Zomato on Wednesday announced a new initiative called ‘Weather Union’, which provides hyperlocal real-time information on key weather parameters such as temperature, humidity, wind speed, and rainfall. The service is currently available in 45 cities and will be rolled out to other Indian cities very soon.
The real-time weather data comes from more than 650 on-ground weather stations. According to the company’s website, these solar-powered stations, resembling old-timey lamp posts, are deployed at premises of several Zomato employees. Though, anyone can sign up on the website to host these weather stations at their premises.
“This rich data holds significant potential in unlocking weather use cases for enterprises and research institutes. Having already collaborated with CAS – IIT Delhi, we expect more institutions and companies to benefit from this and contribute to the greater good of our economy,” said Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal in a post.
He also stated that Weather Union is available for free (via an API) to all institutions and companies in the country.
“… as a Zomato Giveback, we are opening up access to this data to everyone for public good. Multiple companies and public institutions should use real-time weather data to boost the productivity of our economy,” he added.
According to the website, the infrastructure can be useful for various purposes, ranging from supply chain stability, business operations optimization, to demand management. Some of the sectors that can benefit, according to Zomato, are ride-hailing, e-commerce, logistics, and real estate.
While API access is free, Zomato notes that server costs of API usages by an enterprise are “super high”, and the company might ask them to pay some amount to continue using the API.
That said, Zomato keeps experimenting with different product features.
For instance, it has been trialing a new service wherein the company ensures last-mile delivery for office-goers through a stationed team. The service seems to be an attempt to streamline deliveries inside tech and corporate parks to ensure timely deliveries and save riders’ time. It also reduces the hassle for an employee in collecting the food, as many offices do not allow delivery partners beyond the reception area.
Last month, Goyal announced an all-electric fleet tailored to accommodate large orders for gatherings of up to 50 people.
