Return to topic index

Weather Forecasting - RASP Blipspots??
Posted by Roy Dade at 2010-02-04 16:23

Dear All

I had a look at the RASP weather webpage again today to see what's new and saw the BlipSpot Maker.

Basically it provides RASP text parameter values at 30 minute intervals at a set location.

I put in the Lat/ Long for Heldre Hill and bingo it produced an hour by hour forecast readout for:

- Thermal Updraft Velocity in fpm (shown as W*)and Thermal height
- Surface and upper wind speeds and direction
- % surface sun etc.

It also creats a URL which can be saved to your favourites so that you can click and check the forecast for the site for the day. I guess it updates automatically for the day.

If you want to take a look here is the link for the Heldre Hill

http://rasp.inn.leedsmet.ac.uk/cgi-bin/get_rasp_blipspot.cgi?region=UK12&grid=d2&day=0&i=945&k=1344&width=2000&height=2000&linfo=1¶m=

The thing I like about this little gem is being able to spot the likely daily peaks e.g. at 1330 thermal updrafts max at 79 fpm and BL top over a 1000ft, look forward to 450fpm and 6000ft.

The main page for generating your Blipspots is at http://rasp.inn.leedsmet.ac.uk/MyRaspBlipspot.html which includes a lat long finder using Google Maps

I wonder if it might be worth setting some up on the LMSC webpage?

Regards

Roy

Posted by Geoff Minshull at 2010-02-04 16:42

Hi Roy,

I'll have a look at this, but it'll be a few days, we're in the middle of a huge conference we are running. But sounds like a good idea. As I said in another thread, we want to improve the web site, and are looking for ideas.

Posted by Geoff Minshull at 2010-02-05 18:55

Hi Roy,

I've put one as a test at the bottom of the Mynd site description on the sites page. Tell me what you think. I can easily change the text, move it around, etc. I could also put the links for all the sites all together on one page, which is another option.

Weather Forecasting - RASP Blipspots??
Posted by Roy Dade at 2010-02-06 16:21

Hi Geoff

Thanks for the message, I agree that having the links in one place might be better. One option might be on the main site page in a new column on the right hand side of the sites table e.g. "Local weather prediction for this site today from RASP" including the codes such as W* to explain what the rows in the Blipspot mean e.g. W* for Thermal Updraft Velocity.

Another option is an LMSC weather briefing page? On my home PC I have some bookmarks set up in a sequence that act as a kind of weather brief goes something like this:

Big Picture

- BBC Monthly Outlook
- Met Office - UK Outlook / Synoptic Charts etc
- Met Check Next 7 days
- XC Weather - Forecast

Local Area Forecast
- Met Office - West Mids
- Metcheck Shrewsbury
- Aviation Forecast West Mids
- RASP Table
- RASP LMSC Sites Blipspot Predictions

Current Observations
- XC Weather current
- Met Office latest recent
- Craigs Paragliding Weather

That way I can take a general look forward, if its promising then look at local area then before leaving home on the day check current observations. If we had a weather page that might be a good structure?

Regards

Roy

Posted by Geoff Minshull at 2010-02-06 17:08

Yes, a weather page would be better. The current layout of the site makes it tricky to add in new tabs (if you're logged in, more could lead to horizontal scrolling), but I'll have a play around in the next week or so, see if I can do something useful within this layout.

Posted by Roy Dade at 2010-02-07 08:27

Hi Geoff

I see what you mean the tabs are getting a bit busy now. How about combining sites and weather in a "where to fly today" page? I suspect most of us check what the weather is doing before choosing a site.

At the top you could have some links to the regional forecast(s). Once general conditions are pilots could check todays blipspot forecast for the sites that take that direction by clicking a link in the sites table? A kind of one stop shop?

Regards

Roy

Posted by Geoff Minshull at 2010-02-09 10:20

OK, blipspots are now on the individual site pages, accessible via the sites tab at the top of each screen, for every LMSC site - including the ones no-one ever flies. I've also corrected some of the lat/long co-ordinates, and put in co-ordinates where they were missing.

I'll try and sort out a dedicated weather page too.

You need to log in to post on this forum.