more on Feds' weather information could go dark

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Lauren Weinstein <lauren () vortex com>
Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 10:21:54 -0700
To: <dave () farber net>
Cc: <lauren () vortex com>
Subject: Re: [IP] Feds' weather information could go dark


> We paid for it!!!!!!!!!

Dave,

You're damn right we have.  And as a big fan of the National Weather
Service Internet and now cellphone data and other offerings, I can't
emphasize enough that the NWS services make most of the commercial
services pale in comparison.  Even getting detailed information from
the commercial sites, bloated with cutesy graphics and ads, is often
impossible.  At the NWS sites, you can get the technical "forecast
discussion" reports -- they tell you what's really going on and are
the underlying detailed source for much of the sanitized and
summarized data that mainstream media outlets report.

And something else -- the NWS actually responds to queries.  They
really do care about what people think regarding their services.
Recently when I noticed a problem with their cellphone reports
locally, I sent an e-mail off to the designated contact reporting
the problem and also making a couple of format suggestions.  Within
hours I had a personal reply and thank-you note, indicating my
message had already circulated to the appropriate technical folks
and that the data had been fixed -- and within a day or so my format
suggestions were also adopted.

The publicly available NWS weather products and services are a
shining example of how government *should* be serving the people.
To allow greedy and well-heeled commercial interests to shutter any
of NWS' public operations would be nothing short of criminal.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () pfir org or lauren () vortex com or lauren () eepi org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR 
  - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, EEPI 
  - Electronic Entertainment Policy Initiative - http://www.eepi.org
Moderator, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
DayThink: http://daythink.vortex.com

  - - -

> ------ Forwarded Message
> From: Reese <reese () inkworkswell com>
> Date: Sat, 23 Apr 2005 12:47:37 -0400
> To: <dave () farber net>
> Subject: Feds' weather information could go dark
>
> Dave,
>
> I'm quite certain I don't want to pay for things like weather
> information twice either, assuming all the facts in this article
> are true and correct.
>
> Reese
>
>
> http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/news/epaper/2005/04/21/m1a_wx_0421
> .html
>
> Feds' weather information could go dark
>
> By Robert P. King
>
> Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
>
> Thursday, April 21, 2005
>
> Do you want a seven-day weather forecast for your ZIP code? Or
> hour-by-hour predictions of the temperature, wind speed, humidity and
> chance of rain? Or weather data beamed to your cellphone?
>
> That information is available for free from the National Weather Service.
>
> But under a bill pending in the U.S. Senate, it might all disappear.

 ...

------ End of Forwarded Message


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