Amica Insurance and Understory Inc., a weather data and analytics company, recently announced the development of a new weather sensor and data analysis network to test hyper accurate ground-level weather detection. According to the insurer, the new weather sensor, which can detect hail with precision, will provide greater insight and accuracy in understanding how weather impacts policyholders.

While weather radar centers collect data by analyzing conditions observed in the atmosphere, Understory—named for the area in a rainforest beneath the forest canopy—detects rain, hail, wind and other weather events directly at the earth’s surface.