On March 20, 2025, The Weather Company (TWC) announced it is now the first operational user of the Joint Effort for Data Assimilation Integration (JEDI). JEDI is a groundbreaking weather forecasting framework developed by the Joint Center for Satellite Data Assimilation (JCSDA) and hosted by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR).
The Weather Company’s adoption of JEDI affirms their commitment to pushing the boundaries of weather science and technology to help improve weather-based decision making. TWC is implementing JEDI with its global high-resolution atmospheric forecasting system (GRAF), which updates 6 times more frequently and has up to 3 times the resolution compared to other global models.
Initial internal tests indicate up to a 15% improvement in forecast accuracy when JEDI is implemented into GRAF. As the team continues to upgrade and advance the system, the improved data assimilation will enable material improvement in forecast accuracy and next-day forecast skill for years to come.
JEDI enables TWC to incorporate more types of weather observations into their model, such as specialized satellite observations, five-second updating data from aircraft, and mobile device pressure readings.
Lastly, JEDI will allow ensemble modeling, meaning the models can produce multiple forecast runs and provide a range of potential outcomes. Ensembles can be crucial for critical decision making based on weather.
