MOL PLUS, the investment arm of Japanese shipping company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), reports that it has made an additional investment in Kyoto-based Metro Weather, marking its third backing of the Doppler LiDAR developer.
Metro Weather was founded in 2015 and provides atmospheric observation devices, meteorological data services, and weather-related IoT solutions.
The firm is currently developing compact 3D wind measurement technology for real-time detection of atmospheric conditions. The system uses Doppler LiDAR to visualise wind gusts and turbulence in three dimensions.
MOL PLUS says the additional funding reflects its belief in the wider industrial potential of the technology, with plans to support its application in sectors aligned with the MOL Group’s business, including shipping and logistics.
The company notes that Metro Weather is also working on object detection capabilities using the same LiDAR-based approach.
MOL PLUS says that it aims to promote the broader adoption of wind measurement and prediction technologies by applying this innovation to new use cases across the group.
