PM opens met office's "weather app" in mobile phone

Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) today brought its entire daily "information services" to mobile platform through a dedicated mobile application "BMD Weather App", launched by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a ceremony at her office here.

"She (PM) inaugurated the application introduced by the met office at a function at her office," premier's press secretary Ihsanul Karim told newsmen.

He said BMD launched this application to provide timely and comparatively flawless weather forecast and cautionary signals and thus ensure safe river and air movement, side by side reducing the extent of losses of life and property by norwester, cyclone, tornado, excessive rain/flood and such natural disasters.

A met office spokesman, meanwhile, said BMD developed the app for smart phone users who could download it from the Google Play Store.

The application, he said, shows the latest weather information from the automatic weather monitoring centers situated in various parts of the country while one could immediately know about the latest information on air temperature, air pressure, direction, volume of rain using this app.

The app would also show the cautionary signals regarding cyclones, earthquake, agriculture weather, hydrology, cold wave, and drought-related information. Moreover, the overall weather related forecast and cautionary signaling system would be further strengthened in determining the route of storms by detecting their position, direction and severity.

"This would eventually ensure safe river and air movements and thus play an important role in reducing the extent of losses of lives and property due to natural disasters," the BMD official said.

Through unveiling of this mobile apps service, he said, the government moved one step forward towards materializing its pledge of building 'Digital Bangladesh'.

BMD officials said one has to have internet connection in smart mobile phone sets, and any user first need to go to the Google Play Store, then to the search icon and type BMD Weather App.

Then the user would have to install the app. PM's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum were present at the inaugural function joined by Principal Coordinator on Sustainable Development Goals at the PMO Md Abul Kalam Azad, Defense Ministry Senior Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal and BMD Director Shamsuddin Ahmed.

Source: BSS