India's Advanced Weather Prediction Capabilities
Science & Technology
- PYQs6
- Articles1
Background
This concept is crucial for understanding India's scientific and technological advancements, particularly in critical areas like disaster management, agricultural planning, and water resource management. It demonstrates India's self-reliance and regional leadership in meteorological services, aligning with national strategic and economic goals.
India has significantly enhanced its meteorological services through the development and implementation of advanced weather prediction systems like the Bharat Forecast System (BharatFS). These systems leverage cutting-edge supercomputing and modeling techniques to provide high-resolution, localized weather forecasts crucial for various sectors.
Facts & tables
- Resolution
- 6 km horizontal resolution (global operational model)
- Grid System
- Triangular Cubic Octahedral (TCo) dynamical grid
- Supercomputing Support
- Arka (IITM-Pune) and Arunika (NCMRWF-Noida)
- Indigenous Development
- Developed by IITM-Pune, NCMRWF-Noida, IMD, aligning with 'Make in India'
| Type | Reference |
|---|---|
| Conceptual area | Science & Technology |
| Conceptual area | Disaster Management |
| Conceptual area | Indian Geography |
| Body | Role |
|---|---|
| Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM-Pune) | Developed |
| National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF-Noida) | Supported development |
| India Meteorological Department (IMD) | Supported development, utilizes system |
Prelims angle
Prelims angle: Statement-based questions
Prelims angle: Factual recall
- BharatFS: India's 6km resolution global weather prediction model.
- Uses Triangular Cubic Octahedral (TCo) grid and MoES supercomputers (Arka, Arunika).
- Provides localized forecasts (panchayat/village level) for agriculture and water management.
- Significantly improves extreme rainfall prediction, aiding disaster preparedness.
- Indigenous development by IITM, NCMRWF, IMD, aligning with 'Make in India'.
| Year | Framing tags |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Statement-based questions, Factual recall |
| 2026 | Statement-based questions, Conceptual understanding |
| 2026 | Statement-based questions, Factual recall |
| 2025 | Statement-based questions, Factual recall |
| 2018 | Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall |
| 2018 | Conceptual understanding, Terminology-based question |
Timeline
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Science & Technology
Conceptual area
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Disaster Management
Conceptual area
-
Indian Geography
Conceptual area
-
Prelims 2018
Multi-statement analysis, Factual recall
-
Prelims 2018
Conceptual understanding, Terminology-based question
-
Prelims 2025
Statement-based questions, Factual recall
-
Prelims 2026
Statement-based questions, Factual recall
-
Prelims 2026
Statement-based questions, Conceptual understanding
-
Prelims 2026
Statement-based questions, Factual recall
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PARLIAMENT QUESTION: BHARAT FORECAST SYSTEM
BharatFS is India's new 6km resolution global weather prediction model, using TCo grid and supercomputers (Arka, Arunika). It provides localized forecasts for agriculture, water management, and improved extreme weather prediction, enhancing disaster preparedness and showcasing India's indigenous tech capabilities.
See also
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Past papers
2018–2026 · 5 questions
In the news
PARLIAMENT QUESTION: BHARAT FORECAST SYSTEM
BharatFS is India's new 6km resolution global weather prediction model, using TCo grid and supercomputers (Arka, Arunika). It provides localized forecasts for agriculture, water management, and improved extreme weather prediction, enhancing disaster preparedness and showcasing India's indigenous tech capabilities.
Try these PYQs
Which of the following statements with regard to India's indigenous new high resolution weather model, the 'Bharat Forecast System,' is/are correct?
1. Its objective is to generate forecasts at the Panchayats cluster level.
2. It was developed by IIT Delhi.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Statement 1 is Correct: A primary objective of the Bharat Forecast System (BFS) is to generate hyper-local, highly accurate weather forecasts down to the Panchayat cluster level (village and block level) to aid rural communities, agriculture, and disaster management. It operates on an ultra-fine 6 km x 6 km grid (upgraded from India's previous 12 km resolution models), making it the highest-resolution operational global weather model currently used by any national meteorological agency in the world. Statement 2 is Incorrect: The Bharat Forecast System was indigenously developed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, which is an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). It was not developed by IIT Delhi. The model is powered by advanced High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems, specifically the new 'Arka' supercomputer at IITM Pune and 'Arunika' at NCMRWF Noida. Therefore, option A is the correct answer.
GPS-Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) uses a system of ground stations to provide necessary augmentation. Which of the following statements is/are correct in respect of GAGAN?
I. It is designed to provide additional accuracy and integrity.
II. It will allow more uniform and high quality air traffic management.
III. It will provide benefits only in aviation but not in other modes of transportation.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
✅ Statement I: Correct
*GAGAN is an Indian SBAS developed by ISRO and AAI to enhance GPS accuracy and integrity, crucial for aviation safety.* ✅ Statement II: Correct
*It improves GPS reliability and accuracy, enabling better air traffic management and safer, efficient navigation.* ❌ Statement III: Incorrect
*GAGAN’s benefits extend beyond aviation to railways, roadways, maritime, agriculture, and disaster management.* Correct Answer: Only Statements I and II are correct.
Which of the following statements with regard to Large Language Models (LLMs) used in machine learning is/are correct ?
1. LLMs assign probabilities to the next possible words and then pick the one with the highest probability.
2. LLMs process data through mathematical optimization to minimise prediction errors.
3. LLMs produce unbiased outputs.
Select the answer using the code given below :
Statement 1 is Correct: At their core, Large Language Models (LLMs) function by analyzing input context and calculating a statistical probability distribution for the next possible words (tokens) in a sequence. In their most basic form of text generation (known as "greedy decoding"), they pick the word with the absolute highest probability. While standard applications often introduce controlled randomness (stochastic sampling like *top-k* or *temperature scaling*) to make text more creative, the foundational mechanism relies on assigning probabilities to select the next word. Statement 2 is Correct: LLM training relies heavily on mathematical optimization. Algorithms such as Stochastic Gradient Descent and backpropagation are used to iteratively adjust billions of model parameters. The explicit goal of this process is to minimize a "loss function," which mathematically represents the model's prediction errors compared to the actual training data. Statement 3 is Incorrect: LLMs do not produce inherently unbiased outputs. Because they learn from massive, human-generated datasets scraped from the internet, they are well-documented to inherit, reflect, and sometimes amplify historical and societal biases (e.g., gender, racial, or cultural stereotypes) present in their training data. Therefore, the correct option is B.
In which of the following areas can GPS technology be used?
1. Mobile phone operations
2. Banking operations
3. Controlling the power grids
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
GPS, or Global Positioning System, is a satellite-based navigation system that provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth. It has a wide range of applications. Statement 1 is correct. GPS is used in mobile phones for various purposes such as location tracking, navigation, and location-based services. Statement 2 is correct. GPS is used in banking operations for ATM location services and for time-stamping transactions, which is crucial for maintaining accurate records. Statement 3 is correct. GPS is used for time-stamping power system measurements, which is vital for grid stability and synchronization. Therefore, GPS technology can be used in all the three areas mentioned.
When the alarm of your smartphone rings in the morning, you wake up and tap it to stop the alarm which causes your geyser to be switched on automatically. The smart mirror in your bathroom shows the day's weather and also indicates the level of water in your overhead tank. After you take some groceries from your refrigerator for making breakfast, it recognises the shortage of stock in it and places an order for the supply of fresh grocery items. When you step out of your house and lock the door, all lights, fans, geysers and AC machines get switched off automatically. On your way to the office, your car warns you about traffic congestion ahead and suggests an alternative route, and if you are late for a meeting, it sends a- message to your office accordingly.
In the context of emerging communication technologies, which one of the following term best applies to the above scenario?
The scenario described involves various devices (smartphone, geyser, smart mirror, refrigerator, car, etc.) communicating with each other and with the user, and automatically performing tasks based on certain triggers. This is characteristic of the Internet of Things (IoT). Option B is correct: Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. Option A is incorrect: Border Gateway Protocol is a protocol used to exchange routing information across the internet and is not relevant to the scenario described. Option C is incorrect: Internet Protocol is a set of rules for sending and receiving messages at the Internet address level, but it doesn't cover the broad range of device intercommunication described in the scenario. Option D is incorrect: A Virtual Private Network is a technology for using the internet or another intermediate network to connect computers to isolated remote computer networks that would otherwise be inaccessible, which also doesn't fit the scenario.
Show 1 more PYQs
Consider the following statements about Mission Sudarshan Chakra of India:
1. It aims to enhance India's air defence, ballistic missile defence and aerial offensive capabilities.
2. This Mission is being designed to enhance rapid, precise, and powerful defence responses, reinforcing India's strategic autonomy.
3. One of the aims of this Mission is to cover all public places of India by an expanded nationwide security shield by 2035.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Statement 1 is Correct: Mission Sudarshan Chakra is designed as a multi-domain security umbrella. It explicitly aims to enhance India's air defence, ballistic missile defence, and aerial offensive capabilities, acting as both a defensive shield and an offensive sword. Statement 2 is Correct: The mission integrates advanced technologies like AI, space-based sensors, and directed energy weapons to ensure rapid, precise, and powerful defence responses. This indigenous development (incorporating projects like Project Kusha) is specifically aimed at reinforcing India's strategic autonomy and self-reliance in the defence sector. Statement 3 is Correct: A major distinguishing feature of this initiative is its expanded scope. Announced as a 10-year national security initiative, a stated goal of the mission is to bring all public places (including hospitals, railways, and religious/cultural sites) under an expanded nationwide security shield by 2035, moving beyond the conventional protection of just military and strategic installations. Therefore, the correct option is A.