GeoSphere Austria: 175 years of weather forecasting in Austria – from the Imperial and Royal era to AI

The ‘world’s oldest weather service’ is celebrating its anniversary: 2 October 1851 marks the beginning of weather forecasting in Austria. What began with an initial 43 measuring stations operated by the ‘Imperial and Royal Central Institute for Meteorology and Geomagnetism’ across the Empire has, 175 years later, evolved into GeoSphere Austria – the national meteorological service and a centre of excellence for climate research, natural hazards and the sustainable use of resources and the subsurface.

The birth of domestic weather forecasting took place on a mild autumn day in 1851. A maximum temperature of 18.9 degrees Celsius was recorded on 2 October at the weather station of the Old University in Vienna. On that day, the ‘Imperial and Royal Central Institute for Meteorological and Magnetic Observations’, whose establishment had been decreed in Emperor Franz Josef I’s own hand, commenced operations. The then director, Karl Kreil, set up a meteorological observation system for the entire Austrian Empire and also carried out the first geomagnetic survey of the country.

‘Research and observation’ have been the core remit of this institution from the very beginning. The systematic recording, centralised collection and analysis of meteorological data, together with the expansion of the observation network from an initial 43 stations (1851) to 447 in 1897, made it possible to produce increasingly accurate forecasts. European cooperation has a long-standing tradition in this field: as early as the 19th century, the weather report included observations from 60 European stations. Thanks to its long history, GeoSphere Austria now has time series stretching far back into the past, which are of particular importance for climate monitoring.

‘When an institution reaches such an age, there is a reason for it: our services are needed and are of great value to society, the economy and science,’ emphasises Andreas Schaffhauser, Scientific Director General at GeoSphere Austria. ‘Our history shows just how much we can achieve together. With dedicated staff, a passion for new ideas and a sense of optimism, we are shaping the future and building on what generations before us have created,’ emphasises Sylvia Bauer-Beck, Commercial Director General of GeoSphere Austria.

Since its inception in 1851, technological progress, increasingly powerful weather models, new possibilities for satellite-based observation and intensive European and global cooperation have fundamentally transformed weather forecasting. Today, it is based on a high-tech, globally networked communication system that relies on international cooperation and artificial intelligence just as much as on national and regional observation data and high-resolution forecast models.

Today, meteorology works hand in hand with numerous other disciplines. GeoSphere Austria’s four-tier warning system plays a central role in this. It informs the Austrian public, as well as crisis management teams and emergency services, about impending extreme events and their potential impacts. Modern warning systems increasingly go beyond simply forecasting an event: what matters is not only what happens, but also what impacts can be expected and what these mean for decision-making.

Through the European warning portal MeteoAlarm, operated by GeoSphere Austria, this warning expertise is also integrated into a network of Europe’s national meteorological services.

GeoSphere Austria currently operates just under 300 automatic weather stations throughout Austria. These provide precise information round the clock on the current state of the atmosphere – from temperature, air pressure and humidity, through wind and precipitation, to snow, visibility and duration of sunshine. Modern remote-sensing sensors are increasingly supplementing the traditional measurement network, recording vertical profiles of wind, temperature and humidity. This means that not only is the weather at ground level monitored, but also how the atmosphere is developing at different altitudes.

Modern weather forecasting is no longer based solely on individual measurements. The data is combined with weather radar and satellite data, as well as observations from international monitoring networks. This produces the most comprehensive, three-dimensional picture possible of the current state of the atmosphere.

Powerful supercomputers, ever-improving forecast models and, increasingly, artificial intelligence methods make it possible to process enormous amounts of data in a very short time and to develop an ever more accurate picture of how the weather will develop over the coming hours, days and weeks. Artificial intelligence has been used in weather forecasting for many years. ‘A complete replacement of traditional models is not yet on the horizon, but the importance of AI will continue to grow. Combining the strengths of conventional models and AI is the key challenge for the coming years,’ confirms Andreas Schaffhauser.

‘What is currently changing rapidly are the areas of application for AI,’ explains Christoph Wittmann, Head of the Analysis and Modelling Department at GeoSphere Austria. ‘Until now, AI has mainly been used for quality control and optimisation of specialised forecasts – but it is now increasingly being applied to the forecasting calculations themselves, in some cases with astonishing accuracy.’

GeoSphere Austria generates, measures and manages billions of data points every day. Making the most intelligent use of this data and providing access to high-quality datasets for a wide range of stakeholders will remain a top priority in the future.