n00b suggestions misc

”My Location” takes up too much space in the upper blue bar area…If you changed that to an icon then you would have more space to move data bar up to that position which makes it easier readable. It is currently hard to read….the portrait mode cleans that data up well and puts it on top.

On the bottom the map data buttons are also very hard to read without a background box and/or make icons slightly bigger.

Any chance you could define the altitude range of the different clouds.

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Hi @jojo,

We still need to use that “My Location” area for the drop-down to change the data source. And to host the menu to the right.

Google also suggests that layout/look so all users might be familiar with it. I would like to have a different layout/look but this Google recommendation is important for users to experience a consistent user experience and it’s super import for Editors Choice and other award which can affect your ranking.

But to address the real problem, the color of that background. I do plan to add a theme editor where the colors of these can be changed. It’s just a matter of time.

Cloud range is on my to-do list too. I have many cool ideas on how to render clouds but haven’t found the time to work on them :frowning:

I am hopeful I can afford help one day to free up some of my time.

Cheers, Duane.

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thanks for the reply. A theme editor could change the background or font color of the data bar time temp etc would be great.

one other…how about a “one at a time checkbox” in the radar section so when back on the map you click on reflective it turns off any other radar, so which ever radar yo click on it only shows that.

thanks for all of this…it really is the best and I hve already spread the word to the advrider crowd.

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Hi @jojo,

Thanks for spreading the word. Word of mouth is the best since it carries trust.

Currently, this is the behaviour of radar. If you turn on RainViewer radar then the HRRR radar, the RainViewer radar will turn off. The precipitation is on a separate layer and doesn’t switch off. Many users want this because they want to compare predicted precipitation to radar reflectivity.

A checkbox to switch this is too specific. I can imagine other users asking for a checkbox to switch off other things when something is turned on. And we’ll end up drowned in checkboxes.

An interesting history, when I started Flowx I pretty much added everything users asked. Flowx turned into a great complex mess with heaps of bugs. I likened it to a straw house held together with duct tape. When I added a door, a window would fall off. I did a big rewrite and try very hard to keep Flowx simple.

Back to the checkbox, I plan to allow users to edit what layer to put data on. This means you can put all the radar on the same layer as precipitation and then they will switch between them.

Cheers, Duane.

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As I’m sure you know, YouTube is the best free advertising in the world and I could only find a few videos.

This one helps but needs more explanation

I think you need many of these but the first one I would like to see is how to understand the 4 radars now offered and the difference and when to use each and also the overall workflow of how to use for comparison of different models accuracy…by showing this clearly for folks like me you further differentiate flowx as the one app easily used for the most advanced data visualization.

To me the know nothing…much of this is a black science and I think videos are the best way to explain it…they do not have to be branded with clever graphics and backgrounds…just screen recorder and voice…don’t even edit them…of have your 2nd in command make them but post them on the flowx yt channel. Having many of these or maybe one for each data layer,

Here is a radarscope presentation which is very informative

Beam height

Interesting data point…I guess this would have to come in from rainviewer

Colored warning boxes

I would think however radarscope is scraping the data flowx could do the same

Lightning

I have read on this forum that lightning is in the works…I would like it to be how windy.com does it using lightningmaps with sound and vibration

Where is this eclipse data?

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Thanks @jojo,

I agree, but making the videos takes time so it’s not completely “free”. I would love to do more educational videos but it takes a lot of time and effort. I still have users asking for Theme Editors, sunrise/sunset, etc… No one has asked for more YT videos :slight_smile:

BTW, the first video you posted is by @swissmac who is a regular on this forum.

Education around weather is not a small task. I have so many thing on my todo list so I have to prioritise. It’s very hard to prioritise this - it’s hard, involves a lot of time, can be boring (compared to other features), and it’s hard to see major increases in revenue compared to other feautres like adding the UKMO regional and global models.

Besides, there are plenty of resources on the web - you just have to search.

I’m 2nd in command to my wife Sally, who does social media :wink: I’m not sure if she want to do this kind of stuff - I’ll ask her. Other than that, there is no third in command.

Flowx uses Radar from RainViewer. Scraping together data may sound easy, but it is no easy task either. There are so many website, formats, failures, changes in format, etc… it’s a massive job. I did have these things on my todo list 7 years ago. They have since disappeared. It’s just too hard for one person to do.

I have lightning on the plan. I’ve bought a Blue System from Blitzortung. I’ve nearly got it going. I still need a couple of parts. Then I’ll look at adding this data.

Notice the radar is from one source (RainViewer) and lightning from one source (Blitzortung) which is why it’s easier to add. Windy cheats a little bit.

I removed the eclipse data. I spent 3 weeks implementing the eclipse feature for the major USA eclipse a few years ago. I released it and you could hear crickets - it was a complete flop. Most eclipse chasers used Apple. I’ve since removed the code since there was no use maintaining it for no users.

This taught me a major lesson in prioritising and market research.

Cheers, Duane.

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Hi @jojo,

Just as a illustration, it took me most of today to write this blog post: Flowx as a Dark Sky Alternative. It does take me a while to make content.

I was hoping to start the sunrise and sunset feature today - but not so :frowning:

Cheers, Duane.

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I’m sure none of this is easy and I commend you as a 1 man band in all of this.

So all 4 radars come from rainviewer or just reflective? I believe I have read all your help section…is there another source for understanding the radars part in terms of how to use. Maybe I should make a youtube video on this and keep it hidden as kind of a work in progress then if its good enough (ever) then you or I can post it…this takes the burden off of your operation.

What is the typical coverage radius of your blue system antenna? fascinating stuff btw!

thanks

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Regarding:

Following the link:

I read:

“The price for the hardware currently is less than 300 Euro. The sferic positions are free accessible in raw format for all users that transmit their data to our servers. The station owners can use the raw data for all non-commercial purposes.”

I don’t find info on the coverage radius of one unit, but you nead several to calculate the location of a lightening, that is done at the servers of Blitzortung

I wounder if Blitzortung means that only the raw data is limited for non-commercial purposes, or if that include refined derivatives of the same as well. If so, can that limit the use of the Blitzortung data in Flowx?

Regarding

Blitzortung uses, VLF (Very Low Frequency).

And on Very low frequency - Wikipedia , one can read:

“The waves travel in a zigzag path around the Earth, reflected alternately by the Earth and the ionosphere”…

“Propagation distances of 5,000 to 20,000 km have been realized”

reflective is from rainviewer

The other are from:

@duane I’m looking in the
Data Sources in the help.
I find the word “radar” under

  • RainViewer

and under

  • HRRR

but i dont find it listed under

  • NAM.

Does the data-list under NAM need an update?

Yes, probably. I probably added it to HRRR first and then later added it to NAM but forgot to update the website.

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Windy is using the same data. I’ll be putting lightning in the free version, like Windy, so it should be fine in terms of “non-commercial”.

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Hi @jojo,

Yes. I just realised I might’ve not mentioned it but I’m not a meteorologist. I’m a biomedical engineer by training. I implement Flowx to show data and compare what I render with other sites. I learn the minimum to get the job done - unless it really interests me. A lot of these things I have high level or superficial knowledge on.

But may I encourage users to post educational content on the forum - maybe under the General category. If we get some good content we can collate it into the help on the website and in the app.

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