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Eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece (2023)

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Re: Eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece (2023)

#181

Post by cess11 »

shagie wrote: post #66
piersj225 wrote: post #61

After darksky was shutdown I ended up using, https://www.yr.no/en . I've not seen it recommended here before and thought someone might enjoy it

They've also got a developer interface - https://developer.yr.no One of the things that I've seen with them that I haven't seen with others is the cloud cover by layer. https://www.yr.no/en/details/graph/2-6301678/United%20States... https://www.yr.no/en/details/table/2-6301678/United%20States... For doing photography (sunsets) there's a significant difference between 50% high clouds and 50% low clouds.

I've mainly used YR:s API, it's no fuss, no registration and the data is good enough for me in a neighbouring country. It's a perk that they have some neat widget endpoints that consume a location and generate an image.

Re: Eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece (2023)

#182

Post by Leftium »

cess11 wrote: post #180
Leftium wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps I should add an option to disable gradients. There's a screen shot showing what it used to look like before gradients: https://github.com/Leftium/weather-sense

It's not clear how to switch to sane units of measurement.

You mean you prefer C over F? Tapping any temperature will toggle between the two. (This always comes up, so the app should probably default to units based on the user's location: the default is F only if the app detects you're in the US)

- Toggling C/F also toggles the scale on the radar to km. Eventually, I will get around to adding a dedicated settings page.

- However, the app was designed so one could get a sense of the weather without numeric labels: temperature is a very relative experience, so use the spatial/color cues to compare yesterday, today, and forecast days.

- Notice now much more space C needs when toggling between C and F. F's 0 to 99 range fits the natural range of temperatures humans experience (weather, body temperature). Humans just don't experience anything beyond 50 degrees C. At the same time, a single delta C is too large for the precision human bodies can detect. (Humans need something closer to 0.5C precision, which is what 1 degree F is.)

- As as result C needs nearly twice as much horizontal space compared to F: due to going negative more often and needing an extra decimal for minimal precision required.

Re: Eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece (2023)

#183

Post by Leftium »

garciansmith wrote: post #166
Leftium wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You might also like https://weather-sense.leftium.com

This is neat, but I find the charts extremely hard to parse due to the color gradients and the similar shades, especially of blue and teal. I find the Merry Sky charts a lot easier to understand.

Thanks for the feedback. You helped make my app more readable (I went a little overboard on the gradients; I thought the gradients would help convey the sky condition):

- Now most gradients are disabled by default. (toggle here: https://weather-sense.leftium.com/wmo-codes)

- Also added shadow/glow to plot lines so they "pop out" more.

I'm not sure which parts you think are blue and teal. Open to suggestions for better colors! (There are only so many colors, and I like keeping the precipitation related colors all bluish.)

Re: Eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece (2023)

#184

Post by hopelite »

chrneu wrote: post #100
hopelite wrote: post #54

It wasn’t as much focused on high level information visualization as Dark Sky, but I also still miss the original Wunderground and its precipitation prediction cones and radar features that were accurate down to the second back before it was acquired by the weather channel, where it went to die of neglect. This topic raises an issue I’ve had in mind for a while, companies are not realizing their true value when they…

this is a lil off topic, but fuck the weather channel. they've been lobbying for like a decade to get NOAA defunded. They're basically the Intuit/turbotax of the meteorology world.

Lobbying is not going to have an effect on that unless you have magnitudes greater pain to dish up than the industry lobbyists have gifts to bear. It's a big circle of mutual gratification and you aren't in it. If you have been lobbying that long with no effect, it's because of that. If you have any information, you should think about taking it to the OMG to see if they are interested, able to do a candid hidden camera thing. That might make a difference if it is done right.

Re: Eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece (2023)

#185

Post by cess11 »

Leftium wrote: post #182
cess11 wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not clear how to switch to sane units of measurement.

You mean you prefer C over F? Tapping any temperature will toggle between the two. (This always comes up, so the app should probably default to units based on the user's location: the default is F only if the app detects you're in the US) - Toggling C/F also toggles the scale on the radar to km. Eventually, I will get around to adding a dedicated settings page. - However, the app was designed so one could get a sense…

I'd sneak in 'Toggle C/F' somewhere and hook it to the same function you use on the numbers.

Fahrenheit goes negative at a measly -18C. Where I live -20 to -30C is not uncommon. Whether it's 17.5 or 18C typically does not matter, continual changes in wind and other factors will for pretty much all practical purposes quench that difference.

Re: Eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece (2023)

#186

Post by Leftium »

cess11 wrote: post #185
Leftium wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean you prefer C over F? Tapping any temperature will toggle between the two. (This always comes up, so the app should probably default to units based on the user's location: the default is F only if the app detects you're in the US) - Toggling C/F also toggles the scale on the radar to km. Eventually, I will get around to adding a dedicated settings page. - However, the app was designed so one could get a sense…

I'd sneak in 'Toggle C/F' somewhere and hook it to the same function you use on the numbers. Fahrenheit goes negative at a measly -18C. Where I live -20 to -30C is not uncommon. Whether it's 17.5 or 18C typically does not matter, continual changes in wind and other factors will for pretty much all practical purposes quench that difference.

Fair enough. I added a toggle button and removed decimal °C.

Weather uncertainty may make that extra precision less useful.

Re: Eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece (2023)

#187

Post by GabrielMMMM »

shaky-carrousel wrote: post #11

A really good Android open source alternative is Breezy Weather: https://github.com/breezy-weather/breezy-weather

There is a really good iOS app called Brzzy Weather! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brzzy-weather/id6670187343
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