Press Releases

Press  >  May 15, 2006 Release

WeatherBug® Enhanced Network, Technology and Expertise Prepare NOAA, Consumers, Broadcasters, Government Agencies, Energy Traders and Schools For 2006 Hurricane Season

Washington DC & Germantown, MD – May 15, 2006 – WeatherBug®, the leading provider of live, local weather information services, today announced the company has responded to its consumers, broadcast, government, energy and educational clients with advancements to better inform and prepare users during the 2006 Hurricane Season. The company’s extensive array of technology innovations leverages the live, neighborhood level weather data which streams from the WeatherBug Network® of 8,000 U.S. WeatherBug Tracking Stations™ and over 1,000 WeatherBug Cameras™. This assures WeatherBug users unprecedented, any time anywhere weather information with greater granularity and precision than ever before or is currently available from alternative sources, which typically rely upon airport data, which can be up to an hour old.

WEATHERBUG NETWORK

Following the prolific 2005 Hurricane season, WeatherBug has continuously collaborated with government agencies and officials along the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions to repair and install strategically placed WeatherBug Tracking Stations with backup generators to equip local emergency agencies with WeatherBug Streamer™, its professional desktop application. The 21 new installations along the Gulf Coast include New Orleans City Hall, Port Fourchon at the edge of the Louisiana Gulf, Jefferson Parish EOC, West Jefferson Hospital and three Louisiana state police barracks. The National Weather Service incorporates data from WeatherBug’s nationwide, real-time weather sensor network. WeatherBug data will be used as part of NWS’ expanded surface observation network to improve weather forecasting and ensure timely severe weather warnings.

BROADCAST TV PARTNERS

To support local broadcast stations, WeatherBug offers unique live, local on-air, online and mobile weather solutions to meet the growing demands of television viewers. New in 2006, the latest version of WeatherBug Zoom™ now delivers custom severe weather alerts via email, cell phone or pagers to notify on-air meteorologists of incoming severe weather as soon as it forms – even when the meteorologist is not in the weather center. This and WeatherBug Zoom™ Live Motion Cam Video assures that broadcast partners and their viewers have access to live conditions that provide critical lead-time during tornado and hurricane season which can make a difference saving property and lives.

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, ENERGY TRADERS, FACILITIES MANAGERS

New enhancements to WeatherBug Streamer™, the online application that provides instantaneous integrated weather intelligence, will debut June 1 at the Texas Governor’s Hurricane Conference. These innovations will enable government agencies, energy companies and facilities managers to analyze and interpret integrated live and historical data with greater precision and relevance during the 2006 hurricane season. As evidenced by the 2005 hurricane season, professionals can better determine which municipalities to evacuate, how to select approach routes and equipment to deploy to a disaster site due to flooding, wind speed and direction. They know where to deploy emergency workers and when to have a shift change and when and where it is ultimately safe to venture after the storm has passed, to aid in recovery efforts. These same layering and mapping abilities enable energy traders to anticipate weather fluctuations and forecast potential electricity and gas price market changes 24x7 so they can make real-time energy trading decisions. WeatherBug staff meteorologists are also available with extensive experience and expertise to help enterprise organizations stay informed about tropical storm/hurricane developments and forecasts.

SCHOOLS

Local WeatherBug TV broadcast partners, and state and local government agencies have donated premium versions of WeatherBug Plus®, the premium, ad-free desktop application to schools to proactively alert and notify school administrators and key personnel of imminent severe weather threats in their area. In addition, via WeatherBug Achieve™’s latest version of its award-winning classroom program, dynamic, animated lessons are now available to teach science, math and technology concepts. Some WeatherBug Achieve schools and teachers are also preparing for the 2006 hurricane season by instituting school-wide emergency plans, fire drills and evacuation programs and encouraging families to make their own emergency plans.

CONSUMERS

Since June of 2005, WeatherBug has launched enhanced versions of its free and premium desktop application, as well as WeatherBug VideoCast™, WeatherBug Mobile SMS Text Alerts, Smartphones and Java-based applications, WeatherBug RSS (Really Simple Syndication), WeatherBug Dashboard Widgets (for Mac OS X and Yahoo!), audio and video podcasts and more. To meet the growing need for mobile updates, WeatherBug also continues to enhance its mobile offerings and carrier partnerships to ensure that severe weather alerts from NWS/NOAA reaches people in the affected areas. This includes those people faced with power outages, evacuation or those who are concerned about those affected by the storm and its aftermath -- in time for them to take any necessary precautions to protect their property and lives.

The WeatherBug Community will continue to share personal experiences this hurricane season through user-submitted videos, blogs, testimonials and photos on weatherbug.com. Participatory journalism continues to build within the WeatherBug Community, which continues to build as people share their harrowing experiences and support for one another. As always, WeatherBug will continue to feature links to the Red Cross to lend support to hurricane victims if the need arises.

About WeatherBug^®

WeatherBug ensures that individuals, schools, businesses and government agencies receive the most precise live weather information, the most relevant weather reports, and the earliest weather warnings to safeguard property, lives and to plan with confidence. With 8,000 WeatherBug Tracking Stations and over 1,000 cameras primarily based at neighborhood schools and public safety facilities across the U.S., WeatherBug maintains the largest exclusive weather network in the world. The live, local weather conditions are delivered to millions of consumers via the Internet and mobile devices, more than 100 state and local government agencies including the National Weather Service, and to broadcast television stations, schools, and businesses. As such, WeatherBug is the #1 distributor of severe weather alerts to the public. WeatherBug data is unique as it is the only live, neighborhood weather available anywhere. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc.

Press Contacts:

Debra Eisenburg
WeatherBug
301-250-4017
deisenburg@weatherbug.com

Alyce Menton
WeatherBug
301-250-4127 - Office
amenton@weatherbug.com