Urgent action needed as heatwaves become more frequent; trees, greenery needed to cool urban 'heat islands'
Researchers noted that smartphones can be harnessed to forecast flash floods as well as other natural disasters.
"The sensors in our smartphones are constantly monitoring our environment including gravity, the earth's magnetic field, atmospheric pressure, light levels, humidity, temperatures, sound levels and more," said lead researcher Colin Price, Professor at the Tel Aviv University.
"Vital atmospheric data exists today on some 3 to 4 billion smartphones worldwide. This data can improve our ability to accurately forecast the weather and other natural disasters that are taking so many lives every year," he added.
In the study, published in the Journal of Atmospheric and Solar-Terrestrial Physics, the team placed four smartphones under controlled conditions and analysed the data to detect phenomena such as "atmospheric tides," which are similar to ocean tides.
They also analysed data from a UK-based app called WeatherSignal.
While the smartphones could provide real-time weather alerts through a feedback loop, the public was able to find atmospheric data on the "cloud" via an application.
This data would then be processed into real-time forecasts and returned to the users with a forecast or a warning to those in danger zones, the researchers explained.
"We can't prevent flash floods from happening, but soon we may be able to use the public's smartphone data to generate better forecasts and give these forecasts back to the public in real time via their phones," Price noted.
Urgent action needed as heatwaves become more frequent; trees, greenery needed to cool urban 'heat islands'
Writing will plumb the depths of mediocrity further unless as readers we seek uplifting themes, and as writers, we delve into our souls before punching each word down
A guide to what the programme means, who can apply, its benefits, and the participating schools
Pogacar says his current form feels good enough to carry him to a rare cycling double as he chases victory in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France
Islamabad High Court will hear appeals against conviction of Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi in £190M NCA settlement reference on May 21
The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Monday applied for arrest warrants on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity
Archer likely to feature in the first T20 against Pakistan
In the 152 Premier League matches City have played across the last four seasons, they have recorded 112 victories with just 17 defeats, racking up 372 goals