UWeather app creator is on cloud nine

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/05/2010 (5601 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ryan Smith could never have forecast that a weather application he created for the IPhone and IPod would eventually be downloaded by people across the world.

A research assistant in the University of Winnipeg’s Geography department, Smith created the UWeather app that takes information from the school’s own weather station and filters it into an app that anyone can download for free from ITunes.

The West End resident came up with the idea after trying to find a way to reach more people and share the school’s weather information.

“The coolest thing about the weather station is that it is updated to the minute and you can see those really small changes that are really interesting that you just don’t get from Environment Canada,” he said.

Smith said that all it took was a $100 app kit, a how-to book from the library and a direct link to the weather station.

A week later he had created the UWeather app which allows users to view a graphical thermometer and weather vain, as well as rainfall and pressure information that is updated every minute.

The weather station was created 10 years ago and sits atop Lockhart Hall at the U of W, and measures temperature, wind chill and the barometer to name a few.

All of the information is available for free at weatherstation.uwinnipeg.ca, which made putting a price on the app a moot point, according to Smith.

“It’s about sharing this data that you can get on the web for free anyways, but in a more accessible format,” said Smith, who will be starting his master’s in the fall.

For professor and chair of the geography department Danny Blair, the app is a natural extension of the weather station and will serve as a learning aid for budding weather watchers.

“It’s an educational tool for me and I hope that when the students come back next year that they can appreciate that they can access the weather in real time wherever they are,” said Blair, who lives in River Heights.

There have been more than 600 downloads of the program since its launch in April. Smith said most of the people who now have it are from outside the country.

“There’s been maybe about 100 people from Canada who have downloaded it, the rest of them are from other parts of the world and pretty much someone from any country you can think of has downloaded it,” Smith said.

Blair says the interest in Winnipeg’s unique weather from around the world makes sense and he hopes the app gets people talking about all aspects of weather.

“I want people to understand the weather and therein understand the climate and the importance of climate change,” Blair said.
After the success of his initial app offering, Smith is now making plans for more.

“I’ve started to realize with this programming that anything is possible and it’s pretty cool and a really powerful language,” he said.
To download the free UWeather app, visit ITunes or weatherstation.uwinnipeg.ca.

trevor.suffield@canstarnews.com