And so the en****yfication of the Internet continues. Now BOM is getting in on the act.
Beta web site of the new BOM web site here:
beta.bom.gov.au/
This is what it looks like when a designer re-developes a web site without asking people how they are actually using it.
In the past you could reach almost every forecast as a simple easy and quick to read text based snipped within one to three click. Now they are hidden under some obscure headings and dressed up with graphics making impossible to read.
The new version of Meteye, while it works better on mobile, is now completely useless in providing a more granular forecast.
I simply can't understand how they ended up with this? It's almost as if who ever designed this actually never used a weather forecast beyond what they have on their iPhone weather app.
... do I really want to know?Edit: Just google it. Sounds like $220,000. To be honest that amount doesn't sound too crazy assuming they did a full analysis of the existing site, A/B tested a new information architecture and then did a re-brand + design and implementation.
It does sound a lot when you consider where they ended up. BOM in it current form is probably the single best resource for a countries weather forecast anywhere in the world. This new direction seems misguided and lost.
They asked for feedback and had a sample. The snippet looked better. Obviously the navigation has let it down.
I asked them months or years ago to just change the font or colour of the pressure readings on the meteye wind maps to make reading easier. Looks like they ignored that and decided to go for revolting colours with a lower resolution map.
I would like the wind to be worse actually. As for the last 15yrs or so its not a forecast..... it seems to be a warning to the dumbest potential dingy owner going 20km offshore. Deliberately overstated wind to avoid liability.
I would like to have a forecast, not a thing that consistently over estimates stuff.
What they provide to emergency services etc is so unbelievably accurate so they can do it.
As an aside, could then explain to news services that km is NOT kn
Oh and..... at least it has a feedback thing before it is finalised so go to it folks
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
I would like to have a forecast, not a thing that consistently over estimates stuff.
What they provide to emergency services etc is so unbelievably accurate so they can do it.
From what I have heard this is due to the aftermath of the Sydney to Hobart race where the fleet was hit by a stronger than forecast storm. So to be on the safe side they now at times overstate the wind speed.
That said I have found MetEye accurate enough here in WA.
The Seabreeze forecast for example is pretty useless for the Sydney region. It gives you a good idea as to if and when the wind will arrive but the strength varies wildly from the forecast. The BOM forecast tends to be a bit more accurate there.
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
Oh and..... at least it has a feedback thing before it is finalised so go to it folks
already done that... though I doubt will take much feedback on board.
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
I would like the wind to be worse actually. As for the last 15yrs or so its not a forecast..... it seems to be a warning to the dumbest potential dingy owner going 20km offshore. Deliberately overstated wind to avoid liability.
I would like to have a forecast, not a thing that consistently over estimates stuff.
What they provide to emergency services etc is so unbelievably accurate so they can do it.
As an aside, could then explain to news services that km is NOT kn
'Km is not knot'
My pet hate..
Select to expand quotestehsegler said..Mark _australia said..
I would like to have a forecast, not a thing that consistently over estimates stuff.
What they provide to emergency services etc is so unbelievably accurate so they can do it.
From what I have heard this is due to the aftermath of the Sydney to Hobart race where the fleet was hit by a stronger than forecast storm. So to be on the safe side they now at times overstate the wind speed.
That said I have found MetEye accurate enough here in WA.
The Seabreeze forecast for example is pretty useless for the Sydney region. It gives you a good idea as to if and when the wind will arrive but the strength varies wildly from the forecast. The BOM forecast tends to be a bit more accurate there.
They state that gusts can be 40 % stronger. I suppose most people don't read the fine print.
I find the new Seabreeze local forecasts to be great.
We used to get let down all the time by the coastal ones as they often don't reach the lake.
If you put in Coal Point or Valentine it's much more accurate.
You still need to realise that sometimes it's very coastal and the further west you get on the lake the less accurate it is.
Select to expand quoteMark _australia said..
I would like the wind to be worse actually. As for the last 15yrs or so its not a forecast..... it seems to be a warning to the dumbest potential dingy owner going 20km offshore. Deliberately overstated wind to avoid liability.
I would like to have a forecast, not a thing that consistently over estimates stuff.
What they provide to emergency services etc is so unbelievably accurate so they can do it.
As an aside, could then explain to news services that km is NOT kn
Must be opposite what we have here 15- 20 knot forecast = 20 - 25 knot wind 
Looks to me like they have tried to make the website look and feel like their mobile app. WTF would you do that when you already have a mobile app? Let those who use the app use the app, let those who like the website use the website. I use both and i use them in different ways. That's the feedback I left.
I guess it's just more needless **** put out there to annoy sensible people for the sake of some malevolent god's whimsy
Select to expand quotemusorianin said..
WTF would you do that when you already have a mobile app?
Obviously don't know technical details but it's possible the mobile app is just a mobile web site with an app wrapper. Companies often do this to avoid having to develop and maintain two separate versions for both iOS and Android.
If you look at the recent history of the BOM it's no surprise what's going on. They have an over reliance on automation coupled with government interference which has led to some of their best people leaving resulting in highly inaccurate forecasting. The impact to farmers has been huge as accurate medium terms forecasts are critical for them.
For us wind obsessed types we used to have pretty reliable short term forecasts, particularly in summer, now you're lucky if can rely on a 3 day view.
I don't get it when people are complaining about weather forecasts. The word litterally says it: it's a FORECAST, a prediction, probably close to what might happen but no guarantees. Whether you're a farmer or a wind sport fanatic, it's good to learn a bit of meteorology (might also save your life one day when you're out there).
If you don't like the BOM website, there's hundreds of other websites offering the same data that you can choose from, including Seabreeze. Think that BOM's ACCESS model is not reliable? Just choose another one such as GFS, ECMWF, ICON, CMC, NAVGEM. Or hey, some sites now even combine multiple models into yet another one. See which one you find the most accurate on average and don't forget that it is just a forecast created by computers based on previous weather data.
Until AI gets better than expensive super computers, just use your common sense, check the weather maps in addition to forecasts, put on a smile, and don't forget to always bring all your gear to the beach as you never know how windy it gets!
Select to expand quoteptsf1111 said..
I don't get it when people are complaining about weather forecasts. The word litterally says it: it's a FORECAST, a prediction, probably close to what might happen but no guarantees. Whether you're a farmer or a wind sport fanatic, it's good to learn a bit of meteorology (might also save your life one day when you're out there).
If you don't like the BOM website, there's hundreds of other websites offering the same data that you can choose from, including Seabreeze. Think that BOM's ACCESS model is not reliable? Just choose another one such as GFS, ECMWF, ICON, CMC, NAVGEM. Or hey, some sites now even combine multiple models into yet another one. See which one you find the most accurate on average and don't forget that it is just a forecast created by computers based on previous weather data.
Until AI gets better than expensive super computers, just use your common sense, check the weather maps in addition to forecasts, put on a smile, and don't forget to always bring all your gear to the beach as you never know how windy it gets!
That's it!! Couldn't agree more. I have about 5 weather apps to create my own forecast
BOM forecasts are generally rubbish but Meteye is a good tool.
