Five reasons BOM’s new site isn’t a ‘sh*tshow’, according to them
After days of being slammed and ridiculed across the nation, BOM have emerged from the basement and defended their new website. This is why they say it’s better.
The Bureau of Meteorology is defending the layout and accuracy of its highly-criticised website redesign, declaring it will take time for Australians to get used to it.
Amid an avalanche of criticism about changes to the radar imaging and website functionality, the Bureau of Meteorology maintains it is a change for the better.
A spokeswoman for the bureau said the website features design and functionality improvements to the most frequently used pages, including forecasts, observations and weather warnings.
“We acknowledge challenges the change has presented as people familiarise themselves with the new website, and assure the community that the new site has been designed with public safety at its core – the website has been specifically designed to make the Bureau’s forecasts and warnings more prominent, easily accessible and relevant to your location,” she said.
“This is just the beginning of our journey to improve our online services.
“We will continue to deliver website improvements based on feedback which we are taking seriously, just as we have done throughout the development phase.”
Environment Minister Murray Watt and Nationals Leader David Littleproud have demanded changes to the website, while Queensland Energy Minister David Janetzki argued it was putting lives at risk.
The Bureau says, however, the new website was developed in consultation with the community and included features people said “they want and need”.
“To help the community adjust to the new website, it has been available in beta for the community to explore and provide feedback for over 15 months,” she said.
“During that time, community feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“As we saw with the relaunch of the BOM Weather app in 2020, a dip in customer satisfaction is expected as customers familiarise themselves with the new website.
“We expect satisfaction to increase as customers become accustomed to the new website and discover its benefits.”
FIVE REASONS BOM SAYS IT’S BETTER
RADAR
The website radar provides one view of the current weather situation.
It is not intended to replicate or replace the Bureau’s weather warnings which are created by expert meteorologists issued in the hours and days ahead of a severe weather event.
The radar map presents data differently.
It uses a national mosaic view from multiple radar stations, replacing individual radars to improve coverage and performance.
While the visual presentation has changed, the underlying data is from the same source.
The new display corrects for common image distortions, improving clarity.
RADAR DISPLAY
The new map is designed to be more reliable.
It provides accurate rainfall data and is built to handle higher traffic volumes.
Using a national mosaic means if one radar goes offline, overlapping data continues to provide coverage. These changes are intended to provide a more consistent and reliable experience.
The new platform offers several improvements: An estimation of rainfall rate at the ground; Correction of radar errors such as clutter, reflections and interference; A choice to show rainfall intensity in mm/hr or dBZ reflectivity. The rain radar default view is mm/h, which is consistent with the BOM Weather app map.
COLOUR SCALE
The map colour scale, showing intensity of rainfall, was updated to improve readability and accessibility across devices.
It aligns with the BOM Weather app and supports clearer interpretation of rainfall intensity.
The previous colour scale was based on dBZ reflectivity.
While many users became familiar with interpreting “black” as a sign of hail, this was not always accurate.
Research showed that users often misinterpreted dBZ values.
The mm/hr scale provides a more consistent and understandable measure of rainfall intensity.
CUSTOMISATION
On the rain radar and weather map page, select ‘More weather’ to choose between the map or photographic base.
You can select your preferred rain display: Rain rate (mm/h) or rain reflectivity (dBZ).
You can even choose your forecast layers for rain, wind, temperature and more.
LAUNCH TIMING
Australia is a large country prone to severe weather events in any location, at any time of year.
The new website was rolled out gradually across the day on 22 October.
Forecasts and warnings were not impacted and were readily available throughout the day.
Forecasts and warnings are published on the website, the BOM Weather app and on our social media channels.
The new website features more prominent warnings on the homepage.
The Bureau was in close contact with emergency services partners to ensure they had the information they needed to keep communities safe and effectively respond to emerging weather conditions.
The new website is secure, accessible, stable and will help us continue to deliver trusted services to all Australians, when it matters most.
