Computer Integrated Systems Design for Severe Weather
SureWx Inc. runs a computer integrated systems design practice that turns raw atmospheric telemetry into decisions people can act on. From our observatory floor at 8770 W Bryn Mawr Ave Ste 1300 # 174 in Chicago, we pair modelling code with instrument hardware so the numbers arrive while the sky is still undecided. Compare the full service line on our services page →
Anvil Cloud Chart
Chart Table — Storm Cell Map
Hail Pad and Code Cards
What the Observatory Does
Every organisation that runs people, aircraft, roofs or power lines in open weather needs the same thing: a reliable reading of the cell that is coming, delivered early enough to matter. SureWx Inc. exists to supply that reading. We are a computer integrated systems design company, which means we do not only write software and we do not only install hardware. We design the whole integrated path, from the lightning antenna on the mast to the alert that lands on a dispatcher screen, and we keep every joint of that path honest.
The observatory metaphor is not decoration for us. Our engineers literally chart anvil clouds, ring a warning bell when a front turns dangerous, and re-measure hail pads after every event. That discipline of instruments and records is what keeps our forecasts accountable. When a storm cell moves faster than the model expected, we want to know exactly which instrument told us so and by how many minutes the warning arrived first.
Tracking is the heartbeat of the observatory. We plot convective cells as they are born, follow their motion vector minute by minute, and publish a forecast track that operators can compare against reality. Because we integrate our own detection code with partner radar and satellite feeds, a single cell is never described by one sensor alone. The map on the chart table is a consensus, and the consensus is refreshed continuously.
Teams who need the tracked cell inside their own tooling move on to Lightning Network Feeds and Data API Integration, where the same cell objects are exposed as clean structured records rather than pictures.
A forecast is only as good as the pipe that carries it. We design that pipe end to end, including the failure modes. If a feed drops, the observatory knows within seconds and the downstream alert degrades gracefully instead of silently going dark.
Read the cell. Ring the bell. Keep the field ahead clear.
Six Reports on the Ladder
Each pad below is a working report nailed to the ladder at its own width and height, the way an observatory actually hangs field records. Together they describe the complete SureWx Inc. service line. Follow any pad through to the services page for the full technical description.
We follow convective cells from first echo to dissipation, publishing a motion vector and an arrival window that updates every minute. Operators see where the cell is, where it is going and how confident the track is. The product is designed for dispatch rooms that must commit resources before the sky makes the decision for them.
Ground and total lightning detections stream into the observatory from a fused network of sensors. We clean, geolocate and time-align the strikes, then publish a feed that is ready for machine consumption. Sudden jumps in strike rate are treated as the leading edge of a strengthening cell and flagged the moment they appear.
Hail pads and observer reports are logged, measured and mapped against the storm track. Each event carries a stone size estimate, a time stamp and a location, so claims teams and growers can reconstruct what fell where. The record survives long after the cell has moved on, which is exactly what an audit needs.
Pilots and flight planners receive plain-language briefings that highlight convective risk along the intended route rather than dumping a wall of charts. We combine the tracked cell, the lightning picture and the hail record into a briefing that a crew can read in the minutes before departure. Nothing is buried and nothing is dressed up.
Our structured weather data is exposed through a documented API so it can live inside your own systems. We handle authentication, rate limits and schema stability, and we design the integration with you rather than handing over a key. This is the integrated systems work at its most practical, and it is where many clients spend most of their time with us.
A warning that nobody receives is not a warning. We configure the final mile, choosing the channels that reach your people, tuning thresholds so alerts stay meaningful, and testing the whole path until it is boring. The goal is an alert that arrives early, says something useful and does not cry wolf.
SureWx Inc. opens its winter nowcasting onboarding for operators who want the storm read before the front crosses the field.
Inside the Observatory
Most weather products appear to the user as a single screen. Behind that screen sits a chain of instruments, models and delivery systems, and the quality of the final warning depends on every link. We build and maintain the whole chain, and we document it so that nobody has to guess what happened when a forecast performed well or badly.
Lightning antennas, radar returns, satellite imagery and ground observer reports all arrive at the observatory. We fuse them into one view so that no single instrument can dominate the picture by mistake.
Our tracking code follows each cell, estimates its strength and extrapolates a track. Hail and lightning signals refine the estimate, and the chart table shows the result as a set of moving contours.
The finished reading leaves the observatory as a briefing, an API record or an alert. Delivery is designed, tested and monitored, because the last mile is where most weather systems quietly fail.
Construction crews, aviation operators, utility field teams, event organisers, growers and insurers all have one thing in common. They cannot halt the world while a forecast is fetched. Our services are shaped around that constraint. Storm cell tracking and lightning network feeds run continuously, hail reporting builds a durable record, and aviation weather briefings compress the same data into something a crew can read fast.
Weather is not a background concern for the people we serve. A single severe cell can stop a pour, ground a flight, or send a crew scrambling to protect exposed assets. The observatory exists so that the decision moment is informed rather than reactive.
We also believe a forecast should be able to explain itself. Every alert and briefing we issue can be traced back to the instruments and logic that produced it, which makes our work auditable and our mistakes learnable. That habit of accountability is the reason clients return season after season.
Choosing the Right Service
Most new clients start with storm cell tracking because it is the clearest entry into the observatory, then add lightning network feeds when they want finer timing. Teams with exposed assets often pair tracking with alert delivery setup so the timing gap closes. Aviation operators tend to take briefings directly, while software teams reach for data API integration so the same readings power internal dashboards. Hail reporting tends to arrive with the insurance and agriculture use cases, where the record matters as much as the warning. Whichever path you take, the six services are designed to work as one system, and the description of each lives on the services page.
Storm cell tracking and lightning network feeds can usually be demonstrated within a short onboarding period because the underlying observatory already runs continuously. Data API integration depends on your systems and review process, so we scope that work with you before any commitment is made.
Yes. A single tracked cell can appear as a briefing, an API record and a delivered alert at the same time. We design the delivery so each channel receives a version appropriate to its audience rather than an identical dump.
The observatory monitors the health of every feed. When one instrument is unavailable the system degrades in a known way, flags reduced confidence, and continues delivering with the sensors that remain. Operators are never left with a silent gap.