This story is part of “How Does It Work?” — The Better India’s series that takes the everyday things you see, use and rely on, and uncovers the clever technology, design and sustainable thinking that makes them work better. From the objects in your home to the systems around you, we break down the ideas behind them in simple, easy-to-understand language. Because innovation isn’t always about futuristic machines or complicated technology. Sometimes, it’s hiding in the things we use every day.

Look at a satellite image of a cyclone, and you will see enormous bands of clouds spiralling over the ocean. What looks like a swirling mass of white clouds is actually a complex weather system, powered by warm seawater and shaped by winds moving thousands of metres above the Earth.

Predicting where this storm will travel, how strong it will become, and whether it will make landfall is no small feat. Yet, today, satellites and artificial intelligence (AI) are helping scientists make these forecasts faster and more accurately, giving communities valuable time to prepare.

In India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) uses satellites such as INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR to monitor cyclones. In 2025, satellite imagery helped track weather systems, including Cyclone Montha, which crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast as a severe cyclonic storm.

But how do machines in space and AI models on Earth work together to forecast a storm that has not yet reached the coast?

Step 1: Satellites keep an eye on the ocean

The first step is........

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