SM to provide weather forecasts in malls

MANILA, Philippines - Malls can now provide weather forecasts to the public.

SM Supermalls has installed an automated weather system in its 49 malls nationwide, enabling the public to plan their activities ahead of time and save lives and properties.

Annie Garcia, president of SM Supermalls, said anyone who wants to get the latest weather forecasts may log in at www.weather.com.ph<http://www. weather.com.ph> and enter SM and the mall of their choice. They will immediately be given a five-day weather forecast concerning the locality where the mall is located.

They will also be provided with details on weather conditions such as temperature, amount of rain, humidity, dew point and wind speed and direction.

The web application may be accessed by using any android or Internet-capable phone.

The five-day forecast is taken from the 49 Automated Weather Stations installed last year in different SM malls all over the country. SM is the only mall in the country with an AWS.

Garcia said the installation of the AWS was made through SM’s partnership with the Weather Philippine Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization that helps local government units monitor weather conditions in their locality.

The technology employed in the AWS came from MeteoMedia, a meteorological company that started in the Netherlands and which provides innovations in weather analysis and forecasts.

“This continuing partnership is part of our commitment to promote disaster risk reduction management in all our malls. This will not only help in monitoring weather conditions through the AWS but we are stepping it up by making the information available to everyone, especially our customers, to help them plan their days,” Garcia said.

Lisa Silerio, SM’s vice president for operations and head of the environmental committee, said the web application is especially useful at this time of extreme weather conditions affecting the country and the world.

“The typhoons we experienced the past several years, especially last year when Yolanda hit the Visayas, are a great lesson to all of us to be more prepared and heed the warnings being made. This is one of our contributions to help the Filipino people be informed of the weather conditions way ahead of time and ultimately save lives,” Silerio added.

Two SM malls in Marikina and Muntinlupa were featured in the recently concluded United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction Global Platform for Disaster Reduction in Geneva, Switzerland. These malls served as examples of best practices in disaster risk reduction, readiness and resilience for businesses.