Joint Venture Enables Students to Visualize Weather Data

SAN DIEGO, CA /Marketwire/ -- Pasco scientific and WeatherBug, a leading provider of live, local weather information, announced a joint content integration agreement to combine live weather information from WeatherBug Schools' national network of weather stations with My World GIS, a powerful tool that enables students to visualize scientific data in a spatial context.

With the integrated version of My World GIS and WeatherBug Schools Program, students can conduct weather investigations using either built-in datasets or their own local data, collected with Pasco's range of PASPORT digital weather sensors. They can then compare their investigations with real-time national weather observations from any of the 8000 weather stations and 1500 cameras in the WeatherBug Schools Network.

Specifically, the integration enables students to download real-time weather information from the WeatherBug Network, organize it spatially by placing it on a map, and relate it to regional and local data in My World GIS. As a result, students and teachers can develop an understanding of the very dynamic nature of weather systems and the many variables that influence weather, such as latitude, longitude, altitude, time of year, pressure, ocean currents, geologic features, and more.

"My World GIS and WeatherBug combine a rich collection of live satellite imagery with live data from WeatherBug's networked weather stations," said Korey Champe, Pasco's Manager of Earth/Environmental Science Education. "Bringing large-scale weather investigations into the My World GIS environment gives students the opportunity to visually compare local weather data with data from other regions of the country. This helps them comprehend complex weather concepts, such as how air moves in response to high- and low-pressure systems."

"WeatherBug's network of weather stations offers students' unprecedented access to real-time weather data," said Frank McCathran, Director of Education and Media Services, WeatherBug. "By integrating our data feeds with My World GIS, WeatherBug expands the visualization and analytic capabilities already offered through the WeatherBug Schools Program."

Integration is expected to be complete this month, with sample joint lesson plans using WeatherBug data within My World GIS available in September. Current and future customers of both WeatherBug Schools and My World GIS will have the opportunity to evaluate the integrated software free of charge by visiting either the Pasco or WeatherBug Schools Web sites. Customers that already use My World GIS are entitled to free access to the WeatherBug data feed by downloading the latest version of the software from Pasco scientific's Web site. Additionally, WeatherBug will also bundle the My World GIS tool as part of its WeatherBug Schools offerings, which allows teachers and students to use current and historical weather conditions online through interactive lessons, activities, and tools.

The announcement came at the Environmental Systems Research Institute's (ESRI) Education User Conference that runs August 2–5 at the San Diego Convention Center. The ESRI conference is dedicated to broadening horizons for educators by illustrating the power of geographic information system technology in a variety of disciplines. My World GIS integrated with WeatherBug's live data can be viewed in Pasco booth E15.

My World GIS is available from Pasco scientific in a variety of licensing models to meet the needs of educators. My World GIS runs on platforms supporting Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris. For product and licensing information on My World GIS, visit Pasco's Web site.

For information on the WeatherBug Schools Program visit weatherbugschools.com.

About Pasco scientific
Pasco scientific is a leading developer of innovative, technology-based solutions for hands-on science. Pasco's team includes former and current teachers, educational researchers, engineers, and many more. Throughout its more than 40-year history, Pasco has focused exclusively on science education—designing, developing, and supporting better ways of teaching and learning science. Teachers and students in more than 100 countries throughout the world use Pasco solutions.

About WeatherBug
WeatherBug (which includes WeatherBug Professional) is a trusted source of dynamic weather information, enabling people worldwide to make more informed weather-related decisions. By combining its proprietary asset—the "world's largest, most dense network of live weather stations and cameras"—with aggregated weather data from around the world, the WeatherBug Network delivers highly precise weather information and forecasts for the most accurate, neighborhood-level weather available. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies Inc.

PASCO scientific, PASCO, and PASPORT are registered trademarks of PASCO scientific. WeatherBug is a registered trademark of AWS Convergence Technologies Inc.