Storm Spotter app

[RiceRacerDX]

Hey guys, I've been posting up apps that I recommend lately and here's another for ya.. It's called Storm Spotter. I've been looking for a quality weather radar application and I've been wanting to buy the Radarscope app, but the $9.99 price point was a bit steep. Yesterday, I found this new app called Storm Spotter. It does everything that Radarscope does and more, but for only $4.99. Plus, you get the same radars. It also uses a Google map overlay so that you know exactly where the storm is, a feature Radarscope does not have. It can also pin your location on the map of course. You can also select certain radars to view and download the information in the background while the app is running. I've been playing around with it and I have no regrets towards this purchase. If you're looking for another alternative for Radarscope, this is the app for you. I live in Oklahoma where this type of radar app comes in very handy, especially during tornado season, hehe.

 

[ross.32]

Hey thanks a lot for posting this. I am the developer of this app, so if you have any questions please let me know, either on here or by email at stormspotterapp@me.com or on twitter using @stormspotterapp.

Here is a link to the website for the app and here is one to the App Store page.

RiceRacerDX pretty much summed everything up the main feature set for me, so I don't have too much to add to it. Just want to say that if you want a good weather radar application that is developed by an independent student developer, I would appreciate that you give Storm Spotter a shot.

Thanks,
Ross

 

[drwprtcht]

Ross, I looked around your site and didn't notice a full list of radar sites that the app supports. Do you have one that I missed?

Thanks

 

[ross.32]

I do not have a full list of radar sites on my website. I will get on there this week sometime (probably be toward the end of the week, as I have 3 exams this week) and put the list on there.

To see an external list, go to http://radar.weather.gov. Storm Spotter includes every radar listed on this page.

 

[RiceRacerDX]

I have a question. How often does the app refresh images? I tested it against NWS radar online and there is a few minutes of delay between the two. Might I suggest that in future updates, there should be a manual refresh button, as well as a setting that you can slide to adjust to tell the app when to refresh and check for updated data (for example, refreshing every 1-15 minutes). The radar near my place refreshes every 4-5 minutes but won't update until a few minutes afterward or when I close and relaunch the app. It's not a real problem though, just a slight inconvenience.

 

[ross.32]

Right now, it checks for updates every 3 minutes. I plan on having a manual refresh in 1.1. I am considering implimenting a "Skake-to-Update" feature to avoid cluttering the UI with more buttons.

I really like you idea about the update slider, and will most likely add that to 1.1 also. Thanks for the idea!

In the meantime, the easiest way to force the radar to update is to press the power button on the top of your phone to make it sleep, and then wake it up (all without exiting the app). When you wake it from sleep, it will immidiatly update. Not the best solution, but it will be fixed in the first update.

 

[capt601]

add a good radar summary chart, and it will be worth it. I can't find a decent radar app with a radar summary chart. very handy as a corporate pilot.

 

[ross.32]

What kind of information would you want on the chart?

 

[capt601]

a good radar summary chart like is at intellicast .com or other sites ie.. http://www.intellicast.com/National/Radar/Summary.aspx

what i like to see on the cart would be radar tops, movement of the cells, etc.. adding animation would be great. and with a good presentation of these things. I can't find any app that provides a radar summary chart yet.
thanks