China has unveiled a major upgrade to its \u201cMAZU\u201d early warning system, a cloud-based meteorological platform designed to help countries, particularly developing nations, better predict and respond to extreme weather events, according to Xinhua News Agency.<\/p>\n
The development comes as the world prepares for a potential El Ni\u00f1o event expected as early as May\u2013July 2026, as forecast by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).<\/p>\n
The system, named \u201cMAZU\u201d after the Sea Goddess in Minnan culture, is described as the world\u2019s first national-level action plan aligned with the United Nations\u2019 Early Warnings for All initiative, said Chen Zhenlin, head of the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), at a press briefing on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Chen said that since 2024, meteorological agencies in more than 40 countries have accessed the MAZU platform via the cloud. Customized versions have already been deployed in countries including Pakistan and Ethiopia.<\/p>\n
An expert from the Pakistan Meteorological Department, Sohail Babar Cheema, noted that the cloud-based system allows real-time access to weather information from any region of the country, significantly improving monitoring capabilities.<\/p>\n
Last week, the CMA introduced an upgraded version of MAZU and delivered customised systems to Jordan and Sri Lanka. The enhanced platform includes additional overseas cloud service nodes, improving system speed sixfold and reducing data response time by seven times, thereby increasing stability and efficiency for users across Africa and South Asia.<\/p>\n
According to the CMA, the system integrates multiple artificial intelligence-based forecasting models and performs better than several internationally advanced systems in areas such as heavy rainfall prediction.<\/p>\n
Officials from partner countries also highlighted its impact. Jordan Meteorological Department Director General Raed Rafid said the system helps address weather-related challenges such as floods, droughts, heatwaves and cold spells. Sri Lanka\u2019s Department of Meteorology Director General Athula Karunanayake described MAZU as a \u201ctransformative advancement\u201d that improves forecasting accuracy and disaster response through local data integration and training.<\/p>\n
China has also pledged to deepen cooperation with United Nations agencies in disaster relief, climate action, food security and humanitarian assistance, while continuing to upgrade the MAZU system to meet the needs of different regions, Chen added.<\/p>\n
World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo has expressed support for expanding MAZU globally, particularly in developing countries, to strengthen early warning systems and disaster risk reduction capacity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
China has unveiled a major upgrade to its \u201cMAZU\u201d early warning system, a cloud-based meteorological platform designed to help countries, particularly developing nations, better predict and respond to extreme weather events, according to Xinhua News Agency. The development comes as the world prepares for a potential El Ni\u00f1o event expected as early as May\u2013July 2026, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":74089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30,17],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[213],"class_list":{"0":"post-74088","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-latest","8":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n