Hi guys,
Iv'e made a widget for android that shows Windguru's forecast of your favorite spot.
I assume it may be handy to some of you





you can download it from Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=valka.windguruwidget

I'm sure many will correct me if I'm wrong, but, aren't all the wind/weather sites getting their data from the same recording stations? So, why do we need more than one?

Has Anyone tried windguru pro? Just wondered if the pro that you have to pay for is any better than the free one?

Select to expand quote

Orange Whip said..
I'm sure many will correct me if I'm wrong, but, aren't all the wind/weather sites getting their data from the same recording stations? So, why do we need more than one?

Yes and no.

Actual wind readings do usually come from the same BOM sites in Australia so the reporting of those readings in in Apps is just differentiated by the ease of use and access really.

On the other hand, Forecasts in Australia can come from any one, two, or more of (rare), at least six world weather computer models:

-The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model.
-The two BOM models:Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS-R) and Australian Community Climate and Earth-System Simulator (ACCESS-G)
-European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting model (ECMWF)
-Global Forecast System (GFS), sometimes called the US Model.
-The global implementation of the Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) A Canadian model also called CMC.

There are probably others, but these are the ones I can access in Weatherzone Pro.

Windguru uses the GFS model. At times this can give different longer term forecasts from some of the others. In fact, at times, they can all vary quite a bit past a couple of days into the future. It is very encouraging when they all closely agree and those forecasts tend to be far more reliable from my observations.

Predictwind uses both the GFS and CMC models, but they modify them for local conditions in Australia and New Zealand

MetEye is, of course, based on the BOM models.

Bouyweather was based on GFS last time I looked.

I have not kept up with what other forecast Apps are based on, but a bit of digging in their FAQ's and website usually turns the answer up pretty quickly.

It is sometimes handy to know this info if you are using more than one website or App. If they are based on different models and they both/all agree, it is usually a good sign.

Wind junky could fill us in and correct this with a lot more detail I am sure.

Thanks for the info Sailquik, interesting reading.
Personally I find Windfinder pretty good for the forecast and Seabreeze excellent for actuals just before heading to the beach and for review subsequently, which helps me to learn more about my local spot. I find the Seabreeze forecast not specific enough because it covers about 300kms of coastline but the actuals are broken down into smaller stretches.

I've downloaded this windguru widget on the phone, and I like the fact that is the first thing I see on the phone when unlocking the screen, I don't have to tap here and there to see the wind forecast, so that's a plus.

On the downside, it is just a bit too small to read comfortably (it keeps the same matrix format as that in the website) but I can just see by the colours and tell if the wind is expected in the days to come, if I want to see the details then I tap once and the same info pops up in full screen.

It would be a really nice thing to have it reformatted to suit the small section of the phone screen.

That's great I'll give it a go for sure. Seabreeze forecast is a joke, it's a bit like fishing tackle stores - they say there is plenty of fish biting and after buying heaps of stuff and going you catch nothing. Rarely does the wind blow the same as Seabreeze, I always get my hopes up with the green arrows then check BOM and it completely different.