From 3 to 5 November 2026, the OpenWeather team joined Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC26) at Fira Barcelona Gran Via — one of the world's leading gatherings for urban innovation.
As an official Event Partner, OpenWeather contributed to the congress through three speaking engagements alongside our exhibition stand. Daniel Johns, Senior Strategic Consultant, explored the environmental sensing networks behind weather-aware cities. Dmytro Chupryna, Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, addressed weather-related road safety at an FIA-organised session and joined city and business leaders to discuss how to make partnerships work.
Together, these exchanges focused on a practical question: how can cities turn weather intelligence into better decisions, and how can technology providers help them put it to work?
Daniel Johns: environmental sensing as essential city infrastructure
On 4 November, Daniel Johns joined the roundtable “Out of Sight, but Essential: Networks, Sensors and Hidden Infrastructure” on the Impact Tech Stage. Alongside representatives from the European Space Agency, the City of Chania, the City of Atlanta and the Global Brain Economy Initiative, he highlighted the importance of environmental sensing networks within the infrastructure that enables cities to function.
Daniel’s perspective was that a city behaves like an organism: weather is an external influence, and different parts of the city respond in different ways. Measuring and modelling those responses can help city teams anticipate weather’s effects on transport demand, energy consumption and the use of public spaces, rather than simply react to them.
This makes local environmental observations relevant to everyday operations as well as extreme weather preparedness. Rain in the forecast, for example, may lead commuters to choose public transport instead of cycling or walking before the first drops fall. Understanding that response can help mobility operators plan for changing demand.
Ground-based weather stations, satellite observations, forecasting models and connected sensors provide complementary information. Collecting that data is only part of the challenge: maintaining reliable sensors, ensuring data quality and integrating observations into operational systems are equally important. These are the foundations of a weather-aware city.
Dmytro Chupryna: from weather forecasts to road safety action
Also on 4 November, Dmytro Chupryna, Head of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships, delivered “When Weather Becomes a Road Safety Risk: From Forecasting to Action” at a session organised by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global governing body for motor sport and federation for mobility organisations worldwide.
His presentation focused on turning weather information into practical decisions that improve road safety. Rain, snow, ice, fog and sudden temperature changes can alter road risk rapidly. The value of a forecast comes when road authorities, infrastructure operators and mobility services can use it to anticipate those risks and decide how to respond.
For OpenWeather, this connects high-resolution forecasts, local monitoring technologies and integrated weather solutions with the operational challenges faced by road and transport teams. The presentation prompted conversations about the role of weather intelligence in road safety and potential opportunities for collaboration.
On 5 November, Dmytro also contributed to “GCoM Smart City Dialogue: Making City–Business Partnerships Work” at the EU Pavilion. The moderated roundtable focused on participants’ experience of working with cities, bringing the practical relationship between city authorities and businesses into the discussion.
Dmytro shared OpenWeather’s perspective on working with cities. The exchange complemented the technical discussions elsewhere at the congress: putting weather intelligence into practice also depends on how city teams and technology providers work together.
What we heard at our stand
Throughout the three days, our team met representatives of municipalities, infrastructure operators, technology companies and international organisations from Europe and beyond.
Several topics emerged repeatedly:
- Local environmental monitoring. Cities increasingly need reliable weather observations at the locations where operational decisions are made, rather than relying solely on distant reference stations.
- Flood monitoring and early warnings. Combining rainfall forecasts with local water-level observations can help authorities identify developing risks earlier.
- Weather intelligence for digital twins. Urban planning and engineering platforms are looking to incorporate environmental data into simulations, risk assessments and operational tools.
- Using existing infrastructure for monitoring. Street lighting, road signage and other connected infrastructure can provide opportunities to expand environmental sensing networks.
- Climate adaptation and resilience. Cities and consultancies are seeking better ways to use weather and climate information to support long-term infrastructure planning.
Building a weather-aware city requires more than collecting environmental data. Cities need to connect local observations, reliable forecasts and expert insights with the systems and services that support everyday decisions. OpenWeather's Integrated Weather Solutions bring these elements together through four interconnected components:
Stations and sensors. OpenWeather weather stations, air-quality and environmental sensors provide reliable local observations. Cities can build dense monitoring networks while integrating existing equipment from other manufacturers.
Monitoring and control. OpenWeather Hydra enables cities to connect and manage their stations and sensors, collect environmental data and control access and data sharing. Existing monitoring systems can be integrated, while equipment and data remain under the authority's ownership and control.
Weather data and forecasts. OpenWeather's high-resolution weather models, forecasts, historical datasets, alerts and APIs provide the intelligence needed to anticipate changing conditions and support operational planning. The platform can also incorporate data and forecasts from other providers.
Meteorological expertise. OpenWeather's meteorological bureau complements technology with expert analysis, tailored reports and operational advice, helping city teams interpret weather information and translate it into practical decisions.
Our approach is open and modular. Cities retain control of their infrastructure and data, with the flexibility to integrate technologies, data sources and services from different providers as their needs evolve.
Daniel’s contribution on environmental sensing, Dmytro’s road safety presentation and his participation in the GCoM city–business dialogue brought three connected questions into focus: what cities need to measure, how weather information can support action, and how public and private sector partners can work together. These conversations, alongside the exchanges at our stand, will inform our continuing discussions with cities, technology providers and potential partners.
Our thanks to everyone who visited our stand, attended the sessions and shared their ideas and challenges with us, and we look forward to exploring how OpenWeather can help build safer, smarter and more weather-aware cities.
Interested in bringing weather intelligence into your city's infrastructure or operations?