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A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

nightingaledvs.com

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Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#241
post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Definitely not. It’s common in places where the weather actually changes due to things other than the time of day, i.e. where cold systems move in. For example, look at the forecasts in the Chicago area where tomorrow (March 23) it’s going to be a fair bit colder at noon than at 1am. This is not at all uncommon, and is in fact precisely why it’s important to check the weather forecast in the morning on normal days wh…

Okay, so Antarctica, Chicago, and Cleveland. But the broader point is that the utility of an overnight temperature is that it happens while most people are sleeping, and thus unable to respond to it. Fluctuations while one is awake can be coped with. IMHO, the most reasonable intuitive measures would be: overnight low, rain during the midnight-to-midnight day

> Okay, so Antarctica, Chicago, and Cleveland.

And the entire state of Colorado. It is not that uncommon for our daily high to be at 12am, or for the temperature to drop 30F between a midday high and dusk as a front moves in.

These aren't conditions you can describe with just two temperature points, no matter where they are anchored.

For overnight temperatures, many people just want badging to know if there is a frost/freeze condition - e.g., is there a weather condition they need to deal with while they would otherwise be sleeping.

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#242
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It becomes useless when it was 32 degrees at midnight. But now, as I sit here on a Thursday morning, it shows the low for today as 28 degrees and tomorrow as 40 degrees. What will I need to wear Friday morning when I go out? Will it be closer to 40 or continue dropping and be closer to freezing? Is it safe to put my sensitive plants back outside? Perhaps it shows 28 again but is that for early Friday morning or late…

> In almost all cases the coldest part of the day is right around dawn. Probably true, and yet the counterexamples are when the temperature forecast is particularly important when I'm choosing what to wear. Any simplification of the temperature forecast into daily lows and highs will fail certain use cases, so I think it's very reasonable to make the daily lows and highs as well- and simply-defined as possible and pr…

Why not both? Keep the normal highs and lows we expect from our weather stations and websites, then display the temperature variance in a view that doesn't require you to drill into the app view clicks / drags.

I don't see any defensible opinion to let the lows be during/before sunrise.

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#243

Dark Sky was eerily accurate, sometimes to the minute. That was great because my dog hates rain. I've often dropped what I was doing immediately and get out earlier because of a Dark Sky notification. If it told me I had 25 minutes before rain started, I really had 25 minutes. I've noticed that it got progressively less accurate the closer it got of the shutdown by Apple. The iOS weather app is pretty inaccurate and…

Totally. Using Dark Sky felt a little bit like a superpower.

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#244
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Disagree. Dark Sky was fantastic in the PNW, where the main concerns are just how rainy it will be that day, and the approximate high temperatures coming up. Nothing accurately forecasts (here) whether it will be freezing or whether precipitation will be snow/slush/hail/rain, but other apps like Apple's are absolutely horrific at forecasting precipitation even a few hours out. Stuff like showing 30% chance of rain in…

> Dark Sky is great at answering the weather questions of people who live in places where rain showers are short lasting; where temperatures range from ‘cool’ to ‘hot’; and where storms are infrequent, special events. Basically people whose interaction with the weather hinges on ‘do I need a jacket?’ > Disagree. Dark Sky was fantastic in the PNW I think you're actually in complete agreement with OP

Sure, if you translate that to "somewhere with blizzards" and ignore that it's nonsense as-is.

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#245
The main thing that I miss about Dark Sky is that it realized where I live. Not the larger city next door.

I live in a tiny alcove surrounded by hills and our weather can be up to 5 degrees cooler than the valley south of me.

Apple Weather just doesn't offer that precision.

The disappearance of Dark Sky is literally what Apple has been doing to the whole computer world. Enforcing their direction, because it's better, while taking away your choice.

There are certain things that shouldn't be summarized. Weather is one of them.

The Weather UI is a (failed) exercise of trying to reduce a days worth of weather in a single icon.

I currently use https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=34.1823&lon=-1...

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#246
I have switched to "windy.com" (not the confusingly similarly-named windy.app), not because it has an amazing UI, but because it's one of the few weather apps that lets me see the output of the forecasting models directly. Emphasis on the "s", it supports multiple models and you can switch between them. In the USA, the "HRRR" model is freakishly accurate over the next 72 hours.

Everyone talks about UI, but you can have the most amazing UI in the world and it would be useless if it was presenting you with bad data.

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Author here! I think this image does the best job of showcasing the difference: https://i0.wp.com/nightingaledvs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023... In Apple Watch, the min and max values (the numeric values left / right of the pills) are all aligned vertically on top of each other. In Dark Sky, they aren't aligned because the horizontal position is driven by the min and max values themselves . This is subtle but CRUCIAL…

Wait, where is the Apple Watch in this? You mean iOS? In both screenshots of that image, the horizontal position of the pills are driven by the temperature. I don't see the difference other than where the min/max label is placed.

Sorry I meant the Apple Weather app*

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#248
post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure. All the time - I'm a runner, a walker, I have teen kids who like walking, we have a dog. But is any of this really changed by knowing it's going to rain? Nope. I stick my nose out on a morning - if it's cold, I put on a warm coat. If it's going to rain, I put on something rainproof. No need for an app. Or, sadly, a chart or a graph...

How do you know if it's going to rain? And how do you know what the temperature will be midday based on how it feels in the morning? I'm honestly just curious, these things are very variable in all the places I've lived. The presence or absence of clouds is not a great predictor of rain, and depending on the day it might be 20 degrees warmer in the afternoon or 0 degrees warmer. Obviously I can imagine living without…

I guess I'm fairly relaxed about it - I mean, I can tell if it's going to rain imminently because it ...feels like it.

Don't get me wrong, I did love DS and the accuracy was insane - it's just that my wife pointed out that I probably don't actually need to know this stuff. As she would say - "does it really matter?" - I mean, if I get wet, so what? I think over time I've come to agree with her :-)

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#249
post #16

Carrot Weather added the "inline" view which replicates Dark Sky pretty well. [1] It's been an easy transition for me, although Carrot is more expensive. [1]: http://meetcarrot.com/weather/goodbyedarksky.html

Same for https://weathergraph.app

Thanks for the mention! Weathergraph author here - any question anyone?

Re: A eulogy for Dark Sky, a data visualization masterpiece

#250

Dark Sky was eerily accurate, sometimes to the minute. That was great because my dog hates rain. I've often dropped what I was doing immediately and get out earlier because of a Dark Sky notification. If it told me I had 25 minutes before rain started, I really had 25 minutes. I've noticed that it got progressively less accurate the closer it got of the shutdown by Apple. The iOS weather app is pretty inaccurate and…

My outdoor hobby is limited by rain (rock climbing), so I've gone through most of the weather apps. Dark Sky was by far the best, both for accuracy and visualization.

I'm in this thread to hopefully find an alternative, and wunderground.com looks like it might be the ticket.

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