00:00Energy traders are cashing in on weather forecasts, and major sectors like insurance, utilities, retail, and transportation are betting that
00:08better weather prediction could boost their bottom lines.
00:11These drones could be a big game changer.
00:14A drone from this base just climbed to about 2,000 feet straight through what meteorologists call the boundary layer.
00:21That's the layer of atmosphere closest to the ground where fog forms and storms build, and forecasts often break down
00:28because of the lack of data.
00:30Now, drones have flown weather missions for decades, but what's new is turning them into infrastructure, launching, flying, landing, recharging,
00:38and feeding that data into models using the same cheap sensors and better batteries that have reshaped modern warfare.
00:45Here in Oklahoma, that data has already helped forecasters catch details on a severe storm that produced a tornado.
00:52But it's not just about storms.
00:54Energy traders are watching this closely, too.
00:57Wind and solar now make up a growing share of the power grid, and small shifts in wind speed and
01:03moisture in this boundary layer can mean big losses on the trading floor.
01:07More precise data from this altitude could sharpen those forecasts.
01:11The same type of drones are being tested in Guam, Switzerland, Germany, and Norway, where they're helping the military predict
01:18icing that can ground their own surveillance aircraft.
01:21But the tech is outpacing regulations.
01:24Drown laws are wrapped in red tape, even for government organizations like NOAA, which provide weather forecasting.
01:31Commercial weather firms and governments see a big opportunity in a future where forecasting is automated and more accurate, with
01:38the infrastructure to match.
01:40The question is how quickly they're able to adapt to change.
01:43And you're going to talk a little bit more about the customer will go into the process of handling that's
01:43gonna be okay.
01:43It's about 10.
01:43So wait, the technology is going to be okay.
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