4 ms·

Beautiful visualization of wind currents on Earth

115 points by ebahnx 13y ago

cs02rm0 13y ago
Amazing. I've been tracking a delivery (Seiki 4k monitor incidentally) which I believe is currently on this flight: http://www.flightradar24.com/ABX2040 http://www.flightradar24.com/ABX2040 It always looks as though the course they take is unnecessarily far north. I have to consciously remind myself that the map projection and the prevailing winds play a factor. This really does beautifully illustrate why they take the route they do.
- kzrdude 13y ago
  The map projection on google maps is only chosen to produce good maps at every point by themselves (square city blocks will still be square, wherever you zoom in). I assume they would have chosen a different design (a globe) if they designed it to be used as a world map service.
  - jofer 13y ago
    No, it's chosen because it preserves direction. They use a single Mercator projection centered at the equator. It's a pragmatic choice, but it's certainly not chosen to produce good local maps. It produces bad local maps everywhere except the equator. If they wanted to produce "good maps at every point by themselves", they'd use a different projection every time you recenter the map. It's a terrible projection at every point not on the equator. However, it does preserve direction, so straight N-S or E-W streets will appear perfectly straight. However, square city blocks _do not_ appear square. You just don't notice the distortion unless you're quite far north or south.
- mxfh 13y ago
  This is not far north because of winds, it's just the shortest line! Great circle distance (Curves in Mercator, straight lines on globe) vs. Rhumb lines (Straight in Mercator, constant course angle against meridians) http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ComparingLoxodromesAndGreatCircleRoutes/ http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ComparingLoxodromesAndGrea... [edit] added picture for explanation http://i.imgur.com/wJS0ry1.png http://i.imgur.com/wJS0ry1.png Lines of same color have identical course
  - cs02rm0 13y ago
    Sort of, journeys in the other direction are pushed even further north (or, actually north of the straight line) though which I believe is because of the winds. - i.e. it's a factor, isn't it?
    - mxfh 13y ago
      Jet Streams are a factor but their position varies. The appearance as a northbound curve is the effect of the straight Orthodrome/Great Circle line projected into Mercator. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_flight#Transatlantic_routes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_flight#Transatlan... [edit] I think it's fair to assume the winds are relatively stable and more intense further north so eastbound (US > Europe) flights might deviate even further to the north. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_Planning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_Pla... http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/overlay=temp/orthographic=-5.76,48.35,605 http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/ove...
  - deleted 13y ago
    [deleted]
dewey 13y ago
This is awesome. Is there a better way to zoom out than to click on "Earth" and choose another projection to reset the zoom level? Edit: Wasn't working before, Chrome restart fixed it. My bad.
- eevilspock 13y ago
  on my mac the scroll gesture works for zoom in and out.
- delinka 13y ago
  Try mouse scroll.
act9 13y ago
Previous Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924854 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924854
mxfh 13y ago
other than that this beautiful web-app gets constantly updated with new data like Relative Humidity [%], Air Density [kg/m3], and Wind Power Density [kW/m2] https://twitter.com/cambecc/status/438674275285757952 https://twitter.com/cambecc/status/438674275285757952 here is the obligatory link to the old discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924854 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924854
nkuttler 13y ago
Beautiful. Reminds me of how I used to run xplanet as live desktop with bump and cloud maps (updated every few hours), accurate stellar background, etc. I wonder if there's something similar, more modern, with more possible data feeds.
danmaz74 13y ago
This REALLY blew my mind. The the "Earth" menu at the bottom left - you can see sea currents, temperature map, winds at different heights... terrific.
benjoffe 13y ago
This is a very similar style to parts of this incredible visualisation of Earth weather http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COWE6sMzdqI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COWE6sMzdqI
T-zex 13y ago
Well done! Interestingly there is a tornado like structure in the Crimean area.
tibbon 13y ago
This looks great. I just wish it didn't have to completely refresh when you turn the earth. Maybe in V2 :)
- cambecc 13y ago
  Hi. I'm the creator of the site. Unfortunately, each time the globe orientation changes, the distortion caused by the projection needs to be recalculated. Tried to think of ways to make this faster or save computations, but haven't found any good solutions yet.
  - onion2k 13y ago
    From a usability aspect at least, you could keep the same distortion until the interaction ends, and then tween the distortion values to the new orientation over a second or two. Technically it'd be 'wrong' for a short time, but it'd be nicer to use. Awesome work regardless though.
  - worldsayshi 13y ago
    Any demoscene people in the thread?
  - keithpeter 13y ago
    Excellent stuff. Not sure if it is feasible but a slider control for height would show the transition from high altitude (circulation currents) through to surface conditions really nicely. Hard to cache the animation I imagine.
  - deletes 13y ago
    Does the data update after a while, or do I have to refresh the page manually?
deletes 13y ago
Don't forget to click on the bottom-left button and check the different options. Example of a high altitude with temperature: http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/overlay=temp/orthographic=-5.76,48.35,605 http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/ove... And many different projections, Stereographic is awesome: http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/overlay=total_precipitable_water/stereographic http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/over... http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/overlay=temp/stereographic=43.00,20.00,136 http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/o... Please someone make this as an app for a desktop background! ----- I found this option for total cloud water[0] and the checked the weather in France[1]. Pretty useful. [0]:http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/overlay=total_cloud_water/equirectangular=-350.50,47.48,1106 http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/o... [1]:http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/France.htm http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/France.htm
- ebahnx 13y ago
  Desktop background would be amazing.
mrfusion 13y ago
Do ocean currents follow these same lines?
- kaivi 13y ago
  Take the Antarctic Circumpolar Current or the Gulf Stream: looks like the wind defines ocean currents.
Link- 13y ago
Aesthetics aside, how accurate is this?
g3orge 13y ago
wait. is this live? anything similar for clouds?
kfk 13y ago
Some days ago I posted this: http://scalgo.com/live/global http://scalgo.com/live/global It's modelling all the water flow levels in the world using very detailed GPS data. I mean, you can model a sea raise or a river level raise. I didn't even get 1 point. OK, design isn't as cool as this wind one, but I think it deserved a bit more love since they process a crap ton of terrain data for the water flow modelling...
- ubershmekel 13y ago
  It's hard to give credit for something indiscernible.
boyaka 13y ago
Noticed this tool on suspicious0bservers youtube channel a while back. He uses several tools daily to monitor earth and solar weather: http://www.youtube.com/user/Suspicious0bservers http://www.youtube.com/user/Suspicious0bservers
snake_plissken 13y ago
This is amazing! What is being used for geocoding IP addresses? It's one of the more accurate returns I have come across in quite some time. Also, how live is this data? If the data is live enough, this could be immensely useful for small-craft off-shore fishing. All around, superb work!
eegilbert 13y ago
This is lovely, but I believe it's a copy of an earlier visualization by Viégas and Wattenberg: http://hint.fm/wind http://hint.fm/wind
sivetic 13y ago
GitHub sources: https://github.com/cambecc/earth https://github.com/cambecc/earth
cambecc 13y ago
what the hell? why was this post deleted?

115 points by ebahnx 13y ago

Amazing. I've been tracking a delivery (Seiki 4k monitor incidentally) which I believe is currently on this flight: http://www.flightradar24.com/ABX2040 http://www.flightradar24.com/ABX2040 It always looks as though the course they take is unnecessarily far north. I have to consciously remind myself that the map projection and the prevailing winds play a factor. This really does beautifully illustrate why they take the route they do.

kzrdude 13y ago
The map projection on google maps is only chosen to produce good maps at every point by themselves (square city blocks will still be square, wherever you zoom in). I assume they would have chosen a different design (a globe) if they designed it to be used as a world map service.
- jofer 13y ago
  No, it's chosen because it preserves direction. They use a single Mercator projection centered at the equator. It's a pragmatic choice, but it's certainly not chosen to produce good local maps. It produces bad local maps everywhere except the equator. If they wanted to produce "good maps at every point by themselves", they'd use a different projection every time you recenter the map. It's a terrible projection at every point not on the equator. However, it does preserve direction, so straight N-S or E-W streets will appear perfectly straight. However, square city blocks _do not_ appear square. You just don't notice the distortion unless you're quite far north or south.
mxfh 13y ago
This is not far north because of winds, it's just the shortest line! Great circle distance (Curves in Mercator, straight lines on globe) vs. Rhumb lines (Straight in Mercator, constant course angle against meridians) http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ComparingLoxodromesAndGreatCircleRoutes/ http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/ComparingLoxodromesAndGrea... [edit] added picture for explanation http://i.imgur.com/wJS0ry1.png http://i.imgur.com/wJS0ry1.png Lines of same color have identical course
- cs02rm0 13y ago
  Sort of, journeys in the other direction are pushed even further north (or, actually north of the straight line) though which I believe is because of the winds. - i.e. it's a factor, isn't it?
  - mxfh 13y ago
    Jet Streams are a factor but their position varies. The appearance as a northbound curve is the effect of the straight Orthodrome/Great Circle line projected into Mercator. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_flight#Transatlantic_routes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transatlantic_flight#Transatlan... [edit] I think it's fair to assume the winds are relatively stable and more intense further north so eastbound (US > Europe) flights might deviate even further to the north. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_Planning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Atlantic_Tracks#Route_Pla... http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/overlay=temp/orthographic=-5.76,48.35,605 http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/ove...
- deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]

dewey 13y ago

This is awesome. Is there a better way to zoom out than to click on "Earth" and choose another projection to reset the zoom level? Edit: Wasn't working before, Chrome restart fixed it. My bad.

eevilspock 13y ago
on my mac the scroll gesture works for zoom in and out.
delinka 13y ago
Try mouse scroll.

act9 13y ago

Previous Discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924854 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924854

mxfh 13y ago

other than that this beautiful web-app gets constantly updated with new data like Relative Humidity [%], Air Density [kg/m3], and Wind Power Density [kW/m2] https://twitter.com/cambecc/status/438674275285757952 https://twitter.com/cambecc/status/438674275285757952 here is the obligatory link to the old discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924854 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924854

nkuttler 13y ago

Beautiful. Reminds me of how I used to run xplanet as live desktop with bump and cloud maps (updated every few hours), accurate stellar background, etc. I wonder if there's something similar, more modern, with more possible data feeds.

danmaz74 13y ago

This REALLY blew my mind. The the "Earth" menu at the bottom left - you can see sea currents, temperature map, winds at different heights... terrific.

benjoffe 13y ago

This is a very similar style to parts of this incredible visualisation of Earth weather http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COWE6sMzdqI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COWE6sMzdqI

T-zex 13y ago

Well done! Interestingly there is a tornado like structure in the Crimean area.

tibbon 13y ago

This looks great. I just wish it didn't have to completely refresh when you turn the earth. Maybe in V2 :)

cambecc 13y ago
Hi. I'm the creator of the site. Unfortunately, each time the globe orientation changes, the distortion caused by the projection needs to be recalculated. Tried to think of ways to make this faster or save computations, but haven't found any good solutions yet.
- onion2k 13y ago
  From a usability aspect at least, you could keep the same distortion until the interaction ends, and then tween the distortion values to the new orientation over a second or two. Technically it'd be 'wrong' for a short time, but it'd be nicer to use. Awesome work regardless though.
- worldsayshi 13y ago
  Any demoscene people in the thread?
- keithpeter 13y ago
  Excellent stuff. Not sure if it is feasible but a slider control for height would show the transition from high altitude (circulation currents) through to surface conditions really nicely. Hard to cache the animation I imagine.
- deletes 13y ago
  Does the data update after a while, or do I have to refresh the page manually?

deletes 13y ago

Don't forget to click on the bottom-left button and check the different options. Example of a high altitude with temperature: http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/overlay=temp/orthographic=-5.76,48.35,605 http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/10hPa/ove... And many different projections, Stereographic is awesome: http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/overlay=total_precipitable_water/stereographic http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/over... http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/overlay=temp/stereographic=43.00,20.00,136 http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/o... Please someone make this as an app for a desktop background! ----- I found this option for total cloud water[0] and the checked the weather in France[1]. Pretty useful. [0]:http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/overlay=total_cloud_water/equirectangular=-350.50,47.48,1106 http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/isobaric/1000hPa/o... [1]:http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/France.htm http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/France.htm

ebahnx 13y ago
Desktop background would be amazing.

mrfusion 13y ago

Do ocean currents follow these same lines?

kaivi 13y ago
Take the Antarctic Circumpolar Current or the Gulf Stream: looks like the wind defines ocean currents.

Link- 13y ago

Aesthetics aside, how accurate is this?

g3orge 13y ago

wait. is this live? anything similar for clouds?

kfk 13y ago

Some days ago I posted this: http://scalgo.com/live/global http://scalgo.com/live/global It's modelling all the water flow levels in the world using very detailed GPS data. I mean, you can model a sea raise or a river level raise. I didn't even get 1 point. OK, design isn't as cool as this wind one, but I think it deserved a bit more love since they process a crap ton of terrain data for the water flow modelling...

ubershmekel 13y ago
It's hard to give credit for something indiscernible.

boyaka 13y ago

Noticed this tool on suspicious0bservers youtube channel a while back. He uses several tools daily to monitor earth and solar weather: http://www.youtube.com/user/Suspicious0bservers http://www.youtube.com/user/Suspicious0bservers

snake_plissken 13y ago

This is amazing! What is being used for geocoding IP addresses? It's one of the more accurate returns I have come across in quite some time. Also, how live is this data? If the data is live enough, this could be immensely useful for small-craft off-shore fishing. All around, superb work!

eegilbert 13y ago

This is lovely, but I believe it's a copy of an earlier visualization by Viégas and Wattenberg: http://hint.fm/wind http://hint.fm/wind

sivetic 13y ago

GitHub sources: https://github.com/cambecc/earth https://github.com/cambecc/earth

cambecc 13y ago

what the hell? why was this post deleted?