Weather Visualization Software: 3 Ways Your Business Can Benefit

Weather visualization software, also known as a weather map, is a very popular component of any successful weather intelligence solution.

Why? Seeing in believing. Whether you, your colleagues, or your customers have any questions about weather, a good weather map will answer them. Comprehensive weather maps can be the difference-makers in high-stakes severe weather situations.

How? Let’s take a look at three very real use cases to get a better idea.

Forecast Possible Weather-Related Impacts 

No matter what industry you operate in, business continuity is a critical focus. If you’re business stops running, you’re losing money. It doesn’t matter if it’s due to a cyber security breach or a hurricane: It simply can’t happen.

While there isn’t a weather intelligence provider out there that can control Mother Nature, there are weather-related risk management solutions out there that help business continuity professionals forecast possible impacts from possible severe weather events.

Put yourself in the shoes of a director of business continuity at a regional electric company. Your goal should be to maintain electricity to your customers and ensure that if a power outage occurs it is fixed as quickly as possible. Unfortunately for you, a major hurricane with wind speeds over 115 mph is headed your way.

Take a deep breath! We know this sounds like a scary situation, and it is, but weather maps with forecast layers make it easier. We’ll show you what we mean.

You can easily pull up the layers that matter most to you. Firstly, tropical layers are necessary to get all the information you need about the approaching hurricane. There is much more to a hurricane that the category. In fact, categories only measure sustained wind speeds.

While the wind might be what damages your utility equipment, there are other weather conditions that can hinder restoring power. For example, flooding can prevent your crews from reaching damaged equipment. Flood waters can also damage roadways that lead to your offices.

That’s why a weather map is so important. You can pull up radar layers and forecast flash flooding layers to see what the situation on the ground will really look like after the storm hits. This will help tremendously with forecasting outages and putting crews in position to help as soon as the floodwaters recede.

Collaborate With Multiple Locations or Stakeholders

A second way weather visualization maps are such a great asset to any company is because they allow you to collaborate in real-time with key stakeholders. Let’s play pretend here a second time.

Now, you’re a Human Resources Manager at a worldwide manufacturing company. Your headquarters is in California, but your main distribution center is on the other side of the country in New Jersey. While the weather is dry and sunny at headquarters, a blizzard is on its way to the East Coast and headed straight for your facility.

Human Resources cares about this blizzard because you want your employees to be safe, however there are a lot of other impacted stakeholders. For example, your Director of Business Continuity is worried about sustainability and efficiency. Your sales team is worried about client relations and is wondering if the storm will delay the shipment of a highly important order. There are a lot of different moving parts!

Luckily, you have a weather map that is easy to share. The best weather visualization tools come with collaboration options that make it easy for colleagues around the world to show forecast and real-time weather conditions in real time.

You can sit in your office in California and broadcast a live look at your weather map to everyone involved. You can show layers like freezing rain probability, radar, and daily wind gusts to get an accurate picture of what’s going on in New Jersey. This way, everyone on the team can make the right decisions in the face of severe weather.

Share Real-Time Weather Data with Customers

The last way you should use a weather map at your organization is as a explanatory visual for customers.

Let’s pretend that you’re a superintendent of a very prestigious golf club. Let’s also pretend a thunderstorm is headed your way on a seemingly sunny Saturday afternoon.

It’s an intense thunderstorm, with multiple Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts proceeding it. Currently, the storm is 10 miles way from your course, but the forecast radar layer is showing it’s about to be on top of you and you’re dozens of golfers out on the grounds. You remember, too, that 10 miles away is close enough for lightning to strike.

You take all your warnings, visualize the layers you’re most interested, and decide to pull golfers off of your course. As golfers reluctantly enter your pro shop, your staff encounters a few angry, long-time members. “There are blue skies!” You hear one of them say. Another disgruntled member complains about the amount of money they pay to be a member. “If I get struck by lightning it’s my own fault,” says a third.

The overall feeling in the club house is one that many pro shop employees and superintendents actually encounter when severe weather is just over the horizon. This is where Sferic Maps comes in.

Weather visualization tools are a simple way to show customers what they can’t see with the naked eye. By showing thunderstorm alerts, radar, and total lightning layers, you can help your valued members understand the real threat. A lot of the organizations we work with use weather maps to do exactly this and find that it calms even the angriest customers and allows them to protect everyone on their property from severe weather.

Give Weather Visualization a Try

Maybe you don’t have a weather map at your organization or you’re using one that you’re not exactly happy with.

Today is your lucky day! We’re giving out free trials of our weather visualization software, Sferic Maps. Sferic Maps comes stacked with over 40 weather data layers from our proprietary, hyperlocal weather and lightning networks. Get yours by clicking the button below.

Integrated with National Weather Service alerts and our own Dangerous Thunderstorm Alerts, Sferic Maps is the perfect tool for businesses like manufacturers, emergency management organizations, golf courses, and more!

While you’re taking Sferic Maps for a test drive, let us know any new uses you might find for it! You can let us know in the comments below or by reaching out to us on social media.