The new weather website and widget uses Google Maps, user-friendly navigation tools, global weather detection and forecasting technology, and social media features such as photo- and video-sharing.
Additionally, live streaming video will soon be available on the site delivered by storm chasers who are experts in getting in the right place at the right time to document tornadoes, hurricanes, and other severe storms from TornadoVideos.net (some tornado footage is already posted on the site).
On www.iMapWeather.com, users are able to connect with the weather by posting and sharing photo, videos, events, and Twitter-like text bursts, all localized inside the iMap®. iMapWeather is also a Flash widget with an embed code that can easily be copied and pasted into any website for free. As such, iMapWeather.com serves as a hub for a larger network of iMaps hosted on other websites, from Sport Fishermen.com to KETK, an NBC station in Tyler, Texas.
"What makes iMapWeather revolutionary is the merging of geographic map technology, weather conditions and social media into one beautiful map display," said Brian Blankenship, Balcom's interactive creative director. "This has never been done before."
"It's weather by the people, for the people," said Stuart Balcom, president of the Balcom Agency, which created the site in a joint venture with Weather Decision Technologies, Inc. (WDT). "iMapWeather is a completely new online phenomenon - a whole new way of accessing and sharing vital weather information for millions of people."
Added WDT President Mike Eilts, "We are excited to partner with one of the United States' leading creative services agencies to provide extremely accurate, rapidly updating, high resolution global weather information directly to consumers as a terrific interactive weather map experience."
iMapWeather's design offers users the easiest, most enjoyable way to get weather conditions, view the highest resolution radar images available online, and see real-time lightning strikes. iMapWeather deploys a proprietary Flash application integrated with the Google Maps API. It provides Doppler Radar, satellite imagery and the most sophisticated forecasting available anywhere.
Users share their content by posting it from a computer or sending it via e-mail or mobile device. Social media content is displayed based on an algorithm that includes newness, popularity (views) and ranking.
Contact:
For iMapWeather.com
Balcom Agency
Margaret Ritsch, 817-877-9933
Email Contact
