STAM-LSGRU: a spatiotemporal radar echo extrapolation algorithm with edge computing for short-term forecasting

Abstract With the advent of Mobile Edge Computing (MEC), shifting data processing from cloud centers to the network edge presents an advanced computational paradigm for addressing latency-sensitive applications. Specifically, in radar systems, the real-time processing and prediction of radar echo data pose significant challenges in dynamic and resource-constrained environments. MEC, by processing data near its source, not only significantly reduces communication latency and enhances bandwidth utilization but also diminishes the necessity of transmitting large volumes of data to the cloud, which is crucial for improving the timeliness and efficiency of radar data processing. To meet this demand, this paper proposes a model that integrates a spatiotemporal Attention Module (STAM) with a Long Short-Term Memory Gated Recurrent Unit (ST-ConvLSGRU) to enhance the accuracy of radar echo prediction while leveraging the advantages of MEC. STAM, by extending the spatiotemporal receptive field of the prediction units, effectively captures key inter-frame motion information, while optimizations to the convolutional structure and loss function further boost the model’s predictive performance. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach significantly improves the accuracy of short-term weather forecasting in a mobile edge computing environment, showcasing an efficient and practical solution for processing radar echo data under dynamic, resource-limited conditions.