Waterscope Weather vs FD Viewer

Waterscope is a weather app for people who love being around water. Whether you're surfing, fishing, boating, or just taking the dog for a walk on the beach, Waterscope will keep you informed about your local conditions. The data presented comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS). This app would not be possible without the scientific contributions from the people at these valuable public institutions. The app uses a series of screens to present this information: HOME When you launch Waterscope, you'll be presented with a screen that shows a graph of high and low tides for the nearest measuring station. Below that are wave heights and water temperatures for the closest NOAA buoy. These are followed by wind speed and air temperature measurements for a nearby NWS weather station. Above the graphs, you'll see the current phase of the Moon and its position on the horizon. Below you'll see the sun's position relative to your location on Earth. The clock at the bottom shows the current time, or the time for past data samples and future forecasts. Tap on the clock to scroll back to the current time. Tap on any large blue ring to show more information. Smaller blue rings make adjustments to what you're currently viewing. Tapping on the icon in the upper-left corner will show an overlay that explains the symbols and markers. EARTH The Earth view shows the last 24 hours of satellite imagery near your current location (the small blue dot is you!) Tap the + button to see a larger version of the latest image. The hurricane symbol at the top of the view will show the latest forecasts from the National Hurricane Center. MOON The Moon view shows the phase and location of the Moon for the next year. The white dot shows the height above the horizon, and when you align the blue arrow with the centerline and look up you'll see Earth's biggest satellite :-) SEA This view of the sea shows markers for observations collected by the National Data Buoy Center. The arrow points in the directions waves are heading: tap it to show water temperature, wave height, and an average period between waves. To make any buoy's data show up on the home screen, tap the heart icon. LAND Like the view of the sea, but with onshore observations collected by the National Weather Service. The arrow shows wind direction and tapping the marker shows the air temperature, wind speed with gusts, and barometric pressure. Tap the heart to add it to home. TIDE This view shows nearby tide stations: tap on any marker to get the current prediction at that location. Like the other map views, the tide station can be added to the main screen using the heart icon. FORECAST If you move forward in time, you'll see a forecast for air temperature and conditions. Tap on the conditions to get an expanded view that includes wind speed and direction.

Area Forecast Discussions (AFDs) are a text weather product released by the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Offices to inform and elaborate on the public forecast. FD Viewer presents each office on a map and also displays a list of offices sorted by distance or alphabetically. Selecting an office will display the latest Forecast Discussion paginated by section. Swipe right or left to navigate through each section. This app merely reformats the web-based AFD information in a user-friendly format. All credit for the forecast information goes to all the hardworking people at the NWS. TBD: I plan to support in-app glossary popups that will describe some of the more arcane acronyms and phrases used in the forecast text.