| Product Name: |
Windows on the Weather |
| Level: |
a Year 12 class/ First Year Tertiary |
| Platform: |
PC - Windows® |
| Supplied Information: |
Windows on the Weather explores typical airmasses over Britain using maps, satellite images, synoptic charts, weather data, diagrams, pictures, text and audio descriptions. Discusses the airmasses, frontal systems, pressure systems, rainfall occurrence and other different weather features. More info at http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/advunit/wow.html |
| Possible Use: |
This product is suitable for a Year 12 class/ First Year Tertiary courses for use by students without supervision. |
| Price: |
£80 (stand-alone), £160 (network version) +VAT +P&P |
| Developer/s: |
Simon Williams |
| Review: |
This is an interesting little interactive software package dealing with basic weather patterns and meteorology that, unfortunately because of its British/European roots and focus, will largely be only of novelty value here in Australia. It is not a highly polished commercial product, but is honest and simple to use. The opening screen includes four topic areas (buttons), Major Air Streams, Weather Fronts, Clouds and Rain, and Highs and Lows. Clicking on the topic area brings up a screen with several examples relating to each phenomenon. For example, clicking on Weather Fronts brings up a screen with four further subtopics, Warm Fronts, Cold Fronts, Frontal Systems, and Occluded fronts. Under each of these subtopics it is possible to bring up chart sequences and satellite imagery animations relating to each of these weather features, along with the surface measurements for a large number of British stations. Relevant photographs and diagrams (very nicely drawn) are also available, along with an audio commentary that takes you through the sequence being examined.
The north European focus makes it of limited value for us teaching atmospheric science here in Australia. The most useful aspect for the Australian teacher is the (relatively limited number of) excellent colour diagrams, and possibly the opportunity to draw contrasts with our own environment. However, the CD does provide a useful model of what might be done locally ñ a similar CD with a local and Southern Hemisphere orientation would be well used in various introductory atmospheric sciences courses around Australia.
The reader may be interested to know that Nigel Tapper (Monash University) is currently producing a CD-ROM of all the digital diagrams from the recently published Weather and Climate of Australia and New Zealand (authors Sturman and Tapper, Oxford University Press, 1996). Although this is not an interactive CD, teachers of university courses in the atmospheric sciences may find this a very useful locally oriented resource. Diagrams are all in full colour and are stored as windows meta-files (.wmf format) that lend themselves to simple import into a presentation package such as MS PowerPoint. Contact Nigel.Tapper@arts.monash.edu.au if you are interested.
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Nigel Tapper, Department of Geography and Environmental Science, Monash University. 25/7/97 |
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| Supplier: |
The Advisory Unit, Computers in Education,126 Great North Road, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 5JZ, U.K. |
|
advunit@rmplc.co.uk |
| Date Record Last Modified: |
31/7/97 |
