HELSINKI - A Finnish company has signed a $1.4-million deal with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to provide 60 hi-tech automatic weather stations (AWS) and equipment to predict weather accurately during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Vaisala, which has been developing environmental and industrial instruments for the past 70 years and was roped in for the Beijing Olympics last year, will provide the weather stations and equipment, said Martti Husu, the firm’s vice president.

“The weather stations will give accurate minute-to-minute weather related data during the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The weather forecast will play a crucial role in deciding venue and time for the games,” Husu told visiting Indian journalists here.

The equipment will measure six parameters — wind, air pressure, temperature, relative humidity, rain and precipitation. In addition, measurements can be taken of multi-level soil temperature, moisture, global and solar radiation, water level and temperature.

According to the Met Department, the equipment will provide updated and accurate weather forecasts to all 14 venues and training camps during the games.

“Our equipment will be put up at 60 locations in Delhi and the National Capital Region. It is a portable equipment weighing just about 15 kg with five basic sensors and a solar panel,” said Husu.

In India, the company has tied up with HBE, which provided technology solutions, for training Met officials in handling the equipment and for after sale services. The ministry of earth sciences intends to spend $400 million to upgrade weather forecasting equipment across the country over the next five years.

It is also bidding for supplying weather detection radars, high resolution weather stations, wind profilers that detect wind speed and direction, upper air station and developing high resolution numerical weather forecasting model.

“We launched our Indian operations in June 2008. The country has progressive and a large investment market in the meteorological field. Since the government has announced massive investment for weather forecasting, we are really looking to get some major projects,” Husu said.

Vaisala, he said, was also seeking tie-ups in areas like solutions for the Central Water Commission, the National Highways Authority of India, Power Grid Corp of India, the defence forces, as also with hydro and solar power plants and heavy industries.