Predictwind adds cluster of new observations ahead of America's Cup
by Nick Olsen/Predictwind 4 Oct 2020 09:10 AEST
4 October 2020
The Predictwind work boat accompanies American Magic - Waitemata Harbour - September 25, 2020 - 36th America's Cup © Richard Gladwell - Sail-World.com / nz
PredictWind has now added more quality Wind Observations to their already high-caliber network. Observations are a key part of making the best decisions when it comes to analyzing your forecast. Being able to compare your forecast data with real-time observational data adds to your forecast confidence.
We have added three new sources of observation data along with boosting the PredictWind private network that includes a cluster of observations for the upcoming America's Cup.
The new sources consist of the MADIS database of 4900 stations which includes NOAA data and other providers from around the globe. The breakdown is 500 around the world's oceans, 1400 stations used for aviation, and 3,000 from the Worldwide MADIS mesonet.
The other two sources are purely ocean-based networks; the NDBC Weather Buoy Network and SOFAR. NDBC comprises 700 buoys fixed around the world's oceans. Sofar Ocean has the largest private network of drifting weather buoys in the Pacific (250 increasing to 500 by the end of this year) with the innovative Spotter Wave Buoy. Using spectral data from the wave buoy, the wind speed and direction is estimated with a high degree of accuracy.
PredictWind has updated the user interface to make viewing the Observational data easier and better than ever before. The Observations can be viewed in a Map, Table or Graph. The formats are cleaner, faster and easier to review. Stations can be rated 1-5 stars and you can choose not to view lower-rated stations. You can also add comments about each station.
With numerous Ocean Observations, the interface to view this data in the PredictWind Offshore App has become more valuable than ever before with the ability to view Observation data over and Satellite or SSB connection.
For more information on this latest development from Predictwind click here and also spend a little time familiarising yourself with the new stations and the readouts - so when you really need them, you can quickly assess a situation. All this is easily done from the comfort of your own home.