (API) is free of charge. 

Zomato is also looking for volunteers who can provide space for weather monitoring stations, which will help to expand the project further.

The information collected is processed using machine learning models and shared with delivery partners to help them prepare for any weather-related disturbances. 

Furthermore, the Zomato app features surge pricing, which allows users to order food for an additional fee during bad weather conditions. The company is committed to providing free API access to the infrastructure as part of the Zomato Giveback initiative. 

The Weather Union platform offers access to the API and allows users to download past data. However, it is important to note that the system only provides real-time weather data, not weather prediction data. 

Zomato employees installed on-ground weather stations at their premises to set up the first phase of the weather monitoring system. The company is now seeking more volunteers to expand the project further. The volunteering form is on the Weather Union website.