Chennai, May 06 2026: SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram launched the Mission Mausam Urban Testbed and observational facilities, developed by Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, at its Ramapuram campus in Chennai on Wednesday.
The Urban Testbed, the only such facility in the Chennai region, will monitor aerosols, clouds, precipitation, atmospheric dynamics, and thermodynamic parameters across the city to enhance monsoon prediction, nowcasting, and early warnings of severe weather.
Mission Mausam, an initiative of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, aims to enhance disaster preparedness and strengthen climate services for key sectors such as agriculture, water resources, aviation, and energy, with the goal of making India a weather-ready and climate-smart nation.
The Urban Testbeds, established by IITM (Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, (An autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India) Pune, feature dense surface observations through automatic weather stations, along with volumetric measurements using radars and profilers that track wind, temperature, relative humidity, aerosols, clouds, and precipitation. These datasets enable researchers to better understand atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, and physio-chemical processes driving severe weather, while also supporting accurate nowcasting solutions.
Dr. M. Ravichandran, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences, inaugurated the facility in the presence of Dr. A. Suryachandra Rao, Director, IITM, Pune; Dr. R. Shivakumar, Chairman, SRMIST, Ramapuram ,Chennai & Trichy ; Dr. Thara Prabhakaran, Project Director, IITM; and Dr. M. Sakthi Ganesh, Dean (E&T), SRMIST, along with directors and heads of partner institutions.
The event also marked the inauguration of SRMIST’s Centre for Atmospheric Sciences Research and Innovation, along with the signing of an MoU between SRMIST and IITM, a premier central government institute engaged in fundamental research in weather, monsoon, and climate sciences. The MoU will facilitate collaboration in research and academic activities in the field of weather and climate sciences.
In his comments, Dr. Shivakumar said, “We are proud to host the Chennai Urban Testbed and an urban aerosol observational facility at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram, and we thank IITM and the Ministry of Earth Sciences for choosing SRMIST for this important national initiative. Our Ramapuram campus is strategically located within Chennai’s urban landscape to document urban aerosol properties.
The Urban Testbed will serve as a representative site, supporting urban weather services and strengthening nowcasting and forecasting, particularly kilometre-scale models. This partnership and the new facilities will significantly enhance research capabilities, foster academic collaboration, and advance understanding of weather and climate, enabling innovative, multidisciplinary applications that will benefit Chennai and beyond.”
Dr. Sakthi Ganesh added, “Urban areas face increasing challenges from severe weather, with greater population exposure and impact across critical service sectors. Mission Mausam seeks to address these challenges by integrating observations, numerical models, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, along with social sciences, within a collaborative ecosystem. The Urban Testbed at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram, will play a vital role by generating high-resolution, location-specific data on key meteorological parameters.
This will significantly improve nowcasting and forecasting, particularly in densely populated urban environments like Chennai, and support better preparedness for extreme weather events. The facilities will also offer valuable opportunities for our students and research scholars to undertake advanced research and academic projects.”
