Not all weather apps are created equal
By
Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather Founder and CEO
Published Oct 3, 2019 8:52 PM EDT
An Atlanta Braves fan checks a weather app as he waits for the start of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
A Florida weatherman recently wrote a column for the Washington Post about weather apps that misses the mark and is perhaps 25 years behind the times.
The fact is, weather forecasts are becoming more accurate, thanks to improved data-gathering technology, computers powerful enough to analyze weather data and models faster than ever before and better algorithms. Personal technology has also made it possible for individuals to get more localized weather reports, with smartphone apps able to provide weather predictions based on a user’s exact GPS location.
That is critical, because the greater the accuracy of weather forecasts and warnings, the better the decisions people and businesses can make in the face of hazardous weather events, the more lives are saved, the more property is protected and the more losses are reduced.
Weather forecasting, in general, has made enormous progress – something statistician and writer Nate Silver observed in his 2012 book 'The Signal and the Noise.' The book, as he writes, “takes a comprehensive look at prediction across 13 fields, from sports betting to earthquake forecasting.” And Silver considers weather forecasting to be the foundation for all predictive fields.
After researching his book, Silver writes of those in other fields, “I found that despite their best efforts, their predictions have often gone poorly… The discipline of meteorology is an exception. Weather forecasts are much better than they were 10 or 20 years ago.”
Granted, despite improved capabilities and technologies, many weather providers continue to regularly cough up inaccurate or misleading forecasts to consumers and businesses relying on them. Why? Sometimes it’s due to a flawed algorithm. Other times it is a lack of high-quality data, the systemic pessimism or optimism of a particular provider for fear of getting it wrong, or a unilateral system for analysis that relies on computer modeling alone to generate a forecast.
While artificial intelligence and supercomputers can perform certain aspects of forecasting, human meteorologists play a vital role in helping average people make sense of it all.
That is why all weather apps are not equal, a point that should have been made in the Washington Post column.
To lump all weather apps together, and claim that they are trying to fill the space and information is not as good as what one would get by watching a local television broadcast is actually the opposite of the current situation. As technology has greatly advanced, the accuracy and completeness of AccuWeather forecasts jumped ahead by leaps and bounds. The level of detail, accuracy, precision, quality and quantity of content available in AccuWeather apps far exceeds the information that can be provided on a television broadcast. And the further advantage of the AccuWeather app compared to his television presentations is that they are updated minute by minute, at the touch of a screen, whereas television programming is available only at certain times.
A key differentiator for AccuWeather is that our forecasts are not automated based only on models, but that we have a team of more than 100 expert meteorologists who have the final say on all forecasts. These meteorologists also focus on adding value to the forecast, location details and impact information especially that the inputs alone cannot do.
At AccuWeather, the world's largest and fastest-growing provider of weather forecasts and warnings, leveraging “consensus forecasting” has proven beneficial, whereby humans and computer models both make accurate predictions, and then human meteorologists interpret and communicate relevant details presented in clear language to help people understand context and impact.
“We have unique relationships with governments and companies that allow us to obtain the most relevant, real-time data, and use more than 125 global, regional, national and local forecast models,” said Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather Vice President of Business Services and General Manager of Enterprise Solutions. “We’re constantly integrating new datasets and enhancing our algorithms. Our human meteorologists provide an extra layer of expertise.”
Indeed, a report conducted by independent industry tracker ForecastWatch, analyzing the accuracy of six top global weather forecast providers, reconfirmed that AccuWeather was the clear winner in forecast accuracy and had the highest margin of statistical forecast accuracy in three of the areas it verified: high temperature, precipitation and wind speed.
Available for free on all Android and iOS devices, the award-winning AccuWeather app is an excellent resource before you leave home for the day, connecting to desktop computers and TVs, as well as when you are on the go and using a smartphone or other mobile device, offering push notifications and 24/7 access to weather data and other weather-related tips and resources. It also provides MinuteCast precipitation forecasts, updated minute by minute, up to two hours ahead.
When it comes to weather forecasts on apps, the powerful combination of accuracy and detail – both in location and time – as well as a strong emphasis on how predicted weather conditions will impact users, provides an added layer of insurance for better planning and better living – 100% of the time.
Report a Typo
Weather Blogs / RealImpact of weather
Not all weather apps are created equal
By Dr. Joel N. Myers, AccuWeather Founder and CEO
Published Oct 3, 2019 8:52 PM EDT
An Atlanta Braves fan checks a weather app as he waits for the start of a baseball game against the Colorado Rockies, Saturday, Aug. 18, 2018, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)
A Florida weatherman recently wrote a column for the Washington Post about weather apps that misses the mark and is perhaps 25 years behind the times.
The fact is, weather forecasts are becoming more accurate, thanks to improved data-gathering technology, computers powerful enough to analyze weather data and models faster than ever before and better algorithms. Personal technology has also made it possible for individuals to get more localized weather reports, with smartphone apps able to provide weather predictions based on a user’s exact GPS location.
That is critical, because the greater the accuracy of weather forecasts and warnings, the better the decisions people and businesses can make in the face of hazardous weather events, the more lives are saved, the more property is protected and the more losses are reduced.
Weather forecasting, in general, has made enormous progress – something statistician and writer Nate Silver observed in his 2012 book 'The Signal and the Noise.' The book, as he writes, “takes a comprehensive look at prediction across 13 fields, from sports betting to earthquake forecasting.” And Silver considers weather forecasting to be the foundation for all predictive fields.
After researching his book, Silver writes of those in other fields, “I found that despite their best efforts, their predictions have often gone poorly… The discipline of meteorology is an exception. Weather forecasts are much better than they were 10 or 20 years ago.”
Granted, despite improved capabilities and technologies, many weather providers continue to regularly cough up inaccurate or misleading forecasts to consumers and businesses relying on them. Why? Sometimes it’s due to a flawed algorithm. Other times it is a lack of high-quality data, the systemic pessimism or optimism of a particular provider for fear of getting it wrong, or a unilateral system for analysis that relies on computer modeling alone to generate a forecast.
While artificial intelligence and supercomputers can perform certain aspects of forecasting, human meteorologists play a vital role in helping average people make sense of it all.
That is why all weather apps are not equal, a point that should have been made in the Washington Post column.
To lump all weather apps together, and claim that they are trying to fill the space and information is not as good as what one would get by watching a local television broadcast is actually the opposite of the current situation. As technology has greatly advanced, the accuracy and completeness of AccuWeather forecasts jumped ahead by leaps and bounds. The level of detail, accuracy, precision, quality and quantity of content available in AccuWeather apps far exceeds the information that can be provided on a television broadcast. And the further advantage of the AccuWeather app compared to his television presentations is that they are updated minute by minute, at the touch of a screen, whereas television programming is available only at certain times.
A key differentiator for AccuWeather is that our forecasts are not automated based only on models, but that we have a team of more than 100 expert meteorologists who have the final say on all forecasts. These meteorologists also focus on adding value to the forecast, location details and impact information especially that the inputs alone cannot do.
At AccuWeather, the world's largest and fastest-growing provider of weather forecasts and warnings, leveraging “consensus forecasting” has proven beneficial, whereby humans and computer models both make accurate predictions, and then human meteorologists interpret and communicate relevant details presented in clear language to help people understand context and impact.
“We have unique relationships with governments and companies that allow us to obtain the most relevant, real-time data, and use more than 125 global, regional, national and local forecast models,” said Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather Vice President of Business Services and General Manager of Enterprise Solutions. “We’re constantly integrating new datasets and enhancing our algorithms. Our human meteorologists provide an extra layer of expertise.”
Indeed, a report conducted by independent industry tracker ForecastWatch, analyzing the accuracy of six top global weather forecast providers, reconfirmed that AccuWeather was the clear winner in forecast accuracy and had the highest margin of statistical forecast accuracy in three of the areas it verified: high temperature, precipitation and wind speed.
Available for free on all Android and iOS devices, the award-winning AccuWeather app is an excellent resource before you leave home for the day, connecting to desktop computers and TVs, as well as when you are on the go and using a smartphone or other mobile device, offering push notifications and 24/7 access to weather data and other weather-related tips and resources. It also provides MinuteCast precipitation forecasts, updated minute by minute, up to two hours ahead.
When it comes to weather forecasts on apps, the powerful combination of accuracy and detail – both in location and time – as well as a strong emphasis on how predicted weather conditions will impact users, provides an added layer of insurance for better planning and better living – 100% of the time.
Report a Typo