The winners of the first WMO International Weather Apps Awards have been announced during a live virtual ceremony at 12:00 UTC today, December 15.
The awards comprise three groups – Innovation and promotion of the use of weather and climate information for development, Specialized apps, and Public weather forecasts and information – which are split into sub-categories and include entries from both public and private sector companies, as well as non-profits and individuals.
The winners in each category are:
Group 1 – Innovation and promotion of the use of weather and climate information for development
• User interface and data representation (observation data [station measurements, radar, satellite, etc.] and model data)
o Winner: AccuWeather (USA)
o Honourable Mention: Weatherzone (Australia)
• Originality and innovation
o Winner: YR (Norway)
o Honourable Mention: ClimApp (Sweden)
• Apps for developing countries
o Winners: AirQo (Uganda), Fiji Meteorological Service (Fiji)
o Honourable Mentions: TT Met Office (Trinidad and Tobago), Curacao Weather App (Curacao and St Maarten)
• Engagement of citizens (crowdsourcing, citizens’ obs data)
o Winner: Météo-France (France)
o Honourable Mention: Windy.app (USA)
Group 2 – Specialized apps
• Weather warnings
Public:
o Winner: UK Met Office
o Honourable Mention: MyObservatory (HK, China)
Private:
o Winner: AccuWeather (USA)
o Honourable Mention: WeatherZone (Australia)
• Weather/climate information for farming
o Winner: Strawberry Advisory Service (USA)
• Weather information for outdoor activities, leisure and sports
o Winner: Windy.app (USA)
o Honourable Mention: Foreca (Finland), Meteoblue (Switzerland)
• Weather information for sectoral/specialized users (aviation, marine, health, others)
o Winner: Info BMKG (Indonesia)
o Honourable Mention: WetterOnline (Germany)
Group 3 – Public weather forecasts and information (general category)
• Award for information content – usefulness, reliability, quantity and quality of information
Public sector
o Winners: MyObservatory (HK, China), UK Met Office
o Honourable Mention: Met Eireann (Ireland)
Private sector
o Winners: Weatherzone (Australia), Weather Channel (USA)
o Honourable Mention: ElTiempo.es (Spain)
Other sectors (NGO and other non-profit, individuals)
o Honourable Mention: World Weather: Local Forecast Rain Radar (the Netherlands)
• Award for design and presentation of information – user-friendliness, access, customization, etc.
Public sector
o Winners: MeteoSwiss (Switzerland), Yr (Norway)
o Honourable Mention: Bureau Weather Mobile App (Australia)
Private sector
o Winners: Accuweather (USA) and Weawow (Japan)
o Honourable Mention: Foreca (Finland)
Other sectors (NGO and other non-profit, individuals)
o Honourable Mention: YoWindow Weather (Russian Federation)
Commenting on the awards, Gerald Fleming, chair of the international jury, said, “Weather apps do more than just tell users what is set to happen – they can be vital decision-making tools in critical situations. This means that app development is a crucial link in the weather and climate service delivery chain. However, the huge variety of functionality, quality and usefulness of these mobile apps presents challenges to both users and information providers. Public trust and public safety are at stake.
“Weather forecasting has been a field of intensive innovation for centuries. Ever since its establishment in 1950, WMO has sought to stimulate this innovation and to promote best practices and knowledge transfer. In this spirit, the Weather Apps Awards underscore the importance of sharing this know-how and innovation for the benefit of society.”