Kandilli research institute digitizes 115 years of climate data with AI support

ISTANBUL

Boğaziçi University’s Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute is digitizing more than a century of meteorological records using artificial intelligence, preserving one of Türkiye’s longest continuous climate datasets and making it accessible for scientific research and public use.

Launched in April last year, the project focuses on converting analog graphical records collected since 1911 into digital data.

These records include temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, humidity, wind and sunshine duration, and the initiative is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Speaking at an event held at the institute’s campus in Üsküdar, Meteorology Laboratory Chief Ayfer Serap Söğüt said meteorological data plays a critical role beyond daily weather monitoring, adding that AI-supported analysis will improve the accuracy of climate projections.

Atakan Çelebi, Istanbul director of the Turkish State Meteorological Service, described the dataset as “Türkiye’s climate memory,” noting that long-term records make it possible to track climate change trends more clearly.

The institute’s director, Professor Dr. Özer Çinicioğlu, highlighted the importance of Kandilli’s uninterrupted observations, particularly as data collection elsewhere in Istanbul has occasionally been inconsistent.

He emphasized that these records are not merely the property of a single institution but part of the collective memory of society.

Experts at the event emphasized that long-term, high-resolution datasets are crucial for analyzing extreme weather events and assessing disaster risks.

Once digitized, the data will be reanalyzed using AI and data science methods, supporting research on climate change, atmospheric dynamics and extreme events.

By making the digitized data accessible to researchers and public institutions, the project aims to support decision-making processes in strategic areas such as disaster management, agriculture, water management and urban planning.