New Bbc Graphics

[Snow storm]

i presume you mean 'why can't' not  'why can' ??

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Why cant

mistake lol

[boro_dave]

where's the wind? i have seen several of the new forecasts and not one wind symbol!

how am i supposed to know whether or not to wear a hat????

[The PIT]

where's the wind? i have seen several of the new forecasts and not one wind symbol!

how am i supposed to know whether or not to wear a hat????

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Or paint a fence Spray a car or work on a roof???

Another question. The brown areas are clouds however sometimes the brown areas also have rain drops falling. Now is this the 3d effect making the rain appear over the brown area or is just very light rain.

i agree, the old symbols did cover hundreds of miles and with the new ever improving graphics, its much more accurate as it actually goes under the clouds and shows the shadows on the ground.

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Haven't found it more accurate so far in fact the forecast has been wrong every day so far which I presume is due to my misinterpration of the graphics. By the way I'm talking about the national forecast not local. I don't have time too see the local area forecast as they no longer show it on a regular basis. More dumbing down.

I'd better add for the record that I'm not having a go at you personally, Microburst.

But some lessons do need to be learnt in graphic design which I am gaining experience with day by day. And I think that the old flat UK map design would serve better, even if in the ranks of the ITV forecasts. Animated clouds, be they overcast for white/grey, Black cloud and persistent rain/thunder/snow symbols in the more localised areas where likely. You get the idea.

Especially at a huge cost which . There should have been more thinking and more public opinion. The 3D maps are not working as yet. I daresay they will for a while as yet until more major tweaking is done.

Phil.

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Too be honest these graphics are ideal for the web where you could pan round and in by yourself and run the sequence for local areas. For the TV audiance it's a flop to my eyes. I think they needed to do more market research with the general public using terrestal TV. Could have been one these failed projects where they spent so much so early they felt they had to continue???

[Great Plum]

Interesting story on BBC breakfast this morning where they showed the number of complaints that had come in compared to the number of people who liked it... needless to say, you knew the one that was much, much larger!

Then they had the weather forecaster (I really can't remember her name!) and she basically said 'we know you don't like it, but this is so much better so tough... and our detailed audience research showed us that isobars and pressure maps were a big turn off...' hmmm...

[Great Plum]

I don't know if they are getting it wrong or it's the graphics but yesterdays's forecast was way way out!

[Andy Bown]

I missed that bit, only seen the 0815 forecast.

That just about proves that they really don't care, they like it and that's what matters :blink: .

By the way the forcaster was Helen Willets and she along with the other Helen (Young) is making most of the decisions on these graphics IMO. They seem to be the big 2 forecasters now that the old guard have mostly retired.

[J10]

So far most of the forecasts both nationally and regionally have been pretty accurate.

I think the new system can do everything the old system could do, but they are not using them due to time constraints.

[The PIT]

So far most of the forecasts both nationally and regionally have been pretty accurate.

I think the new system can do everything the old system could do, but they are not using them due to time constraints.

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Dunno where you've got that from they've been wrong nearly everyday since Monday. Haven't seen any regional ones as the times seem to have been cut down.

Edited May 20, 2005 by The PIT

[A Gower Guy]

From what i've seen the forecasts do seem to match what happens pretty well.

[Bottesford]

Pressure charts a 'big turn off'?? To the stupid masses that may be so, but not to the informed people of the country (of which there are plenty!). Why do always panda down to the lowest common denominator? This 'lets make it easy & simple so everyone understands' attitude really stinks. Surely we should be raising standards not lowering them!

The BBC are usally quite good- take Radio 1 for example. They put out a lot of good music shows that play a variety of underground music which won't be 'mass popular'. However the GWR radio group (you know- the 'Todays better music mix' ones) just play pop 24/7. They are much more popular overall than radio 1 but of course no where near as good or challenging.

The whole point of the BBC in my opinion is to raise standards- something that can't be done with a ratings driven commercial tv/radio station.

[J10]

Dunno where you've got that from they've been wrong nearly everyday since Monday. Haven't seen any regional ones as the times seem to have been cut down.

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I've got it from the National forecasts which have been accurate the next day, certainly for this area. But maybe there is more ambiguity in the forecasts, But IMO they have been accurate.

The regional forecasts (BBC Wales) are longer than before and there has been widespread use of winds and pressure charts, in fact pressure charts are being used far more on regional forecasts than ever was the case before the change.

[Thundery wintry showers]

Pressure charts a 'big turn off'?? To the stupid masses that may be so, but not to the informed people of the country (of which there are plenty!). Why do always panda down to the lowest common denominator? This 'lets make it easy & simple so everyone understands' attitude really stinks. Surely we should be raising standards not lowering them!

The BBC are usally quite good- take Radio 1 for example. They put out a lot of good music shows that play a variety of underground music which won't be 'mass popular'. However the GWR radio group (you know- the 'Todays better music mix' ones) just play pop 24/7. They are much more popular overall than radio 1 but of course no where near as good or challenging.

The whole point of the BBC in my opinion is to raise standards- something that can't be done with a ratings driven commercial tv/radio station.

Agree.

I think the pressure charts thing goes even further than that. To my mind, we are probably looking at one of four scenarios as far as this research was concerned (although there are probably more that I haven't considered.)

1. The research was unrepresentative, and focused around a group of people with below average interest in the weather.

2. The research took the media's perception of what the average person wants, rather than what the average person really wants.

3. The research was representative and fair, but the relatively small percentage of the population who don't understand pressure charts and the like made their views heard, while the majority who were happy with them remained silent. This would have distorted the reality, as it would make it appear that most people (expressed as the percentage of those who spoke out) were against them.

4. The research showed that the proportion of people who don't understand things like pressure charts is quite low, but they wanted to cater for the lowest common denominator so as not to alienate the people who are least interested in weather.

This may sound like a swipe at the BBC, but I don't mean it that way. It is not uncommon for research to give misleading results- even when a lot of time, effort and money is put into it, for the reasons given above among many others. Whatever the reality, the fact remains that the general public views seem to be rather at odds with the research findings.

[J10]

Sorry to slightly off tangent here, but this shows a risk of being over critical, or not expressing your satisfaction. So an unrepresentative sample of opinion is gathered, and the powers that be think people are unhappy, and in this case the BBC Weather is changed when most people were happy with it as it was before.

So if you've got something positive to say, Say it, or the vocal minority may get their way.

The use of pressure charts has risen on regional forecasts and has fallen on national ones, perhaps we should innundate the BBC for longer weather forecasts.

[johnholmes]

I missed that bit, only seen the 0815 forecast.

That just about proves that they really don't care, they like it and that's what matters :blink: .

By the way the forcaster was Helen Willets and she along with the other Helen (Young) is making most of the decisions on these graphics IMO. They seem to be the big 2 forecasters now that the old guard have mostly retired.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Helen Young is the boss and has been for a while

[The PIT]

I've got it from the National forecasts which have been accurate the next day, certainly for this area. But maybe there is more ambiguity in the forecasts, But IMO they have been accurate.

The regional forecasts (BBC Wales) are longer than before and there has been widespread use of winds and pressure charts, in fact pressure charts are being used far more on regional forecasts than ever was the case before the change.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not arguing with you as the forecast maybe working for you. There used to a regional forecast before 6.30 but that no longer happens. I presume they do the first one at seven and by then I left for work.

Overall this week has been the worst forecasting for the longest I remember. Some of this maybe due my misinterpretion of the graphs.

As others have stated the new graphics need more time and the BBc doesn't like giving time too forecasts.

on a side note I guess they won't mention wind speeds until they gust to 50 mph.

[kold weather]

Yeah I agree with you PIT,I do think had they given more time to the forecasts in the first place then the forecasts will get better as they are given more time to explain.

and I must admit these graphics are growing on me somewhat now though and the fact that the BBC are saying they are listening to complaints,it is a relief to me.

and why on earth do they say that pressure charts are big turn offs,I couldn['t believe and neither can my whole family,who actually understand the isobars just as easily as the symbols were.

Edited May 20, 2005 by kold weather

[The PIT]

Okay doke caught up with the local forecast.

Now here the forecast worked quite well as there wasn't any panning everything was close up. Also there was more time. Winds speeds were even shown hurray.

This really shows that for the national forecast unless the BBC gives them a good five - 10 minutes the new graphics won't work and are unsuitable for the task.

On todays national forecast the east coast was forgotten.

[The PIT]

Yeah I agree with you PIT,I do think had they given more time to the forecasts in the first place then the forecasts will get better as they are given more time to explain.

and I must admit these graphics are growing on me somewhat now though and the fact that the BBC are saying they are listening to complaints,it is a relief to me.

and why on earth do they say that pressure charts are big turn offs,I couldn['t believe and neither can my whole family,who actually understand the isobars just as easily as the symbols were.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Got to admit a lot of people couldn't understand the old weather and even more unlikely too understand the new one. Quite often many people took the snow symbol over Scotland to mean Snow all over the country. Neither would they understand the preasure charts.

However theres a lot that do and shouldn't the BBC be helping to educate anyway.

Edited May 20, 2005 by The PIT

[J10]

The regional forecast seems to using the time that was previously for the second national forecast, and that seems to be working well.

On the weekend, the forecasts are generally shorter than during the week, how they are going to show it in that time I don't know.

[dodge]

The regional forecasts seem better than the national one's. Maybe it's because they have the facility to zoom into your local area more closely. Well today's forecast promised beefy, heavy frequent showers. I don't think I saw a single raindrop all day. Now I know that's the case of showers, hit and miss, but the new graphics still showed the showers as a persistant band of heavy rain. Maybe I haven't got used to them yet, and misinterpreting them incorrectly.

[Andy Bown]

Tell you what's just occured to me - how on earth will the Countryfile forecast be done? If they're not going to use symbols (even if they used to end up being inaccurate at least there was an idea) how on earth are they going to show the weather for 5/6 days ahead. And the Countryfile forecast was a brilliant forecast for running a week's worth of pressure charts. I await Sunday with baited breath

I sure as heck don't want vague areas of rain showing for 5 days ahead.

[soggy wales]

Does anyone watch the farming forcast ? and if so is it any good in the detail that it covers?

cheers guys

Lyn

[Thundery wintry showers]

Tell you what's just occured to me - how on earth will the Countryfile forecast be done? If they're not going to use symbols (even if they used to end up being inaccurate at least there was an idea) how on earth are they going to show the weather for 5/6 days ahead. And the Countryfile forecast was a brilliant forecast for running a week's worth of pressure charts. I await Sunday with baited breath 

I sure as heck don't want vague areas of rain showing for 5 days ahead.

Same here, really. Although as I mentioned in an earlier post, I progressively lost interest in TV forecasts after 2000, I stayed tuned to Countryfile for a good two or three years after that, as they seemed to be the most detailed and least affected by the dumbing down. I still watch the Countryfile these days when I remember when it's on...

[Andy Bown]

Does anyone watch the farming forcast ? and if so is it any good in the detail that it covers?

cheers guys

Lyn

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Hi Soggy Wales from Very Soggy Westbury

The farming forecast is the Countryfile one that me and TWS have just posted about. It will be on with the new system for the 1st time this Sunday. Previously it has been very detailed from Sunday-Wednesday with an outlook for Thursday-Saturday of the upcoming week.

[J10]

Countryfile will indeed be very interesting.