Subseasonal-to-Seasonal Weather Forecasting with Sam Levang from Salient Predictions

Advanced weather forecasts are the new frontier in meteorology. Long-term forecasting has garnered significant attention due to its potential to provide valuable insights to various sectors of society and the economy. In today’s episode, Sam Levang, Chief Scientist at Salient, joins me to discuss Salient’s innovative approach to weather forecasting. Salient specializes in providing highly accurate subseasonal-to-seasonal weather forecasts ranging from 2 to 52 weeks in advance.

In our conversation, we discuss the ins and outs of the company’s innovative approach to weather forecasting. We delve into the hurdles of subseasonal-to-seasonal forecasting, how machine learning is replacing traditional weather modeling approaches, and the various inputs it uses. Discover the value of machine learning for post-processing of data, the type of data the company utilizes, and why it uses probabilistic models in its approach. Gain insights into how Salient is catering to the impacts of climate change in its weather predictions, the company’s approach to validation, how AI has made it all possible, and much more!

Key Points:

• Sam's background in science and the creation of Salient.
• Hear how Salient is revolutionizing weather forecasting and why.
• How Salient is utilizing machine learning in its forecasting models.
• Examples of the data and models the company uses.
• The challenges of working with weather data to build models.
• Explore why Salient also uses probabilistic models in its approach.
• Salient’s approach to validation and how it deals with data uncertainty.
• Ways AI has made the company’s approach to forecasting possible. 
• He shares advice for leaders of other AI-powered startups.

Quotes:

“Salient produces weather forecasts that extend further into the future than most people are used to seeing. We go up to a year in advance.” — Sam Levang

“ML (Machine Learning) models have proved to be actually a very effective replacement for the traditional approach to weather modeling.” — Sam Levang

“The only difference about making forecasts longer timescales of weeks and months ahead is that there are some differences in the particular parts of the climate system that provide the most predictability.” — Sam Levang

“While ML and AI are extremely powerful tools, they are still just tools and there's so much else that goes into building a really valuable product, or a service, or a company.” — Sam Levang

Links:

Sam Levang on LinkedIn 

Salient

Resources for Computer Vision Teams:

LinkedIn – Connect with Heather.

Computer Vision Insights Newsletter – A biweekly newsletter to help bring the latest machine learning and computer vision research to applications in people and planetary health.

Computer Vision Strategy Session – Not sure how to advance your computer vision project? Get unstuck with a clear set of next steps. Schedule a 1 hour strategy session now to advance your project.

Foundation Model Assessment – Foundation models are popping up everywhere – do you need one for your proprietary image dataset? Get a clear perspective on whether you can benefit from a domain-specific foundation model.