On Nov 28, 9:58*am, "Norman" wrote:
Graham P Davis wrote:
On Mon, 28 Nov 2011 06:44:08 +0000
Phil Layton wrote:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/we...ok-fair-for-am....
as-Met-Office-releases-data.html

Not sure what 'data' this is referring to. Perhaps we may get hourly
synops on the web :-)

I haven't the foggiest idea.

Dissemination of real-time observational data is limited by
international treaty so, whatever the government rule, it may make sod
all difference.

Forecast data have always been available for free, assuming you have
the right equipment and tools. Even before the internet, all you needed
was some wireless equipment and, say, a radio-fax. The problem the Met
Office has always had is that they had to give away their forecasts and
so private companies could re-distribute the same product, claim it as
their own, perhaps with some so-called "added value" and collect the
cash. Some "added-value" products even contained errors like
mis-labelled isobars or depressions that had originated in CFO.

Graham, that is about as far from the truth as it could be. While there may be
one or two 'fly-by-night' operators who behave like you say, the vast majority
of private sector operators are highly professional organisations and
individuals who generate their own products. They exist because they provide a
good service to their clients.



To get archive data for free, these companies used college students
and graduates who "needed the data for research." One of these
characters, who'd been working in the Office for six months, was found
to be working for a commercial competitor of the Office. What followed
was a tightening of rules on who could or could not get free data,
much to the distress of true researchers.

Again, this is far from the truth. Private sector companies and individuals
(myself included) pay a lot of money for archived data.

I thought that the days when the private sector was seen by the meteorological
"establishment" as some sort of sub-culture were long gone but it seems that
the "old school" has not completely disappeared.

Compared to the US ideology, the Met Office is on a par with the
Canadian office.

Excellent as far as it goes but crap if you are of a different
mindset.

As for the MetOffice and competitors....

There is no way anyone can compete with them on a level field. They
have a computer acreage of two football fields (whatever that means
besides consuming as much tax payer fired electricity a is required by
a small town.)

Presumably that is just the Exitdoor establishment; all the other
government funded and volunteer sites must cost something to run.

The staff are government trained and paid civil servants.
Now they want a bigger computer and no guarantee they will go for one
that works right out the box if previous experience is much to go by.

And who the hell are funding the Universities and the Climatology nut
house?

Goodness:
"A new Open Data Institute, co-directed by Prof Sir Tim Berners- Lee,
the inventor of the world wide web, and Prof Nigel Shadbolt, another
web expert, will be opened in Shoreditch, east London, to develop ways
for private companies to benefit from government information."

So when they say free they really mean free?

I don't believe it. A huge swing towards Linux may ensue.

Did anyone forecasrtt this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/ear...-rainfall.html by the by?