S4C has launched Britain’s most advanced weather app for the iPhone. The app uses S4C’s unique 1km forecasting grid which the Welsh broadcaster licences from US- based, global weather services provider Weather Central.
The 1km data allows app users to get pinpoint forecasts for the weather where they actually are rather than an average or distant weather reporting station as with other UK apps. The S4C app has been produced by Tinopolis, the company that runs all S4C’s weather services.
Weather Central is currently the only provider of 1km forecasts in the world and S4C has been the first UK broadcaster to introduce it. Tinopolis won the contract to provide S4C’s weather last year and the new service has been running since last November.
“The weather app is a valuable and exciting addition to S4C’s services, and is proof of our intention to be leaders in the world of technology and offer the best weather service possible to the people of Wales,” said Geraint Rowlands, S4C Director of Commissioning.
“When you open the App you will get the weather for your exact location, not something 20 miles away”, says Huw Marshall, executive Producer of S4C’s weather service. “It is real personalised weather. You can use the phones in built geo locationing or search for a forecast by a place name or a full post code. Once you have started using it you will wonder how you ever managed before.
“During July we re-launched the S4C weather website using the new photorealistic symbols which are used in the iPhone app. These have now been introduced to our on screen bulletins which allows us to convey the weather story in a clear and accurate manner across all platforms”, adds Huw Marshall, executive Producer of S4C’s weather service, “ We at Tinopolis with our partners at Weather Central are always looking at ways to innovate and develop our weather service provision”
“We are very excited that S4C has chosen to pioneer this innovative new mobile weather service”, says Chip Mobley, Vice President at Weather Central, “It puts them in a global leadership position and there are exciting new developments in the service rolling out all the time.”
The bilingual app, which is free to download, can be found in the Apple App Store at http://tinyurl.com/tywydd
