Yet Another Cycling Forum
Off Topic => The Pub => Topic started by: andyoxon on 24 August, 2015, 08:20:06 am
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The two are to part apparently... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34031785
Seems a strange move - not 'best value for money' it seems...
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Why would you expect the Met Office to be part of the BBC? They carry out two totally different functions.
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BBC Weather...
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I find the genuine Met Office forecast to be more accurate better than the dumbed down BBC version every time.
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I find the genuine Met Office forecast to be more accurate better than the dumbed down BBC version every time.
Not sure how that can be the case because the two are based on the same data, usually presented by Met Office staff. If you look at the online Met Office and BBC forecasts they absolutely identical.
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Nah...they frequently differ. The BBC don't seem to update theirs as frequently and the only time you need a weather forecast is when the weather is changeable (which is also when the forecasters have difficulty...in fact, any weather forecast more than 12 hours ahead is usually fantasy, barring very large weather systems).
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I find the genuine Met Office forecast to be more accurate better than the dumbed down BBC version every time.
Not sure how that can be the case because the two are based on the same data, usually presented by Met Office staff. If you look at the online Met Office and BBC forecasts they absolutely identical.
I'm not sure why but I know that I find the Met Office forecast far more reliable that that on the beeb.
Just looking at the two side-by-side for Rugby now shows some differences such as the beeb forecasting that the warmest part of the day will be 6p.m. whereas the Met Office say 3p.m. At least they both tell me that I can expect rain between midday and 8p.m.
Now comparing Coventry. The warmest spell of the day is two hours later there on the beeb.
They may use the dame data but they give differing forecasts.
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Forecasting apparently about to become more accurate next month... State of the art? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-29789208 (2014)
Funding has been confirmed for a £97m supercomputer to improve the Met Office's weather forecasting and climate modelling.
The facility will work 13 times faster than the current system, enabling detailed, UK-wide forecast models with a resolution of 1.5km to be run every single hour, rather than every three.
It will be built in Exeter during 2015 and become operational next September.
The Met Office said it would deliver a "step change" in forecast accuracy.
"It will allow us to add more precision, more detail, more accuracy to our forecasts on all time scales for tomorrow, for the next day, next week, next month and even the next century," said Met Office chief executive Rob Varley.
BBCwther may run the risk of being sidelined...
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This is a comparison of my local forecast on the two sites:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2643743 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/2643743)
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/gcpvj0v07 (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/forecast/gcpvj0v07)
They appear to be identical in every aspect down to the nearest hour. For that reason I've given up using the Met Office one as the BBC's has a slightly nicer GUI.
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So, I'm seeing temperature differences across the hours. I'm also seeing differences in the wind strengths with the bbc giving a fixed figure but the met showing base wind speed plus gusting speed.
How is that he same?
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So, I'm seeing temperature differences across the hours. I'm also seeing differences in the wind strengths with the bbc giving a fixed figure but the met showing base wind speed plus gusting speed.
How is that he same?
Yes, you're right. There are indeed variations of temperature and windspeed. I usually only look at the weather symbol!
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We may be slightly ahead of ourselves here. The BBC has said it has a responsibility to put the deal out to tender. This means the current contract with the Met Office will end.
There's nothing, anywhere, to suggest that the Met Office cannot put in a bid for the new contract and nothing to say that when the current contract has come to an end there will be a new contract between the BBC and the Met Office, if the BBC concludes that the Met Office bid offers the best deal. This may, or may not, be determined entirely by price.
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We may be slightly ahead of ourselves here. The BBC has said it has a responsibility to put the deal out to tender. This means the current contract with the Met Office will end.
There's nothing, anywhere, to suggest that the Met Office cannot put in a bid for the new contract and nothing to say that when the current contract has come to an end there will be a new contract between the BBC and the Met Office, if the BBC concludes that the Met Office bid offers the best deal. This may, or may not, be determined entirely by price.
The BBC is being a little disingenuous. It was not required to put the contract out to tender as there is a strong argument for a Single Tender Action under the EU regs. It has chosen to do so.
Arguably, the Met Office can put in a bid - but statements have been made by the BBC that the decision will be made on price. If I were the BBC I'd not repeat those statements and I'd judge primarily on quality - such a weighting is perfectly legal.
The reality is that independent reviews have shown that the Met Office is one of the most accurate and reliable forecaster worldwide.
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Madame Meteo, the tea leaf-reading gypsy, has apparently put in a bid and been accepted. The Beeb only have to cross her palm with silver once a week and she will chuck in their tarot cards for free.
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Apparently the BBC has acquired a piece of seaweed.
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and one of these?
(http://www.funnysigns.net/files/weather-stone.jpg)
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I can see the Met Office losing the contract for a short time as I believe (and so do a lot of my colleagues) that the Met Office is being softened up for privatisation.
My (conspiracy) theory:
1. The Met Office loses the BBC contract, and the associated income.
2. The Met Office is declared unsustainable in its current form and is sold off for an undervalued price (like the Royal Mail).
3. Lots of George Osbourne and David Cameron's pals buy shares at a low price.
4. Public opinion is that the weather forecast was a lot better under the Met Office.
5. The Met Office successfully bids for the BBC contract the next time it comes up for renewal.
6. The share price goes up and very rich people make even more money.
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I can see the Met Office losing the contract for a short time as I believe (and so do a lot of my colleagues) that the Met Office is being softened up for privatisation.
My (conspiracy) theory:
1. The Met Office loses the BBC contract, and the associated income.
2. The Met Office is declared unsustainable in its current form and is sold off for an undervalued price (like the Royal Mail).
3. Lots of George Osbourne and David Cameron's pals buy shares at a low price.
4. Public opinion is that the weather forecast was a lot better under the Met Office.
5. The Met Office successfully bids for the BBC contract the next time it comes up for renewal.
6. The share price goes up and very rich people make even more money.
Your theory has a certain ring of authenticity about it ;)
Did anyone hear the R4 programme about the Met Office recently - What's the Point of...? - http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06418l5 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06418l5) . Seems somehow prescient under the circumstances, and there were certainly voices on the right arguing for it's restructuring (i.e. privatising?).
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I haven't used BBC weather for years, I use the Met Office website. Don't watch TV forecasts either. So only downside is the possible loss of income to the Met Office - but they may well end up selling the same data to other "commercial" forecasters. Storm in a teacup, so to speak.
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I remember when the Met Office was part of the MoD, and was paid for from the RAF budget. It was strange to occasionally land at an airfield in the middle of nowhere, go to the met office for an updated briefing, and be confronted with a met man you'd last seen on TV!
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This is an interesting and amusing pice about weather reporting. And about making assumptions.
MoD sites are mentioned. In fact, they are crucial.
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/23/our-weather-pages-are-now-bringing-you-real-sunshine
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Thread resurrection...
Apparently BBC only moved to Meteogroup data in Feb 2018. There are now often diffs between the forecasts, e.g. during beast-from-the east, and say, this Saturday. Metoffice still the go to for 'accuracy'? Given they have a superdooper computer an'all.
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They've got at least two supercomputers. :)
I've touched one of them...
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Thread resurrection...
Apparently BBC only moved to Meteogroup data in Feb 2018. There are now often diffs between the forecasts, e.g. during beast-from-the east, and say, this Saturday. Metoffice still the go to for 'accuracy'? Given they have a superdooper computer an'all.
And Meteogroup get their weather data for the UK from the Met-office ...
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They've got at least two supercomputers. :)
I've touched one of them...
The other one does not yet have a Tenuous Claim to Fame. ;D
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They've got at least two supercomputers. :)
I've touched one of them...
The other one does not yet have a Tenuous Claim to Fame. ;D
Surely it's tenuous claim to fame is that it has not been touched by Jaded? :D
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:P
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:demon:
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And Meteogroup get their weather data for the UK from the Met-office ...
Ha, so they do. If said data is processed using the same 'models', perhaps it is a 'synch' update thing.
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Or the Met Office do more detailed work on the data, that costs more...
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I think that they both agree that the weather is going to be bloody awful this week end. Must be a bank holiday or something.
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Earlier this am the BBC forecast rain all day here, whereas MetO had cloudy, no rain. No rain at all yet @ 11.30, and BBC has changed to reflect the MO forecast.
So possibly a lag thing; I'll probably side line BBC weather in future in favour of MetO.
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I'm using http://metoffice.gov.uk/ (http://metoffice.gov.uk/) rather than the BBC now.