Methodology for Severe Convective Cloud Identification Using Lightweight Neural Network Model Ensembling

This study introduces an advanced ensemble methodology employing lightweight neural network models for identifying severe convective clouds from FY-4B geostationary meteorological satellite imagery. We have constructed a FY-4B based severe convective cloud dataset by a combination of algorithms and expert judgment. Through the ablation study of a model ensembling combination of multiple specialized lightweight architectures—ENet, ESPNet, Fast-SCNN, ICNet, and MobileNetV2—the optimal EFNet (ENet- and Fast-SCNN-based network) not only achieves real-time processing capabilities but also ensures high accuracy in severe weather detection. EFNet consistently outperformed traditional, heavier models across several key performance indicators: achieving an accuracy of 0.9941, precision of 0.9391, recall of 0.9201, F1 score of 0.9295, and computing time of 18.65 s over the test dataset of 300 images (~0.06 s per 512 × 512 pic). ENet shows high precision but misses subtle clouds, while Fast-SCNN has high sensitivity but lower precision, leading to misclassifications. EFNet’s ensemble approach balances these traits, enhancing overall predictive accuracy. The ensemble method of lightweight models effectively aggregates the diverse strengths of the individual models, optimizing both speed and predictive performance.