WMO announces winners of Weather Apps Awards and calendar competition
The World Meteorological Organization has announced the winners of a new Weather Apps Awards competition and its annual Calendar competition at a ceremony highlighting the cutting edge of science and technology and the power and beauty of nature.
The Weather Apps Awards Competition recognizes excellence in ever-improving mobile-based applications, which have become the most widespread way for the public to access and use weather information.
Hundreds of weather apps are now available, with global, regional or local coverage. They are developed by both the private sector and public agencies like National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS). The majority of the apps are for general weather information, but there are also specialized ones for specific uses such as sports, agriculture, tourism etc.
“Weather apps do more than just tell users what is set to happen – they can be vital decision-making tools in critical situations. This means that app development is a crucial link in the weather and climate service delivery chain. However, the huge variety of functionality, quality and usefulness of these mobile apps presents challenges to both users and information providers,” said Gerald Fleming, chair of the WMO jury. “Public trust and public safety are at stake.”
“Weather forecasting has been a field of intensive innovation for centuries. Ever since its establishment in 1950, WMO has sought to stimulate this innovation and to promote best practices and knowledge transfer. In this spirit, the Weather Apps Awards underscore the importance of sharing this know-how and innovation for the benefit of society,” said Mr Fleming, formerly with Met Eireann (Ireland) and a long-time contributor to WMO public weather service activities.
The 13-member international jury, with expertise in various fields including weather and climate, IT, communication and social science, recognized 18 Winners and 14 Honorable Mentions in three categories.
- Group 1 - Innovation and promotion of the use of weather and climate information for development.
- Group 2 - Specialized apps award category.
- Group 3 - Public weather forecasts and information (general category).
The competition was launched in August 2020 and received 118 entries from all over the world. The submissions were well balanced between the public sector (38%), private sector (41 %), and others (21 %), including universities, research institutions and private weather enthusiasts.
The WMO International Weather Apps Awards has the following objectives:
- The competition will stimulate app development worldwide, helping to identify and establish high standards for weather apps, and will promote good practices and innovation.
- With a special focus on developing countries and providing access to high quality information to vulnerable communities, it will encourage and assist apps development for/by NMHSs including through collaborative partnerships with the private sector and/or academia.
- It will stimulate public-private-academic collaboration and innovation in improving services to people and businesses.
WMO Calendar Competition
The Awards ceremony also presented the winners of WMO’s 2021 Calendar Competition. It attracted more than 1,100 photographs from all over the world on the theme Weather, Climate, Water and the Ocean. A WMO jury selected 70 finalists – in keeping with the 70th anniversary of WMO – for public voting on social media.
The final selection of photographs – 13 winners and 12 honorable mentions – was based on photographic and artistic merit, meteorological interest and geographical balance, as well as the popularity of the photographs on Facebook and Instagram. All winning photographs will be showcased on WMO social media channels and its website throughout 2021.
LIST OF THE FINAL WEATHER APP AWARDS
04 December 2020
Group 1 - Awards for innovation and promotion of the use of weather and climate information for development
Award for user interface and data representation: Observation data (station measurements, radar, satellite, etc.) and model data
Winner: AccuWeather (USA)
Honourable Mention: Weatherzone (Australia)
Award for originality and innovation:
Winner: Yr (Norway)
Honourable Mention: ClimApp (Sweden)
Award for apps for developing countries
Winner: AirQo (Uganda), Fiji Met Service (Fiji)
Honourable Mentions: TT Met Office (Trinidad and Tobago), Curacao Weather App (Curacao and St Maarten)
Award for engagement of citizens (crowdsourcing, citizens’ obs data)
Winner: Météo-France (France)
Honourable Mention: Windy.app (USA)
Group 2 - Specialized apps award category
Weather warnings:
Public
Winner: UK Met Office
Honourable Mention: MyObservatory (Hong Kong, China)
Private
Winner: AccuWeather (USA)
Honourable Mention: Weatherzone (Australia)
Weather/climate information for Farming
Winner: Strawberry Advisory Service (USA)
Weather information for outdoor activities, leisure and sports
Winner: Windy.app (USA)
Honourable Mentions : Foreca (Finland), meteoblue (Switzerland)
Weather information for sectoral/specialised users (aviation, marine, health, others)
Winner: Info BMKG (Indonesia)
Honourable Mention: WetterOnline (Germany)
Group 3 - Public weather forecasts and information (general category)
Award for information content – usefulness, reliability, quantity and quality of information
Award for submissions from public sector (NMHSs’ apps)
Winners: MyObservatory (HK, China), UK Met Office
Honourable Mention: Met Eireann (Ireland)
Award for submissions from private sector
Winners: Weatherzone (Australia), Weather Channel (USA)
Honourable Mention: ElTiempo.es (Spain)
Award for submission from other sectors (NGO and other non-profit, individuals)
Honourable Mention: World Weather: Local Forecast Rain Radar (Netherlands)
Award for design and presentation of information – user-friendliness, access, customization
Award for submissions from the public sector (NMHSs’ apps)
Winners: MeteoSwiss (Switzerland), Yr (Norway)
Honourable Mention: Bureau Weather Mobile App (Australia)
Award for submissions from the private sector
Winners: Accuweather (USA), Weawow (Japan)
Honourable Mention: Foreca (Finland)
Award for submission from other sectors (NGO and other non-profit, individuals)
Honourable Mention: YoWindow Weather (Russian Federation)