BBC Weather

May 17, 2005 4:04 PM

The BBC TV weather forecasts haven't changed much over the years - until now. (RealVideo) But some people aren't too happy with the changes.
posted by Mwongozi (22 comments total)

Just the sort of London-centric nonsense I expect from the BBC.
How long before they just admit that they couldn't give a shit about anything that happens to the north of the Watford Gap.

I kid, but the old maps were better.
/me remembers being excited by the move to computer generated maps back in 1985.
posted by seanyboy at 4:12 PM on May 17, 2005

They certainly need a lot of clouds for that chart, new or old.
posted by sudasana at 4:18 PM on May 17, 2005

I hate, hate, hate these 3D graphical maps for weather.

Both free to air channels in New Zealand use them for their news and I found it incredibly difficult to workout what the actual weather is going to be in a given area. Sure it looks pretty but under all that cloud, it's just I can't tell if it's gonna be raining heavily or barely at all. Tufte would have a field day with these things.

Only watches the weather for the weather girl.
posted by X-00 at 5:26 PM on May 17, 2005

So are we meant to know what the dark and light patches actually mean, and what altitude the blue puddles are at? I don't.
posted by cillit bang at 5:37 PM on May 17, 2005

Dark = dark clouds, light = light lack-of-clouds, blue puddles = 0 altitude. Thank you for flying Aer Lingus.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 5:55 PM on May 17, 2005

I don't mind it too much, but then, I don't live in Scotland.

I am impressed that that guy in the linked video does weather for the whole damn world. I don't remember any of it (except for the west coast of North America being soggy, since I live there - ish) but that's quite the task.
posted by blacklite at 6:09 PM on May 17, 2005

So the blue bits refer to the land they cover rather than the land they appear to be floating above, which would make more sense with the whole "3D" thing? Grrr.
posted by cillit bang at 6:16 PM on May 17, 2005

Are there alternatives to BBC weather?
posted by stbalbach at 6:42 PM on May 17, 2005

Actually, X-OO, this system apparently "comes from New Zealand". So, yey to that. Hm.

I don't think there's a huge problem with it, really. When they talk about Scotland they scroll it up to show it. What's more, the size by comparison is roughly as "wrong" as the old map was. Most English people have no idea that Scotland is much, much larger than England.
posted by bonaldi at 7:28 PM on May 17, 2005

I'm curious why they think that Quebec City is located in northern Ontario!

Anyone spot any other blatant mistakes?
posted by jdot at 7:45 PM on May 17, 2005

Dublin looks bloody huge on that map compared to Belfast.

HA!

(I'm not sure what this means)
posted by dublinemma at 7:49 PM on May 17, 2005

This is a perfect example of bad design.

"Scotland is actually no smaller than on the old 2-D maps, but with the new 3-D forecast, the bottom part of the map (the south) is closer to the viewer.

The TV screen is 2-D! Stupid, stupid, stupid.
posted by Tlogmer at 8:13 PM on May 17, 2005

Yeah the new design has its problems, I'm not overly impressed.
posted by malevolent at 11:06 PM on May 17, 2005

British people: talking about the weather.

Stereotypes - who knew they were so accurate?
posted by NinjaPirate at 1:34 AM on May 18, 2005

Are there alternatives to BBC weather?

Yes, Sky News weather, not online sadly (in any useful way). Graphics and presentation are way ahead of the BBC's. The forecasts are also remarkably accurate, at least for 24 hours in the South. All those Murdoch millions make a difference.
posted by grahamwell at 3:24 AM on May 18, 2005

They all get their data from the Met Office - and the comment about London-centric [BBC] nonsense is a little unfair especially considering how much of the television and radio output is produced in the regions - and especially now, as thousands of staff members and hours and hours of output are being shifted to Manchester. Notwithstanding, the weather output from Sky News is also from the same POV.

As for that Sky News thing, man, I can't for the life of me remember what their main presenter is called (I know he started out on the Beeb) - but he constantly looks off his face.
posted by shoez at 4:17 AM on May 18, 2005

It's Francis Wilson, yes he started out on Breakfast Time as the 'sexy weatherman', time and various substances have taken their toll. He still has that 'lovely weather for shagging' sort of look, a sly wink that lasts for two minutes. Oooh Francis, yes please.

NinjaPirate, we Brits love talking about the weather because we have so much of it. It's a huge part of our life. Sad really.
posted by grahamwell at 4:27 AM on May 18, 2005

Are there alternatives to BBC weather?

Scorchio!
posted by pracowity at 5:13 AM on May 18, 2005

The new weather forecasts don't have the level of class that I expect from the BBC. The map should be rendered with a sort of Rembrandt oil painting effect and have golden lettering on marble type stuff going on. It looks a bit too ITV. A bit simple. No style. Some of the older viewers may find 'land that isn't green' a difficult concept to grasp.
posted by walkerbelm at 5:18 AM on May 18, 2005

Scorchio!

LOL
posted by Pretty_Generic at 8:44 AM on May 18, 2005

Hell with the forecast, are there alternatives to British weather?
posted by NickDouglas at 4:50 PM on May 18, 2005

more examples (mp4 video) of the 3D weather system being used (weatherscape XT) can be seen on the developer's website here (bbc stuff) and here (examples from other channels that use the same system).
posted by noizyboy at 9:13 PM on May 18, 2005