WEATHER PHILIPPINES APP
There are 10-20 typhoons that arrives here in the Philippines every year and each typhoon comes with different strength and this affects many lives and livelihood of our people due to the damage it cause. Every year we face them and it taught us on how to be prepared and be ready to survive whenever another Ondoy or Yolanda will hit our country again.
Times have change and its better to be prepared than never. We know now how to understand the weather news and we also learn new things from our weather news agencies because in every span of 1 year, there’s always new that can struck our country. Few days ago, we encountered a tornado that came from the Manila port that travelled to Sampaloc, Manila. Its just a new experience for all of us, but we didn’t saw it coming and the occurrence was fast, again we are not prepared for it but after that experience we can start to learn more about tornado formation and how we can warn everyone about it. But it’s a long shot again for our weather news agencies to study and observe once more our skies.
Here I introduce to you the Weather Philippines Foundation’s weather report and forecast app and web interface.
Check out: www.weather.com.ph
and its mobile app Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.raksoct.weatherphilippines&hl=en / Apple; https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1006516627
The Weather Philippines Foundation created an app last 2012 to help the business, agriculture, construction and tech industry to provide accurate weather news, report and forecast for 5 days. The data that was collected is from the Automated Weather Stations that was installed in every corner of our country’s island. It gathers data of the weather and was translated by a professional weather gathering agency from abroad and sent the data back to us for accurate information.
At first, the app was introduced to service the private sector, but then later on, the app is now open for all and it can be used by anyone to monitor the weather condition in real time.
This effort is brought to us by Aboitiz Foundation, MeteoGroup and UnionBank plus with the help of numerous companies and corporations for helping fund the AWS installation and to keep the foundation running non stop. And also ongoing collaboration with 568 LGU, private sector and companies to help them understand the use of the app and train their people to be a #WeatherWiser
Automated Weather System
I encountered Weather Philippines last 2015 and I’m amazed with the tech they have. I joined their #WeatherWiser campaign to help introduce the app and also be an advocate of weather news in social media. It’s a regular thing that I do as a being a blogger and a recognized influencer. I also want to invite everyone to be an advocate too, all you need to do is download the app in your phone and use it as a regular app to monitor weather news – this can help you for your travel around the city or the island, so that you can prepare if a sunny, windy or stormy weather is approaching you.
”Poised to be the trusted, most reliable private weather information organization in the Philippines, the WeatherPhilippines Foundation (WPF) aims to strengthen the country's disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation capabilities by providing localized and accurate weather information to the Filipino public.
Our mission is to positively contribute to the Philippine society and economy by operating a premiere weather forecasting system that will provide free weather information as public service for Filipinos in an effort to reduce risks of calamities associated with adverse weather conditions.” - WPF
Check out my news from last year here at http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/2015/07/weatherphilippines-appan-accurate.html
Here’s their web app format at http://weather.com.ph/
You can navigate and use the search bar to pin point the location of choice so that the app can pull weather report data.
Those red dots are the AWS that was installed by reps. of WPF. That’s a total of 780 Automated Weather Stations around the country.
Their new version of the web app will be launched soon. I just saw a preview of it and its better than the old one they have today. So watch out for it.
Here’s their Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/weather.com.ph/
The FB page continues to update us daily about weather news and also harsh weather warnings.
Now you know more about the app, then here’s a way on how to be a weather news advocate.
To be a weather news advocate, you just need to:
1. Focus on your location
2. Use Weather Philippines Foundation app to monitor weather report and forecast
3. Publish and share the weather data from the app and WPF FB page
4. If there’s a typhoon or any weather abnormalities, use the app to check if your area is affected
5. Monitor PAGASA weather news too ( they have a radar data that covers the entire country )
6. Learn the color coding of warning levels (the app includes a guide)
7. Share information and report coming from authentic website of news agencies
8. Learn also about the rules of evac, rescue and recovery
9. Be always prepared (ready your app and survival kit)
10. Always be updated from the LGU news
WEATHER PHILIPPINES CONFERENCE
– THE AFTERMATH
We went to Cebu to join in a social media conference and training conducted by Weather Philippines Foundation and Rappler. I was with the group of bloggers from Manila who went there to join the training with the members of Department Education.
The Weather Philippines app was introduced again and we also learned great tips from a Rappler rep about using social media for sharing authentic information.
Here’s my mobile phone with Weather Philippines app. We monitored the weather in Cebu, and according to the forecast, our afternoon will be cloudy and rainy. We witnessed the fast change of the weather after some minutes and everyone at the conference were surprised that the app is very accurate.
I’ve been using the app for 1 year already and I always have it installed on my phone. I never leave home without. Last summer, I used the Weather Philippines app to monitor the Heat Index of our city.
I don’t leave home if ever the heat index high. Im very thankful that this app saves my time and also my health.
Last summer, we went to the crater of Mt. Pinatubo. A day before the trip, I used the Weather Philippines app again to monitor the weather forecast and see if we are expecting any rains. I need to monitor it so that I can properly bring a raincoat and some gears to beat the rain. And because it was so cloudy and hot, I managed to bring 2L of water in my bag.
I travel around the city, so I us the app again to check if its rainy or cloudy in the metro. You can use the app to add more city on the list for your weather monitoring.
The app data updates in every request you made.
Back in Cebu, you can see the dark clouds formation during the afternoon.
Bloggers and teachers were amazed about the accuracy of the app. It rained so hard that day and we experienced power failure at the hotel. We know about the weather but we didn’t expected the power failure haha.
The team from Weather Philippines Foundation taught us on how to be a #WeatherWiser and also how they work in installing the AWS up in the mountains. First we learned that before you install the weather tech, you have to learn first about the community, the people and the way of their lives. You can’t just install the AWS right away, you have to learn first the culture and the story of the town.
To know more about Cebu we were invited to join a replay of Gabii sa Kabilin, it’s a museum festival in Cebu that happens every month of May. We were so lucky that they introduced this to us. It’s a way of learning about the history, culture and tradition of Cebu. This effort was spearheaded by Aboitiz Foundation.
Fort San Pedro
Our visit at Fort San Pedro. A fortress during the Spanish time and World War era.
Back in our conference. Weather Philippines told us to form a group and pretend that we are part of the weather and disaster reduce risk agency. They gave us a challenge to come up a campaign and things to do when a category 5 super typhoon to arrive in the province within two days.
After a series of talks and collaboration, we learned that the super typhoon was Typhoon Yolanda.
It gave me chills when I learned about it, but this gave us more excitement as we organize our role playing thing as a member of an LGU.
So we pretended that we are based in a small town in Cebu. I learned from the members of DEPED that a small town is not fond of using the internet and Facebook. So the means of communication needed will be old style --- placards, billboards, speaker announcements and SMS blast.
At the panel presentation, I showed to the conference members our disaster preparation and evacuation of the small town.
The presentation looks so real, I felt that we’re really part of the LGU.
Here are some photos from the conference and tour around Cebu.
Ted and member of DEPED checking out the website of Weather Philippines Foundation
PBNET members in Cebu
Receiving some briefing before the tour
Our tour guide from the Aboitiz Foundation shares some history of Fort San Pedro
Its so hot that day….so here’s my get up during the 1 day tour
Inside the city hall of Cebu
Magellena’s cross.
I’ve learned that this is not the original cross, some historians say that the original cross was destroyed during the Magellan-Lapu Lapu conflict.
Basilica del Santo Nino
The structure is newly built after it was damaged by the earthquake.
Halad Museum
Its my first time here. Its so awesome to see that there’s a museum in Cebu that pays tribute to legendary Cebuano singers and composers.
Inside Halad Museum
Tour in Jesuit House – one of the oldest house in the Philippines.
Its my 2nd time here and Im happy that the entire house is well maintained by the owners of the house.
Museo Sugbo
Its my first time here --- its an old detention and rehab center, they turned the entire prison into a museum. It’s a must visit if you are coming to Cebu. They have a great collection of WW2 items and vintage bicycles.
Group hug pic after the conference.
Thanks for reading my blog.
I hope you learned something and pls join us with the campaign to have a #WeatherWiser nation!
