Monday, August 26, 2013

Canadian marine weather compared with USA NWS Marine Weather - Unified KML files would be fantastic

Follow me for a minute while I attempt to check marine weather for a specific graphical location (you shouldn't need to know a foreign country's naming convention to locate regional marine weather). I know the location is between Cambridge Bay and Bellot Strait and is called Queen Maud by Canada Ice Service but I also recognize this region by the geographic islands and should be able to click on a graphic map.

Google Canada marine weather and first hit is
 http://weather.gc.ca/marine/index_e.html

which displays a graphic map - wow - the Arctic is under a big RED warning.


So I carefully click on the location I think is Queen Maud. What appears is:
Another graphic with more detailed areas - why not revise this graphic into east-west zones instead of the previous larger scale - you will note the error from the previous map saying there is a very large scale RED warning when the below map shows just a single RED warning area. Hummm.... maybe this is a scare tactic to keep boaters in port? :-)

http://weather.gc.ca/marine/region_e.html?mapID=05


OK so a new graphic requires ANOTHER click to advance to usable information so I click on the graphic area I'm interested in and notice the name is actually LARSEN and what appears?


Usable weather information - kind of...


If I want current weather condition I click the tab labeled "Weather Conditions" and this appears:

http://weather.gc.ca/marine/weatherConditions_e.html?mapID=05&siteID=08900&stationID=


Not really "Weather Conditions" for LARSEN but ANOTHER DAMN GRAPHIC TO CLICK.

I think this Canadian Weather system was designed by a WEBMASTER who enjoys clicking... undoubtedly Windoz trained.

Clicking on a nearby weather station named GATESHEAD ISLAND produces yet another graphic:
http://weather.gc.ca/marine/weatherConditions-currentConditions_e.html?mapID=05&siteID=08900&stationID=NGH

Wrongly named LARSEN when it is GATESHEAD ISLAND.

I now have the marine forecast and current weather conditions for a Canadian location. Lets try the USA National Weather System for a marine forecast.

Google "USA marine weather" and this link appears http://www.weather.gov/ which opens a graphic:


Lets check what is going on at the top of Alaska, aka Point Barrow so I click the Alaska map which open a graphic at http://pafg.arh.noaa.gov/


Once more click on Barrow produces http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=PKZ235 with graphics:



There are links to tide information, text only forecast and printable forecast.
And just for the record there was a very nice link on the previous page: 

http://pafg.arh.noaa.gov/wmofcst.php?wmo=FZAK69PAFG&type=marine

With all of the Offshore Forecast for the US Arctic Waters.


While NOT perfect it is missing a link for SEA ICE. A bit of searching does produce a link: http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/ice.php which should be on the original webpage - HEADS UP NOAA NWS ARCTIC WEBMASTER.

WHAT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE:

1) A large graphic with individual zones that reduces the need to click over and over to "drill-down" - see: http://www.weather.gov/ add a full size Alaska zone map below the USA 48 on the same webpage. Saves two clicks.

2) A unified sidebar menu - different USA zones with different menus are confusing - shouldn't the sidebar menus be listed alphabetically?

3) A query or search bar for drilling down within the NWS website - not the web.

4) PLEASE ADD an advance user interface - lat/long period query producing a KML downloadable animated weather meta data file. Much like GRIB files except for use with Google Earth. There are KML files for sea ice - why not for all weather? 

BOTTOM LINE - KUDOS TO THE NWS - GREAT USER FRIENDLY PRESENTATION - PLEASE KEEP MAKING IMPROVEMENTS FOR MARINERS AT SEA TO FIND AND DOWNLOAD OVER SATCOM THE DATA THEY NEED FOR SAFETY AT SEA.

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