Frequently Asked Questions: New Service Launched - SA Weather Reports via Twitter

Q: What is Twitter?
A: Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages.  People write short updates, often called "tweets"  of 140 characters or fewer.  These messages are posted to your profile, sent to your followers, and are searchable on Twitter search. 

Q: What is a hashtag?
A: A hashtag is added to make a tweet searchable in a specific category.  For example, in this instance the hashtag is < #sawxreport >. When a hashtag is used, each tweet that has the #sawxreport hashtag will be found when the public search for weather reports, observations or general weather information. Without this hashtag, it will not be found by the public or SAWXREP. 

Q: What is Geo-tagging?
A: Geo-tagging is like GPS for your tweet.  When you turn on your location on your twitter profile, a 3rd party application can geo-tag your tweet with the location from which it was sent.  Geo-tagging, allows tweets to have a hidden latitude and longitude.  Once the tweet is geo-tagged it can then be plotted on a map. 


Q: How do I know if my tweet is Geo-tagged?
A: If your phone has GPS, it likely has the capability to geo-tag a tweet sent from a 3rd party application.  If you are unsure if your phone has GPS capability, check your mobile phone instruction manual.  If you are using a personal computer, you will still need a 3rd party application that has the capability to send geo-tagged tweets.  Geo-tagging cannot be accomplished by simply sending a tweet from the Twitter.com website, the m.twitter.com (mobile) website or via text message.  This must occur through a 3rd party application.

Q: What is a 3rd party application?
A: A 3rd party application is software that you can download on your data capable mobile phone or on your personal computer.  A 3rd party application compatible with your phone or PC can be found by doing a simple web search.  Make sure the 3rd party application you choose has the capability to geo-tag tweets.

Q: How do I know if my tweet's location was properly coded?
A: Check on the twitter search using #sawxreport #sawxob or #saweather to see if the report is listed.  If you use geo-tagging,  you'll need to check to see if your latitude and longitude have any extra information with them. To do this, do a twitter search for near [your location]  For example: #sawxreport near "Mossel Bay", your latitude and longitude location will be below the tweet.  

Q: Will SAWXREP reply to my tweet?
A: In some instances SAWXREP will reply to your tweet sent.   This is to obtain further information or confirmation.

Q: Why is SAWXREP only searching for reports sent via Twitter and not from other micro-blogging services (e.g., FriendFeed, Tumblr)?
A: Only one micro-blogging service is being used at this time.  Already a well-established social media outlet, Twitter's user-base exceeds other micro-blogging services at this time.  This affords this project, a large audience of users already familiar with Twitter.  As the market environment for micro-blogging services evolves, SAWXREP will consider the benefits of making use of additional micro-blogging services or revisiting the choice of a particular service.  


Q: How can I make use of the Weather Tweets that SAWXREP is collecting?
A: You can view weather report Tweets that are currently available.  The following external (non-SAWXREP) links will monitor #sawxreport #saweather #sawxob tweets (click the links below):

• Twitter Search - Click HERE or HERE
• www.geochirp.com - Click HERE
• Twitterfall - Click HERE 
• Twubs - Click HERE

New Service Launched: SA Weather Reports via Twitter - Severe Weather, Weather Observations by the public, Weather Warnings and Disaster Observation.

I have decided to create SA Weather Reports (@SAWXREP) on Twitter to provide the public with accurate weather and disaster information. This will allow users to get weather and disaster notifications directly via Twitter and possibly SMS messages. SA Weather Reports looks to help users get important and accurate information from credible organizations when other communications services aren't accessible or available.

This service has already seen positive take-up across the country under the previous names SAWDIS and SAWDOS but had to be terminated due to a large research project by the author in 2013. It is during this research project that I discovered that Twitter currently appears to be the best social media application to help users receive information during emergencies.

According to Twitter, Twitter is: “without a doubt the best way to share and discover what is happening right now.”

Perhaps a less biased description of Twitter would: “Twitter is a free social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read messages known as tweets.” - Wikipedia

WHAT IS A TWEET?

It is a 140 character (or less) message that a user (tweeter) sends out that is posted on their Twitter home page and also sent to the tweeter’s subscribers called followers?

Tweets can include:

• A simple text message
• Links to a picture
• Links to a web page

Twitter allow SA Weather Reports (@SAWXREP) to:

• Directly communicate with public
• Tweet forecasts
• Tweet storm tracks/watch/warning info
• Advertise your weather observations
• Helps to stay in contact
• Tweet weather facts, info and statistics
• Answer weather questions
• Receive weather reports from the public
• Interact with the public

SA Weather Reports wants to interact with weather enthusiasts (the public, trained and untrained) who use Twitter and give them a quick easy way to transmit their weather reports throughout the world.

WHAT TYPES OF REPORTS ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

You can tweet any weather event that occurs in your local area, but we are most interested in significant events: severe weather including hail, strong wind , flooding, marine hazards, snowfall, etc.

In particular:

• Damage from winds--briefly describe what was damaged and time it occurred.
• Hail--include size of hail and time it fell.
• Tornadoes or funnel clouds.
• Flooding--briefly describe what is occurring.
• Snowfall during an event and storm total. When reporting snowfall, include the time period when it fell.
• Freezing rain or Black Frost producing a 'glaze' on objects or roads.
• Dense fog restricting visibility
• Marine observations including high seas or winds, and dense fog or torrential rain restricting visibility

Here's What You Need to Do:

If geotagging is available on your 3rd party (Cellphone, Ipad, Tab etc.)

Twitter application:

• Make sure geotagging is turned on for your 3rd party Twitter application.
• Make sure geotagging is turned on for your Twitter account page. - Through the web page: http://twitter.com/account/settings or from your mobile device: http://twitter.com/account/settings/geo

Submit your Tweet report via your 3rd party app in the following format: ‪#‎sawxreport your significant weather report ‪#‎sawxob or ‪#‎sastwx

Some examples of weather report tweets with geotagging:

Example 1: #sawxreport Flooding on road with water up to the bottom of doors on cars
Example 2: #sawxreport Gale Force Wind knocked down tree at 4:25 pm

If geotagging is NOT available on your 3rd party Twitter application (or you want to use the web-based Twitter.com): 

• Log into your Twitter account via the web or mobile device.
• Submit your tweet report in the following format: #sawxreport - your location; your significant weather report. Example: #sawxreport - 14h30 Mossel Bay: Gale Force SW Wind blowing.

Please make sure to always include the time and place in your report

To monitor or view your reports after submitting...Check - https://twitter.com/SAWXREP or http://twubs.com/saweather

The following external links will monitor #sawxreport tweets (click the links below):

• Twitter search using #sawxreport
• Twitter search using #sawxob
• Twitter search using #saweather

Twitter Hashtags:

• #sawxreport - For the #sawxreport, it would cover significant weather the tweeter actually saw and would include: tornado, hail, snow greater than an inch, dense fog and dust, floods, strong winds etc.
• #sawxob - For the #sawxob, it would cover weather observed that was not significant and would include: standard weather obs, non-significant weather etc.
• #saweather - For the #saweather, it would cover weather information that would be useful to the public and would include: reported storm tracks, reported storm damages, road closures, watch and warning information etc.

NOW WHY USE TWITTER?

• Large user database - 100 million users around the world
• Rich flexible Application - Programming Interface (API) Easy to search tweets and get results
• Potential to receive hundreds of weather tweets
• You can monitor the tweets yourself
• Real time feedback for ongoing weather Reports, pictures and videos
• The capability to utilize "geotagging" - geographical information that is associated with something, in this case individual Tweets. This allows SAWXREP to correlate each Tweet to its location when it was sent. This capability will help to enhance and increase timely and accurate online weather reporting and communication between the public and SAWXREP.

ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE

• The purpose of this venture is to allow people to submit reports.
• Please be responsible and respectful of the purpose.
• Be as specific as possible when describing the weather report.
• A valid Twitter user account is required to submit reports.
• A question and answer post will soon be created for the benefit on new Twitter users.

FINALLY:

The success of this venture depends on the media, members of the public, radio amateurs and real time weather observers that make news articles, photos, weather station data, info and reports available to  SAWXREP for publication. SAWXREP ask the general public out there to send reports, photos and weather observations via Twitter to SAWXREP. Without the support of the general public, media, roll players and radio amateurs this venture will not be a success and I will have to closed the Twitter account. Let's illustrate what can be done when South Africans and even non-South Africans team up to provide Weather and Disaster reports the general public. With your help we can render a free service to the public and hopefully contribute to save and better the lives of others.

If you have any questions or suggestions for this venture, please contact Johan at: sawois05 AT gmail DOT com

Real Time Weather and Disaster Updates: MSBWX Twitter

MSBWX would like to advise our readers that real time weather and disaster updates are also posted on the MSBWX Twitter account.  For breaking news and updates please visit the Mossel Bay WX 2013 Twitter account at  https://twitter.com/MosselBayWX2013 or @MosselBayWX2013.

If you have any comments or real time weather and disaster observation reports you can follow @MosselBayWX2013 and then tweet your comments and images.

- MSBWX