Topic: It's Currently: Crowdsourced Weather

[jaylaw81]

Crowd-sourcing weather, one location at a time
Weather prediction is just that, a prediction. It's Currently would like to make the hazy, clearer.

As a visitor, you have the power to provide a more exact estimate of the weather outside. Data is then collected and the most common reports are aggregated and displayed for the location you currently are at.

If what is display is wrong, contribute! By contributing your making our data even more precise.

http://www.itscurrently.com

[smorris]

What's it supposed to do? I go to the linked page, click cloudy, and nothing happens...

Steve

[Dr Obbins]

Ok... if you want feedback

• When the page is loaded, the side menu covers up the text. This is in FF with the zoom reset. I have to zoom out to uncover the text. see attachment.
• Most people do not trust new websites that ask for personnel information. When the page is loaded, it asks for my location. You should be able to read my IP address and estimate my location close enough.
• The site does not even try to show my current condition, I have to input it.
• Clicking on a condition does nothing... the site does not work.
• Where would the initial data come from? NWS? or just other visitor inputs?
• Will the site just show the current conditions (sunny, rainy, etc.) or will it display data like temperature, wind speed, rainfall, etc...?
• I could be wrong, but from what I can see and the input allowed, it looks like it will just display the conditions like sunny, or cloudy. Why would someone look to a website to see if the sun is out when they can just look out the window? Especially if the site relies on others imputing the data?

If I may be honest with you, I don't see much usefulness for the site. 

[smorris]

When the page is loaded, it asks for my location.

It isn't asking for location on Safari or on iOS. Just a blue field with the logo "It's Currently" then blank, the word "in", and blank. No place to input anything. Then below the line is the crowdsourcing info.

Looking at the page source, it is hosted by OGP.me, an open graphic protocol service. Whois tells me that ogp.me is registered by Facebook...

[jaylaw81]

Thanks for the feedback. To give you an idea of what I'm looking to accomplish with the site is this. The basic service of what is being offered is a quick look at what people in your area are saying about the weather. The idea of it being crowdsourced vs pulled from a service is to rely on users observations. The times where you see the weather is not being shown (it should now tell you that no one has updated the weather for your area), allows a user to be the first person to update the conditions for their area.

The way we attribute location to a user is through the HTML5 location API's. Most modern browsers support this and at times is more accurate than IP sniffing.

From the perspective of detail, other data will be introduced to supplement the sites function but only if it would be beneficial. Weather is not always a predictable thing, and depending on the type of weather can be spotty at best. Therefore allowing users to provide basic status of the conditions makes the site easy and simple to use ( most of the issues you were experiencing with the site not working should now be fixed. Also this site works on mobile).

In the future we'll be adding things like badges, past week user forecasts, and future forecasting (based on previous data).

[smorris]

That all may be fine, but right now, it doesn't do squat...

[Beaudog]

Well it works for me.    shows location and correct temp.   But I not really sure what the purpose is. I suppose if I worked in a place with no windows it might be usefull.

[jaylaw81]

smorris,

What browser are you using? Did you allow the site to detect your location? Thanks

[Dr Obbins]

FYI,
It seems to be functioning today except it thinks I am Duluth not Bowling Green, KY.

[jaylaw81]

The Duluth location, may be due to where you ISP is reporting your connection returning from. I would assume other sites would locate you in the same city as well (http://htmlfive.appspot.com/static/whereami.html)

[smorris]

smorris,

What browser are you using? Did you allow the site to detect your location? Thanks

Safari on a desktop Mac, so obviously no way to determine location. Someone else says it asks for location, but not for me.

[jaylaw81]

I do know that sometimes (within certain versions of Safari) that location is not available, unless you check a setting in the browser. Chrome, FF, IE9+ all allow it by default. Even Safari on iOS will pop up a blue alert box asking for permission to use your location.

[SLOweather]

You might be preaching to the wrong religion here. We seem to be mainly about putting up our own weather stations, and pushing the data out that way, although some here are NWS Skywarn members or Weather Spotters.

However, your project seems like it's in search of its own niche. It might be a natural to offer rebranded versions of it to TV weather people. They could then use it to recruit their own cadres of connected weather geeks to upload conditions to mention on the air, especially during extreme weather events.

[LFWX]

I'm seeing some upside down text http://screencast.com/t/D5qIfzcvZ4Is