Image Courtesy : www.facebook.com/IITGoaOfficial

The City University of New York (CUNY) has set up a solar-powered weather monitoring station at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Goa as part of a joint effort between the USA and India.

The new weather station, located at IIT Goa in Farmagudi village, South Goa, was installed recently. According to project insiders, this paves the way for similar installations in Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Neal Philip, a professor from Bronx Community College of CUNY, explained that the project received funding from the US Consulate General in Mumbai. It's a collaborative initiative between CUNY and IIT Goa, marking their inaugural project with potential for more in the future.

Philip detailed that the station is a modular system powered by solar energy. Beyond typical weather data like temperature and humidity, it also provides information about solar and UV radiation, moisture, air quality, and more. This comprehensive station goes beyond the capabilities of a standard weather station.

CUNY has plans to set up additional stations in Western India. This includes DY Patil University in Navi Mumbai and two installations in Gujarat, one of them being at Ahmedabad University.

Sharad Sinha, an associate professor at IIT Goa, noted that this project focuses on weather and climate monitoring. The weather station will be valuable for monitoring weather conditions, and it complements IIT Goa's involvement with the Goa Pollution Control Board. The station will contribute to their ongoing studies related to air quality and climate. The project is of particular significance due to IIT Goa's collaboration with the US Consulate and CUNY. Recently, a delegation of 23 faculty members and students from the US visited Goa to inaugurate the weather station project at IIT Goa.