‘‘We are having exploratory discussions on a developing system for forecasting air pollution. We are willing to try it in a city and see how it works out,’’ he said. ‘‘We provide pollution planning and forecasting to Beijing, Strasbourg, Rome, Bologna, Budapest and Lithuania.’’ Hunt is a fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge and is the chairman of the Cambridge Environmental Research Consultants Ltd. ‘‘The European Space Agency is now interested in disseminating it further and sending text messages to people. For example people who suffer from ailments like asthma can plan their day according to pollution levels,’’ he said. ‘‘Using data from satellites enables us to do chemical analysis and monitor aerosols and makes the forecast more accurate.” In India after a long gap, Hunt says he has seen change in the IMD’s approach to forecasting. ‘‘The idea of opening out environmental modelling is new. Before, the IMD had a monopolistic approach, now they are more pluralistic.” He added the statistical model of weather prediction used by the IMD is the best for India though it is considered ‘‘unusual’’ in Europe.