the notion that they’ve turned the weathermen against us seems unlikely
February 7, 2018 12:50 PM Subscribe
The BBC is launching a new look for its weather map - and Scots will be happy to know that the map of the UK will now be flat. Says the BBC: With this new modern look, lots more data and the latest in technology and forecasting science, this is the biggest change to BBC Weather, both for UK and international audiences, for more than ten years.
All projections are lies. But this new one sure is a better representation than the old one.
posted by Nelson at 1:08 PM on February 7, 2018
posted by Nelson at 1:08 PM on February 7, 2018
10 years... only seems like five mins since they changed the maps - going all digital/electronic? I remember them started off as kind of earth/ochre/yellow covered for clarity and everyone moaning about until they went green.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:12 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 1:12 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Some even went so far as to suggest it was an intentional choice to try to do Scotland down but, as former National columnist Angry Salmond noted, “the notion that they’ve turned the weathermen against us seems unlikely.”
Angry?
Not sure if real name or Freudian autocorrect
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:26 PM on February 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Angry?
Not sure if real name or Freudian autocorrect
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:26 PM on February 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Even having a smaller Scotland would've been preferable to how the old Ceefax weather map left it out. I like the new flatter map.
posted by wanderingmind at 1:35 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by wanderingmind at 1:35 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
By pure coincidence I was watching BBC news way over here in Australia where it gets rebroadcast at 7:00am on SBS (our morning news shows are rubbish).
So I grabbed some screenshots! Here's the new flat map.
But wait, the synoptic chart is still distorted.
As an Australian, I have to say, you guys invented a sport that relies on five days of unbroken good weather. You are a very optimistic people.
posted by adept256 at 1:44 PM on February 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
So I grabbed some screenshots! Here's the new flat map.
But wait, the synoptic chart is still distorted.
As an Australian, I have to say, you guys invented a sport that relies on five days of unbroken good weather. You are a very optimistic people.
posted by adept256 at 1:44 PM on February 7, 2018 [3 favorites]
This is a nice little microcosm of the whole Mercator thing.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:55 PM on February 7, 2018
posted by tobascodagama at 1:55 PM on February 7, 2018
I guess they decided not to open this up to a vote on the name, since it's not called Mappy McMapface?
posted by Lyn Never at 2:00 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Lyn Never at 2:00 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Weather presenter Sarah Keith-Lucas will present the first television weather forecast with the new data on the BBC One lunchtime news.
I wonder, was that the first bulletin I watched with Sarah and the new map? Because they didn't mention the change once.
posted by adept256 at 2:17 PM on February 7, 2018
I wonder, was that the first bulletin I watched with Sarah and the new map? Because they didn't mention the change once.
posted by adept256 at 2:17 PM on February 7, 2018
All projections are lies.
Are you saying there is No True Scotland?
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:26 PM on February 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
Are you saying there is No True Scotland?
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:26 PM on February 7, 2018 [24 favorites]
I guess they decided not to open this up to a vote on the name, since it's not called Mappy McMapface?
we go for minor celeb based puns now (google 'gritter lorry names') ... So: Ian MapCaskill?
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:36 PM on February 7, 2018
we go for minor celeb based puns now (google 'gritter lorry names') ... So: Ian MapCaskill?
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 2:36 PM on February 7, 2018
Projexit.
posted by adept256 at 2:39 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by adept256 at 2:39 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Just to clarify what's going on here: the BBC has dumped the Met Office and handed the contract to a private company, MeteoGroup. This follows a campaign against the Met Office by the Daily Mail, with typically fair and balanced articles such as 'The crazy climate change obsession that's made the Met Office a menace'. (Met Office rebuttal here.) DMGT, the company that owns the Daily Mail, is a major shareholder in the Press Association, which made a £125m profit on the sale of MeteoGroup.
But hey, let's go on discussing the new-look weather map!
posted by verstegan at 2:42 PM on February 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
But hey, let's go on discussing the new-look weather map!
posted by verstegan at 2:42 PM on February 7, 2018 [29 favorites]
Isn’t the UK that little island with the area of a medium size American state?
We have the same projection issues here with the US weather map, only magnified due to size. Nobody appreciates that the Pacific Northwest is a full 2/3rds of the American land mass. It doesn’t matter anyway since the @&*#! weather person always stands in front of us.
“Today in Spokane if you look outside it’s going to be partly [doofus-in-a-suit] with a high of 29. You may get a peak of sunshine if I have to lean over and point out something interesting in Florida.”
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 2:42 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
We have the same projection issues here with the US weather map, only magnified due to size. Nobody appreciates that the Pacific Northwest is a full 2/3rds of the American land mass. It doesn’t matter anyway since the @&*#! weather person always stands in front of us.
“Today in Spokane if you look outside it’s going to be partly [doofus-in-a-suit] with a high of 29. You may get a peak of sunshine if I have to lean over and point out something interesting in Florida.”
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 2:42 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
This follows a campaign against the Met Office by the Daily Mail, with typically fair and balanced articles such as 'The crazy climate change obsession that's made the Met Office a menace'.
Whoa, thank you for sharing. Definitely changes my perspective on the whole thing (I posted this because it came up in a cartography discussion group and I thought that aspect was the interesting part, but clearly I was wrong and should have framed this post differently).
posted by everybody had matching towels at 3:23 PM on February 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Whoa, thank you for sharing. Definitely changes my perspective on the whole thing (I posted this because it came up in a cartography discussion group and I thought that aspect was the interesting part, but clearly I was wrong and should have framed this post differently).
posted by everybody had matching towels at 3:23 PM on February 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Isn’t the UK that little island with the area of a medium size American state?
Scotland is the half of that main island which shows up larger on a Mercator projection, which is what it looks like they're using now. The issue with the map was that it was presented as if it was lying on the floor with the camera looking from the south, and thus Scotland was shrunk by perspective.
Arguably the reason for that was so it could focus on the population snake that is the same number of people as Texas, rather than turning the wea[therme]ns against us.
posted by ambrosen at 3:25 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Scotland is the half of that main island which shows up larger on a Mercator projection, which is what it looks like they're using now. The issue with the map was that it was presented as if it was lying on the floor with the camera looking from the south, and thus Scotland was shrunk by perspective.
Arguably the reason for that was so it could focus on the population snake that is the same number of people as Texas, rather than turning the wea[therme]ns against us.
posted by ambrosen at 3:25 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
UK dweller here. While I hate the Daily Mail with a passion, I've used both the Met Office weather app and WeatherPro (produced by MeteoGroup) for years, and I find WeatherPro to be consistently more accurate.
posted by dowcrag at 11:17 PM on February 7, 2018
posted by dowcrag at 11:17 PM on February 7, 2018
> explaining all the phenomena from the jet steam to thunderstorms
Jet steam, is that a spa treatment?
posted by batter_my_heart at 1:58 AM on February 8, 2018
Jet steam, is that a spa treatment?
posted by batter_my_heart at 1:58 AM on February 8, 2018
This follows a campaign against the Met Office by the Daily Mail
Any evidence for this? Seems somewhat unlikely anyone at the BBC even reads the Daily Mail, let alone makes a decision based on one of their campaigns.
posted by fatfrank at 4:52 AM on February 8, 2018
Any evidence for this? Seems somewhat unlikely anyone at the BBC even reads the Daily Mail, let alone makes a decision based on one of their campaigns.
posted by fatfrank at 4:52 AM on February 8, 2018
The BBC is hugely influenced by the bully pulpit of the Daily Mail. The DM is continually challenging the Beeb's legitimacy, and the BBC, under the Tories, is terrified of being de-funded.
Which is why it's so pusillanimous about standing up to the Faragscists and Rees-Moggolini. Anyway, back to the weather.
posted by ambrosen at 5:56 AM on February 8, 2018
Which is why it's so pusillanimous about standing up to the Faragscists and Rees-Moggolini. Anyway, back to the weather.
posted by ambrosen at 5:56 AM on February 8, 2018
They've kept Hull on the map (which was supposedly just for it's Year Of Culture) but Rutland Water has vanished... makes it harder to work out where my house is.
The BBC weather website used to be amazing... the radar / hourly predictions were plotted to such a scale you could work out if a cloud of rain was going to hit you or go a few miles north or south. That all went when they downgraded coz all the newspapers/other tv stations/bloody Rupert Murdock was moaning about them being too good.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:00 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
The BBC weather website used to be amazing... the radar / hourly predictions were plotted to such a scale you could work out if a cloud of rain was going to hit you or go a few miles north or south. That all went when they downgraded coz all the newspapers/other tv stations/bloody Rupert Murdock was moaning about them being too good.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 6:00 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Nobody appreciates that the Pacific Northwest is a full 2/3rds of the American land mass. It doesn’t matter anyway since the @&*#! weather person always stands in front of us.
To be fair, our weather here is kinda boring.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:34 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
To be fair, our weather here is kinda boring.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:34 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
^^^oh come on, today it was cloudy and raining moderately. The other day it was cloudy and raining hard. Tomorrow it is supposed to be cloudy and raining lightly. Some days it is cloudy AND windy and raining.
How am I supposed to know whether to wear my lightweight raincoat, or my seriously heavy raincoat, or give up and stay inside all day?
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:05 PM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
How am I supposed to know whether to wear my lightweight raincoat, or my seriously heavy raincoat, or give up and stay inside all day?
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 8:05 PM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
Folk complaining about the map making Scotland too big
posted by gnuhavenpier at 4:50 AM on February 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by gnuhavenpier at 4:50 AM on February 12, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by Faint of Butt at 1:04 PM on February 7, 2018 [4 favorites]