IBM Buy Brings Weather Data to Watson

IBM is not just partnering with The Weather Company, but buying most of its assets. Data from its B2B, mobile and cloud-based web properties will be integrated into IBM Watson's new IoT Unit and IoT Cloud platform.

Just last week, Big Blue announced the launch of a range of services using analytic models to find and exploit signals within the 'noise' of data sets, using a mass of real-time data from partners Twitter and The Weather Company. Now it is bringing in WSI, weather.com, Weather Underground and The Weather Company brand, including 'the world's leading meteorological data science experts, and precision forecasting capabilities'. The Weather Channel television segment is not included in the buy but will license weather forecast data and analytics from IBM under a long-term contract.

The Weather Company's dynamic cloud data platform powers the fourth most-used mobile app daily in the United States. In a single day, it handles 26 billion enquiries to its cloud-based services, and analyzes and models data from three billion weather forecast reference points, more than 40 million smartphones and 50,000 airplane flights - data which all adds up to 'seven times the volume [handled by] the world's leading search engine', according to the firm. Weather Company properties provides a range of data-driven products and services to more than 5000 clients in the media, aviation, energy, insurance and government sectors. IBM says it will advance The Weather Company's digital advertising platform and skills to build additional ad-sponsored consumer and business solutions.

John Kelly, SVP IBM Solutions Portfolio and Research. Enthuses: 'The Weather Company's extremely high-volume data platform, coupled with IBM's global cloud and the advanced cognitive computing capabilities of Watson, will be unsurpassed in the Internet of Things, providing our clients significant competitive advantage as they link their business and sensor data with weather and other pertinent information in real time'.

David Kenny, Chairman and CEO of The Weather Company adds: 'Upon closing of this deal, The Weather Company will continue to be able to help improve the precision of weather forecasts and further deepen IBM's Watson IoT capabilities by enabling the integration of global atmosphere and weather insights with enterprise information to create disruptive industry solutions that optimize decision-making'.

The firms did not disclose what IBM will pay previous owners The Blackstone Group, Bain Capital and NBCUniversal, for the assets. The acquisition is subject to conditions and clearance and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2016.

Web sites: www.ibm.com and www.theweathercompany.com .