A new method of navigation for this summer…

Pink vs. White: More Accurate Wind Maps

When you are heading out on the water, you want the most accurate forecast possible for wind and sea state. All other apps and weather services use the same antiquated GRIB weather. But that is based on low-res imaging from satellites 500 – 22,000 miles up in space.

Here is a quick summary with the gif animation above, which is now available in the SailTimer app and soon also in other partner apps.

The crowdsourced wind measurements from users (pink lines) have 20 meter resolution. As you zoom in on the map you can see more and more detail.

The GRIB cells (white lines) have low resolution with 15 or 7.5 nautical mile cells and poor accuracy (as we documented in this research report published in ECO Magazine: Environment, Coastal & Offshore). Here is the conclusion: 

…The GRIB satellite forecast is shockingly inaccurate when compared to measurements… The mean absolute error in forecasted wind directions is +/-35.4 degrees (a range of 70 degrees!).

Note that the white lines are all forecasting wind from the North West, across the entire view above. The GRIB forecast is too coarse for use in coastal areas and for ships entering harbors.

But the pink lines have higher resolution based on actual wind measurements, and show different wind directions in some places.

Our new visualization is the first-ever that shows GRIB data with low resolution and crowdsourced data with high resolution. We are still adding data to the map. There are over 111-million data points sent in from users worldwide.

The Beauty of Crowdsourcing

The beauty of crowdsourcing is that you can generate wind maps for your own location, or contribute more data. Then from home you can use maps like the one above to check wind conditions at your boat.

Marine weather and navigation is in a transformation. For the first time in the history of seafaring, you can use a wind sensor on your boat for local wind, and crowdsourced wind maps to see wind conditions around the next point, out on the open water or funneling into a harbour.

Using this technology is easy. You can just use the SailTimer app to view pink vs. white wind maps like the one above (and soon other partner apps as well; stay tuned). You can share your wind measurements using our wireless Wind Instrument ($349.99) or our Ultrasonic wind sensor ($299.99). Or you can use our $75 Air Link™ with any type or brand of wind sensor.

Wind Instrument | Air Link | Ultrasonic | App