WeatherBug

Developer(s)	AWS Convergence Technologies
Stable release	6.07 / 2006-08-01
Operating system	Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Linux
Website	http://weather.weatherbug.com/

WeatherBug is a company from AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. that provides live weather data. The program is available for download from WeatherBug's website, websites of the approximately 85 TV partners, and was formerly distributed through the AOL Instant Messenger installation utility. WeatherBug is also available for download for iPhone or iPod Touch via the App Store. WeatherBug Direct is a line of free applications for mobile devices, including WeatherBug Direct for Blackberry and WeatherBug Direct for Windows Mobile.

Contents 1 History 2 Spyware concerns 3 International Version 4 Partnerships 5 External links 6 Notes

[edit] History

WeatherBug was founded in 1992 by CEO Bob Marshall. It started in the education market and installed tracking stations on schools. Later, the company began partnering with TV stations, such that broadcasters could use WeatherBug's local data in their weather reports. In 2000, the Weatherbug desktop application was launched, and later, the website.

[edit] Spyware concerns

In 2005, Microsoft AntiSpyware, now known as Windows Defender, flagged WeatherBug as a spyware program, but this classification was removed.^[1] The program, though not deliberate malware, is adware, including both banner and pop-up ads, but may be upgraded for $19.95 to WeatherBug Plus, which does not include advertising.^[2] Early versions were difficult to uninstall and warned users not to remove WeatherBug since it could "save your life"^[3]. Programs exist to facilitate removal of these early versions and current versions include a program to uninstall WeatherBug.^[4]

[edit] International Version

At present, the desktop application of WeatherBug is designated for U.S. ZIP codes only. For details regarding international locations, users can visit WeatherBug's website. International users can also receive RSS global weather feeds via email or through their RSS reader.

[edit] Partnerships

WeatherBug operates a network of (at last count) 7,809^[5] weather stations. WeatherBug contracts with television stations in most markets to maintain the weather stations, which the television channels will in turn use for forecasting. Most WeatherBug stations are located in schools in both metropolitan and rural areas. These are the stations that the WeatherBug application uses to display local data, though the software is also compatible with the standard ASOS observations provided by the roughly 1,000 airport stations across the United States.

In 2004, AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc., the National Weather Service and the Department of Homeland Security entered into a public-private agreement so that the WeatherBug stations could be used by Homeland Security to assess weather conditions in the event of a disaster. The agreement was renewed and expanded in January 2007 to allow NWS (National Weather Service) and NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Association) access to the WeatherBug data. This data, through the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System, is used to initialize mesoscale forecast models such as the Weather Research and Forecasting model.

[edit] External links

• WeatherBug official site
• WeatherBug Business Solutions Site

[edit] Notes

1. ^ Naraine, Ryan (2005-01-07), WeatherBug Miffed at Microsoft's Spyware Classification, eWeek.com, http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1749409,00.asp 
2. ^ What is AWS Weatherbug?, pchell.com, http://www.pchell.com/support/weatherbug.shtml 
3. ^ Weatherug begs for forgiveness - dslreports.com: "save your life"
4. ^ Remove Weatherbug. Description and Removal Instructions, www.2-spyware.com, http://www.2-spyware.com/remove-weatherbug.html 
5. ^ http://madis.noaa.gov/mesonet_providers.html