Vancouver’s grain problem It surprised many people around the world to learn that rain may delay grain shipment at the Port of Vancouver. The prospect of rain delaying the loading of millions of tonnes of grain from farmers took aback many Canadians. Since when does it not rain in Vancouver? The problem, though, is that the answer doesn’t appear to be so straightforward. Indeed, difficulties have increased since 2007, when arbitrators acknowledged longshore employees’ reasonable safety concerns about operating around open hatches on cargo ships during rainy and slippery conditions. Terminal operators are now responsible for the safety of their employees, which includes more than just laying down tarps to keep the grain dry but also erecting rails and barriers to prevent anyone from falling into the hold. It takes the same time to assemble each time, and to disassemble each time. The farm-gate price of grain is effectively used to subsidize a large amount of non-value-added labor in the grain system. When it rains, rather than making that massive investment of labor, terminals typically cease loading and wait for the rain to stop. Obviously, that’s not an effective method. The good news is that the federal government will soon meet with the many stakeholders in the grain-handling system to work out a plan to address the crisis. The federal government is unhappy about the congestion in the port, as it contributes to higher prices, creates pollution, and poses risks to the local community. Grain transportation by ship is a significant contributor to the issue. Even though it seems likely that it will continue to rain every day in Vancouver, there’s no reason we can’t come up with a good way to deal with the problems that come with running a grain-loading port in a wet climate. Finding a fast, simple, and inexpensive way to shield the hatches of cargo ships from the rain while they load grain is likely to be a maze fraught with many baffling difficulties. It seems unlikely that terminal managers, ship captains, and longshore workers would rather watch the rain than get their jobs done. It’s also difficult to believe we can’t figure out how to fix this ridiculous situation.  

How Can AI Help Prevent Such Issues?

Futurists who are enthusiastic about their potential benefits have discussed AI, nanotechnology, 3D printing, and VR in great detail. The following are some current AI-based weather forecasting options:  

DeepMind

Artificial intelligence (AI) developed by DeepMind has improved upon conventional methods of weather forecasting. The current state of weather forecasting allows for the prediction of conditions for several days in the future. However, for the next hour, they will be in the dark. However, the DeepMind model is not the point. The tool allows users to fill in the blanks with relevant information and provides advance notice of potential weather pattern shifts. Probes measure rainfall in one-kilometer squares, and the system updates its totals every five minutes based on the data it receives. The system then does a twenty-minute analysis using generative modeling based on the current conditions. After that, we’ll make a forecast for the subsequent couple of hours.  

NowCast

Google developed the second system, which uses AI similarly to the first. With a resolution of 1 kilometer, it may foretell rain up to 6 hours in advance. In the past, when forecasting took more than a day, meteorologists used time-consuming, inefficient procedures. Also, the weather report we got is probably based on old information, so we can assume that it is wrong.  

GRAF

Not to be forgotten is GRAF (Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting System). The DYEUS supercomputer, built with a virtual global weather model in mind, is at the center of this adaptable, high-precision weather forecasting system. Not only did the computer pull data from weather radars, probes, and satellites, but also from sensors on board the plane and smartphones all across the world. Naturally, only with the users’ permission. GRAF’s forecast will be updated every hour rather than every 6–12 hours, and it will be possible to specify the weather for a region 3–4 km wide. In the not-too-distant future, we can expect these technologies to have advanced further. Canadian cargo loaders can put them to good use, reducing the frequency with which we see such bizarre reports.