The Meteo-Parapente Model ✨
Most weather apps display the same forecasts: GFS, AROME, ICON, ECMWF... These models are disseminated by national meteorological organizations.
The Different Approach of Meteo-Parapente
Our forecasts come from the HREM (High Resolution European Model), specifically developed for Meteo-Parapente and produced by our team.
We compare it to a giant Lego set, an assembly of data sources and codes from the scientific community, selected and modified for our use. To this, we add our expertise in data processing and assimilation, as well as AI-related innovations.
Unique Features
The HREM model has unique features in the market:
High Resolution
It is a regional model capable of resolving convection, similar to the AROME, ICON-D2, COSMO, HIRLAM models. The resolution of the main area is 2.5 km.
Extensive Geographic Coverage
The high-resolution area covers a large part of Europe, from Portugal to the British Isles, and from Sicily to Poland.
The medium-resolution area (7.5 km) extends from the Canary Islands to Iceland, and from Libya to Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
Visibility up to 5 Days (new ✨)
National models available in other applications, such as AROME or ICON, are limited to 48 hours. Beyond that, global low-resolution models must be consulted, which do not capture local details like valleys or coastlines.
Meteo-Parapente offers forecasts up to 5 days while maintaining the same high resolution. This allows for effective comparison of forecasts at different time horizons and understanding the impact of the global trend on the local situation.
Of course, forecast reliability decreases over time. High resolution can introduce noise and drifts, amplified each day. To limit this, we use exclusive AI-based technology, synchronizing our high-resolution model with the global model. This allows us to provide high-resolution forecasts up to 5 days, limiting drift without compromise.
Updated 4 Times a Day
The model is updated 4 times a day.
Here are the approximate update times:
(Central European Summer Time, UTC+2. Subtract 1 hour in winter).
Current day:
- 1:30 AM
- 7:30 AM
- 1:30 PM
Day+1:
- 2:30 AM
- 8:30 AM
- 2:30 PM
- 8:30 PM
Day+2:
- 3:30 AM
- 9:30 AM
- 3:30 PM
- 9:30 PM
Day+3:
- 4:30 AM
- 10:30 AM
- 4:30 PM
- 10:30 PM
Day+4:
- 5:30 AM
- 11:30 AM
- 5:30 PM
- 11:30 PM
These times may vary by +/- 1 hour depending on weather conditions. Calculations are more complex and take longer when the weather is disrupted.
The update time for each day is visible in the app by clicking on the time setting wheel at the bottom of the map.
Significant Resources
Operating our system requires a massive amount of calculations. We now have our own high-performance computing center, having purchased a supercomputer second-hand from a German university. This provides us with the necessary capacity.
When you check our forecasts, know that more than a hundred powerful computers are working continuously, 24/7, to produce them. We also have a GPU machine cluster dedicated to artificial intelligence, coupled with 1 petabyte (1000 TB) of various meteorological data storage, used for training and validating the system.
Always Doing More with Less
Our motto has always been "doing more with less." We put all our ingenuity into offering maximum resources at your disposal.
It's not about saving money, but about being extremely efficient. We optimize a lot, allowing us to offer such an advanced model despite having far fewer resources than our competitors and national organizations. This effort allows us to offer a low and affordable price: only €3 per month. This price has not changed for almost 10 years, despite inflation.
An Environmentally Friendly Model
Decarbonized Energy
Energy optimization is essential to increase our resources.
Our electricity consumption is very high, with a bill of several thousand euros per month.
We chose to implement our calculations in France, one of the least carbonized energy countries in Europe. The electricity powering our calculations mainly comes from nuclear, hydroelectric (very present in our region), and solar sources.
We built our own 15 kW photovoltaic plant, exclusively dedicated to powering the calculations. This allows us to "do more with less," thanks to savings made and reducing our carbon footprint.
Reduce and Reuse
Our calculation servers are cooled with Immersion Cooling technology, where machines are literally immersed in a non-conductive liquid. This system reduces server electricity consumption by 10 to 20% by eliminating fans. It also avoids the need for air conditioning to dissipate machine heat. We achieve an exceptional PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) below 1.05, compared to the industry average of 1.58.
And we go even further: the heat is recovered in a hot water circuit, thanks to an exchanger, to supply heating and hot water to the adjacent building. Everything is valued, to "do more with less."
A Positive Impact
Finally, our impact on the environment is largely positive...
Our forecasts help you optimize your activities and avoid unnecessary travel. Every kilometer we save you is a victory for the environment.