Map projections
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For us living in Scandinavia the lat-long Plate Carrée map projection isn't always very suitable. Todays Swedish radar echoes, for instance, look very distorted and confusing.
So I'd like to suggest a choice of (a few) other projections, for at high northern latitudes Polar Stereographic at 60°N is the useful standard.
I've worked at ECMWF in Reading for more than 20 years and I am very impressed and happy for everything you provide. But a polar stereographic alternative would make me even happier.
Hjo, Sweden 28 September
Per Kållberg
meteorologist (retired) -
@per-0
As now Windy offers the ‘3D’ feature (only available on website), you still consider that a stereographic map is needed? Radar and Satellite view is not yet available indeed with the ‘3D’ map but could be soon.
As said here, ‘The missing features and elements will be gradually implemented in next development phases’ -
@idefix37
I think Per asks for radar imagery. -
Windy 2D maps don't use "lat-long Plate Carrée map projection", they use map projection EPSG:3857 (aka. Pseudo-Mercator, Spherical Mercator, EPSG:900913 or yet Gogol Maps), which is de facto the standard map projection for the majority of web applications (at least since Gogol Maps exist). On high latitudes up to 85.06° (e.g. over Scandinavia), Gogol map projection gets less distorsions than map pseudo-projection EPSG:4326 (screenshots below).
Of course 3D maps get yet less distorsions on screens than Gogol Maps projection; this is the reason Gogol Maps web site has introduced a couple of years ago 3D maps as default. 3D maps require more resources on both back-end and front-end sides (Gogol can afford to do so anyway :o). Last but not least: not all devices have good performances when rendering 3D maps...
On the other hand, it would be hard for a web mapping application like WIndy - worlwide coverage weather maps provided to large public - to allow map projections with limited coverage (like Polar Sterographic map projections); they are generally implemented by National Weather applications, which only provide maps with reduced coverage.
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@idefix37
Thanks for the reply to my wish for other map projections. I apologise for erroneously mentioning lat-long projection but Mercator is of course even worse in distorting high latitudes.
And I shouldn't have mentioned the radar imagery, my real interest is the circumpolar atmospheric circulation with its Rossby waves. They are of great interest not the least in connexion with present climate trends. ECMWF on their own website present excellent "Actic" and "Antarctic " polar stereographic maps.What is meant by 3D maps ? I have not been able to find one as Prime user.
Best regards
Per Kållberg Hjo Sweden
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@per-0
I guess you use Windy on desktop (3D is not available in the mobile app). In the right menu you just need to click 3D.
I like to see Rossby waves too on this map rendering as shown here:
https://community.windy.com/topic/16541/windy-3d-mode-is-back/4?_=1632899262385 -
@per-0 I was looking for that kinda information for so long time, lol.
