WeatherBug
| File:Weather bug.JPG | |
| Developer(s) | AWS Convergence Technologies |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 6.08
/ 2006-08-?? |
| Operating system | Desktop Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux Mobile Android, BlackBerry OS, iPhone OS, Windows Mobile, Maemo |
| Website | http://weather.weatherbug.com/ |
WeatherBug is a company that provides live weather data and maintains continuously monitored weather stations throughout the United States, mainly located at public and private schools, educational institutions such as museums, partner television stations and other various venues. The program is available for download from WeatherBug's website, websites of the approximately 85 TV partners, and was formerly distributed through the AOL Instant Messenger installation utility. WeatherBug is also available for download for iPhone OS via the App Store, BlackBerry phones via BlackBerry App World, and for Android phones via Android Market. WeatherBug Direct is a line of free applications for mobile devices, including WeatherBug Direct for BlackBerry OS and WeatherBug Direct for Windows Mobile.
History
WeatherBug was founded in 1992 by CEO Bob Marshall. It started in the education market by selling weather tracking stations to public and private schools, and then using the data they contributed for profit. Later, the company began partnering with TV stations, such that broadcasters could use WeatherBug's local data in their weather reports. In 2000, the Weatherbug desktop application was launched, and later, the website.
Spyware concerns
In 2005, Microsoft AntiSpyware, now known as Windows Defender, flagged WeatherBug as a spyware program, but this classification was removed.[1] The program is adware, including both banner and pop-up ads, but may be upgraded for $19.95 to WeatherBug Plus, which does not include advertising.[2] Early versions were difficult to uninstall and warned users not to remove WeatherBug since it could "save your life"[3]. Programs exist to facilitate removal of these early versions and current versions include a program to uninstall WeatherBug.[4]
International Version
At present, the desktop application of WeatherBug is designated for U.S. ZIP codes only. For details regarding international locations, users can visit WeatherBug's website. International users can also receive RSS global weather feeds via email or through their RSS reader.
Partnerships
WeatherBug operates a network of (at last count) over 8,000[5] weather stations, as well as the 1,470 Urbanet stations, thus making WeatherBug the single-largest weather network in the country. WeatherBug contracts with television stations in most markets to maintain the weather stations, which the television channels will in turn use for forecasting; as a result, most of the WeatherBug stations are clustered in mesonets in each station's designated market area. Most WeatherBug stations are located in schools in both metropolitan and rural areas. These are the stations that the WeatherBug application uses to display local data, though the software is also compatible with the standard ASOS observations provided by the roughly 1,000 airport stations across the United States. WeatherBug also operates a network of over 1,000 weather cams and over 8,000 lightning detection sensors as a part of its new WeatherBug Total Lighting Network.
In 2004, AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc., the National Weather Service and the Department of Homeland Security entered into a public-private agreement so that the WeatherBug stations could be used by Homeland Security to assess weather conditions in the event of a disaster. The agreement was renewed and expanded in January 2007 to allow NWS (National Weather Service) and NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Association) access to the WeatherBug data. This data, through the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System, is used to initialize mesoscale forecast models such as the Weather Research and Forecasting model.
External links
Notes
- ^ Naraine, Ryan (2005-01-07), WeatherBug Miffed at Microsoft's Spyware Classification, eWeek.com
- ^ What is AWS Weatherbug?, pchell.com
- ^ Weatherug begs for forgiveness - dslreports.com: "save your life"
- ^ Remove Weatherbug. Description and Removal Instructions, www.2-spyware.com
- ^ http://madis.noaa.gov/mesonet_providers.html