Azure Maps knows to the minute if it will rain or shine

No matter the industry, weather data makes a difference.  Companies and people alike are affected by the environment around them – everything from transportation and logistics to media and advertising, and even entertainment and gaming are all impacted by weather. With the Minute Forecast Service from the Azure Maps Weather Services, organizations can stay prepared and build innovative experiences. The Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service uses AccuWeather’s proprietary forecasts, AccuWeather MinuteCast®, which offers minute-by-minute precipitation forecasts two hours ahead of weather events.  The Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service adds a layer of personalization, allowing you to receive weather conditions hyper-localized to your location. The opportunity for every industry is limitless. Here are just a few ways you might use the Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service today.

	Logistics & Transportation Both short-term weather events, like heavy rain, as well as long-term impact events like blizzards and hurricanes can have major effects on supply chains.  Whether your business relies on ship, rail, or road, companies must plan for, monitor, and adjust when a storm strikes. The AccuWeather data set, available through Azure Maps Weather Services, is more dynamic than other public weather services, so you get localized forecasts that pinpoint any precipitation – from rain, snow, ice or mix. Increase the safety and productivity of your solutions by leveraging the Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service to plan ahead.
	Entertainment & Gaming  Did you know weather forecasting also plays a key role in the gaming industry? Obviously outdoor events can benefit from forecasted weather but so can virtual and augmented reality experiences. Weather data adds another layer of engagement and ‘reality’. It also alters the environment and gaming conditions by helping to generate “in-game” weather conditions that enhance the player’s experience no matter what level they are playing. In both cases, instant severe weather alerts can even help save lives. If the severe weather strikes, games and devices equipped with Azure Maps Weather Services can issue a severe weather alert to notify the players that they should seek shelter.
	Media & Advertising  Weather is used as contextual data to trigger media campaigns at the right time and place. Ad-tech companies use weather data for their clients to target users. With the Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service, brands and media companies can deliver an effective message and creativity that aligns, such as driving users in-store for pick up when it’s sunny and nice, and driving a delivery message when it’s rainy and gloomy. This layer of targeting can be an effective way of creating highly relevant advertising experiences for customers.

With the Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service, companies can increase safety, awareness, and engagement for their audience. As brands are building virtual experiences, they can invoke the sense of weather conditions that impact people’s emotions.  

Key highlights: 

• The Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service is powered by AccuWeather MinuteCast® to provide detailed forecasts up to 120 minutes ahead of time. 
• This unique forecast helps organizations secure business continuity and profits whenever major precipitation can interrupt scheduled plans. 
• Major industries like transportation & operations, gaming & entertainment, and media & advertising all rely on weather data to improve product offerings, protect assets and increase customer satisfaction. 

The Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service returns minute-by-minute forecasts for a given location for the next 120 minutes in 1-, 5- and 15-minute intervals. The response will include details such as the type of precipitation (including rain, snow, or a mixture of both), start time, and precipitation intensity value (dBZ). Here’s an example Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service request and response: 

Request: 

https://atlas.microsoft.com/weather/forecast/minute/json?api-version=1.1&query=43.479895,-110.769276&interval=15 

Response (abbreviated): 

{ 
    "summary": { 
        "briefPhrase60": "Rain will continue for 48 min", 
        "shortPhrase": "Rain ending in 48 min", 
        "briefPhrase": "Rain will continue for 48 min", 
        "longPhrase": "Rain will continue for 48 min", 
        "iconCode": 18 
    }, 
    "intervalSummaries": [ 
        { 
            "startMinute": 0, 
            "endMinute": 47, 
            "totalMinutes": 48, 
            "shortPhrase": "Rain ending in %minute_value min", 
            "briefPhrase": "Rain will continue for %minute_value min", 
            "longPhrase": "Rain will continue for %minute_value min", 
            "iconCode": 18 
        }, 
        { 
            "startMinute": 48, 
            "endMinute": 119, 
            "totalMinutes": 72, 
            "shortPhrase": "No precip for %MINUTE_VALUE min", 
            "briefPhrase": "No precipitation for at least %MINUTE_VALUE min", 
            "longPhrase": "No precipitation for at least %MINUTE_VALUE min", 
            "iconCode": 7 
        } 
    ], 
    "intervals": [ 
        { 
            "startTime": "2022-04-27T17:13:00-06:00", 
            "minute": 0, 
            "dbz": 36.5, 
            "shortPhrase": "Rain", 
            "threshold": "LIGHT-MODERATE", 
            "color": { 
                "red": 255, 
                "green": 205, 
                "blue": 0, 
                "hex": "#FFCD00" 
            }, 
            "simplifiedColor": { 
                "red": 255, 
                "green": 215, 
                "blue": 1, 
                "hex": "#FFD701" 
            }, 
            "precipitationType": "rain", 
            "iconCode": 18, 
            "cloudCover": 100 
        },. . . . .

Get started today using the Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service by going to the Azure portal to create an Azure Maps account and referencing the Azure Maps Minute Forecast Service technical documentation for more information.  As always, we look forward to your feedback on our Tech Community site.