Hyderabad teen’s Rs 68,000 device tracks weather where networks fail

Hyderabad: A Class 12 student from Hyderabad has developed a satellite-based weather receiver that downloads cloud images to track weather in Himalayan villages.

Agam Jain, a student of Indus International School, developed the Summit Sathi device, which costs about Rs 68,000 per unit.

According to a report by Hans India, three such devices will be deployed across 10 villages in Seraj Valley of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh.

The programme seeks to improve access to weather information in remote mountain communities, where poor network coverage makes it difficult to receive warnings during emergencies. While weather applications need the internet to function, Summit Sathi captures cloud images from weather satellites as they pass over an area. Users can access the satellite imagery even when mobile networks and internet services are down.

The device could become a major source of weather information for remote Himalayan villages, where geographical constraints often disrupt communications. Timely weather information is essential for mountain communities, especially during periods of heavy rainfall. When communication services fail, satellite images can still be used to observe the weather.

The report states that three local operators have already been trained to run the equipment. Having locally trained operators is expected to help communities run the devices and access satellite images whenever needed.