Author Topic: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com  (Read 5957 times)

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Offline saratogaWX

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Congratulations to Steve and DaculaWeather.com for your selection as WXForum.net Featured Weather Website for Spring, 2011!

The DaculaWeather.com website was created in late February of 2008 and went online around the first of March. The site went through several revisions as Steve learned the ins and outs of operating a weather site. As he learned, the site evolves as you apply the knowledge you get from seeing other sites and talking with other site owners.  In October of 2009 the site went though it's first major revision and was revised again in October 2010 and is what you see today.


Steve uses a Davis Vantage Vue weather station. He purchased the Vue when his Oregon Scientific station died. A little more time and planning and he would have purchased a  VP2+ though. But he likes the Vue, and says it's been rock solid since it was purchased in October of 2009 and it's still on it's original battery. His next purchase will be a VP2+ with a wireless anemometer option. At that point, he'll use the Vue as a portable station that he can take with him where ever he goes.


He uses multiple software packages. Steve started with the Internet version of Virtual Weather Station (VWS). Last year he began using Weather-Display (WD) in order to get additional functionality. He likes features from both and he especially likes the add-on script support that's available in WD. To run both VWS and WD, the communications to the data logger is managed by VirtualVP (VVP) while StartWatch manages the loading of all the applications.
He uses Fling to handle most of the uploads, which actually go to two sites, DaculaWeather.com and Gwinnettweather.com.


Steve uses Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 for website development/maintenance and Adobe Fireworks CS4 for graphics. He says he's used Dreamweaver for years and loves it.  (Ed. note: I've been using Dreamweaver since 1998 and love it too :) )

His inspiration to do his own weather website came quite a few years ago when he was trolling around the internet and found a website that had live weather from someone's house. All kinds of light bulbs went off when he saw that and he said "I KNEW I had to do the same thing one day". (The site was/is http://www.roswellweather.net). But the longer he does weather website development, the more he wanted to be a source for reliable and accurate weather information.  Data integrity is extremely important to Steve, as is being able to quickly disseminate information in multiple formats that will appeal to a variety of users.

Steve started off using the default VWS templates. He says, "I suppose that those influenced some of my original designs. But I finally decided that I needed a whole new way of thinking, and particularly with a large number pages to manage. But I think my design reflects ideas from the grand sum of my internet viewing. I've always leaned toward the creative side of things so I enjoy coming up with new ways to bring in other design ideas. I'm already beginning to plan the next one!"


He plans to make his website navigation more intuitive in order to make it easier for viewers to find things. Someone told him that there is so much on his website, they don't know where to find certain things. He really wants to clean up and simplify the CSS code, and thinks he could do a much better job there. Plus, he notes that the page load time, mainly on the initial page, can be a little slow. Most of it has to do with the banner so he's taking a little different approach on that the next time also.


Steve sends his data everywhere and it seems to go everywhere from there! He sends to Twitter and Facebook, both current conditions hourly, but any severe weather watches and warnings are sent using WXMesg software.
His data goes to  Weather Underground (rapid fire+webcam), WeatherForYou, WeatherBug, AWEKAS, CWOP (and on via MADIS to NOAA), and the Southeastern Weather Network.  He also reports precipitation to CoCoRaHS.


Steve first got interested in weather while growing up. His dad always had a boat. It was Steve's job to keep track of the weather and the forecast, and he loved it!


He thinks that being able to combine both the love he has for design and weather and providing something that is useful and informative for everyone, is the most rewarding aspect of having a weather website.


Steve's advice to someone wanting to get started in weather watching as a hobby is:
"I would recommend that people go to some of the educational sites (that I have listed on my site!). Great resources for all ages. You need to understand what you're watching and these resources are a great way to learn."


His site has clearly impressed and inspired a number of his peers. His advice for someone wanting to either start a new weather web site or improve the one they already have is:
"You've got to understand web page coding. That includes CSS, HTML, and PHP. There's a lot to learn so when you go and look at some of these nice web sites, understand, there is a lot of code that came from trial and error, don't expect to achieve the same thing until you can reach some level of coding competence."

Steve is 56 years old and was born in Savannah Georgia. He grew up mostly in Nashville, Tennessee.  He went to college at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, played in the mountains "way too long, and finally got a job". That lead him to Atlanta in 1981 and that's where he's been ever since. Steve lives in Gwinnett County which is NE of Atlanta but one of the surrounding 13 metro counties. It's almost exactly 50 miles from the Atlanta (KFFC) radar located in Peachtree City.

Steve's family includes two of his own kids, Matthew (21) and Paige (18) and two step-daughters Chelsea (19) and Mallory (17). He says, "I'm happily married to my wonderful wife Amy! No pets for me, I'm almost done being tied down!"

For a hobby other than weather, Steve enjoys autocross with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA).  He says "I started doing this when I went to college and have done it off and on since then. If you'd like to see what an autocross is all about,watch this .  I've attended the National Championships 6 times, 1980, 2005-2008, and 010. (a video with the camera mounted on the nose of the car, about 1.5 feet off the ground at the 2010 National Championships) These are two day events on two separate courses where the fastest run from each course is added together to give the final result. I've been as high as 2nd after the first day but never 1st when it counted. I've had a 4th, two 5th's, and a 7th, all driving a F500 (a few pictures of the car ) in the F Modified class. I've kind of taken a break (the Nationals are coming up at the end of this month) and might only drive one more time this year. It's a different car (Porsche 914 with a small block Chevy in the back). The car should be in better "driving" condition at the start of next year.
Other than that, I collect music, and some might say I'm an audiophile. I'm after the best (that I can afford) quality I can get!"

Steve says in closing: "I would like to say thanks to all of you for your help and support. The weather community is full of helpful, sharing and caring people and I'm proud to be a part of it. Thanks again to everyone!"

Congratulations Steve, for your selection as WXForum.net Featured Weather Website for Spring, 2011, and a hearty congratulations to the other nominees as well!
All of your sites are an inspiration to us all.    =D>  =D>  =D>


Ken True/Saratoga, CA, USA main site: saratoga-weather.org
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Offline Mark / Ohio

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2011, 11:35:59 PM »
Congratulations Steve!   =D>


Also a hardy WELL DONE to the other nominees!   8-)
Mark 
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Offline dasman

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2011, 12:18:00 AM »
 =D> \:D/Congrats Steve :!: :!: :!:
« Last Edit: August 14, 2011, 11:37:11 AM by dasman »
Dave Sommerfed
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Offline ed2kayak

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2011, 09:55:09 AM »
Congratulations Steve, nice site! =D>
Ed
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Offline neondesert

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2011, 10:04:42 AM »
Great job Steve!  :-)
Larry
"But it's a DRY Heat!"


Offline CNYWeather

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2011, 10:57:16 AM »
Very nice Steve. And all this time I thought you were a youngster  :lol:
Tony




Offline Gordon

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2011, 11:53:43 AM »
Very nice Steve. And all this time I thought you were a youngster  :lol:

Me too Tony...

WTG Steve!   =D>
Gordon

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Offline WeatherBeacon

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2011, 03:18:56 PM »

Well done, Steve!

  =D&gt;  \:D/  :mrgreen:
Mae govannen!
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Offline DaculaWeather

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #8 on: August 15, 2011, 12:54:36 PM »
Very nice Steve. And all this time I thought you were a youngster  :lol:

Me too Tony...

WTG Steve!   =D&gt;

Ha ha... good, had you all fooled!  :grin:

Offline W Thomas

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Re: Featured weather website for Spring, 2011 is www.daculaweather.com
« Reply #9 on: August 15, 2011, 11:54:47 PM »
Congratulations Steve !!   Well done !! =D&gt; =D&gt;


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