Wind Map

**CloneAggie** · 03-29-2012, 09:16 AM

This is pretty cool.
Wind Map

Here's an article describing it.

Ever wondered what the wind would look like if you could see it in action from above? You’re about to find out.

A new project posted online Wednesday by a pair of Google computer scientists, called simply Wind Map, has to be clicked on to be believed.

The wind information, updated hourly from the National Weather Service’s forecast database, is portrayed as white and grey strands, almost like sand or rivulets of mercury.

It can be quite hypnotizing to watch the gusty trails blast across the American continent, skitter over the Sierras, get roughed up by the Rockies, and whoosh over the great plains on its way to Canada. (Which seems to give as good as it gets, sending most of its wind towards New York.)

Wind patterns are constantly changing, of course, which is why the Wind Map designers have also given us a moving-image gallery of previous blustery days.

Wind Map is the brainchild of Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg, the co-leaders of Google’s “Big Picture” visualization research group in Cambridge, Mass. The pair have previously visualized Wikipedia and Google searches.

No word on whether we’ll see the Wind Map in Google Earth any time soon, but the pair do say they want to expand it to the planet — and are looking for any source of global wind information.

What do you make of the Wind Map? Is this something you’d like to see more of? Does it change how you think of the potential for wind energy, as its creators hope? Let us know you thoughts in the comments.

http://mashable.com/2012/03/28/wind-...rce=newsletter

**CLONECONES** · 03-29-2012, 09:21 AM

"Wind Map of the US will Blow You Away"

love it.

**CtownCyclone** · 03-29-2012, 09:22 AM

Won't work on my work computer. Have to check this out at home.

**VeloClone** · 03-29-2012, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by CtownCyclone

Won't work on my work computer. Have to check this out at home.

Same here, but you should still be able to look at the archives so you get the idea.

**JY07** · 03-29-2012, 09:36 AM

that's upsetting... canada is stealing all of our god damn air

**Goothrey** · 03-29-2012, 10:33 AM

fascinating

**RayShimley** · 03-29-2012, 10:39 AM

With this technology we can finally have an answer to the age old question of who sucks and who blows.

**SC Cy** · 03-29-2012, 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by JY07

that's upsetting... canada is stealing all of our god damn air

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTSWdHY9Ny4]Suck! Suck! Suck! - YouTube[/ame]

**TykeClone** · 03-29-2012, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by RayShimley

With this technology we can finally have an answer to the age old question of who sucks and who blows.

It appears - at least today - that the Dakotas, Kansas, and Nebraska really suck

CyBer · 03-29-2012, 11:08 AM

If you look at the map where Iowa City is, you can see that there is huge gusts going on. That is where hawk fans live, it's the windiest city in the country.

**Cyclonepride** · 03-29-2012, 11:11 AM

I could stare at that for hours.

**CloneAggie** · 03-29-2012, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by Cyclonepride

I could stare at that for hours.

It is only updated once per hour, so just when you have it memorized ... bam!

**CyinCo** · 03-29-2012, 11:20 AM

They need layers you can turn on and off. Maybe state borders as an option.

**00clone** · 03-29-2012, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by CyBer

If you look at the map where Iowa City is, you can see that there is huge gusts going on. That is where hawk fans live, it's the windiest city in the country.

Typically I would say that's true, but I think the Panchero's that I had last night may be bumping it up a notch.