By Duane Marsteller
Herald Staff Writer
6/22/2003

MANATEE - As severe weather struck Manatee County on Wednesday, Bay News 9 chief meteorologist Alan Winfield was telling viewers what was happening as it unfolded - although he was miles away in the news channel's studios in Pinellas Park.

When the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch, Winfield told viewers immediately. When a twister was reported, Winfield was able to immediately tell viewers exactly where it was as well as pinpoint other areas where conditions were ripe for tornado formation.

He was able to do that because of new technology the news station unveiled just two days previously. Called 9 Interactive, the new system allows forecasters to instantly pull up weather conditions in a particular neighborhood, immediately notify viewers of weather alerts and warnings, and focus satellite cameras on any area they wish with just the push of a fingertip.

"It might sound corny, but all of this stuff is like a weatherman's dream," Winfield said.

The system constantly receives and updates weather data, including rainfall amounts, temperatures, wind direction and speed, even the number of lightning strikes. With the push of a console button, on-air meteorologists can instantly pull up whatever information they wish to convey.

The temperature contrasts between Anna Maria Island and downtown Bradenton? It's there. The number of lightning strikes in Palmetto? Presto. How much rain has fallen in Lakewood Ranch in the past hour? No problem.

"We can touch that area (on the screen) and it will immediately tell us all we want to know about weather conditions there," Winfield said. "We've become like a human computer mouse."

The system gives forecasters instantaneous access to weather information from various sources, funneling all of it into a single computer. Software within the computer manages weather information that forecasters previously had to handle manually, freeing them up to concentrate on conveying the information to viewers more quickly.

"It used to be if new weather data came in, we would have to go to the printers to read it, then go to the computer and update the graphics," Winfield said. "Now, it's instantaneous."

The system also gives meteorologists access to satellites with cameras that can zoom in on local weather events. The satellite images' resolution is so sharp that it can clearly show streets, swimming pools and sidewalks. Bay News 9 plans to use that feature sparingly and try not to get so close that it raises privacy concerns, Winfield said.

Bay News 9 purchased the system from Weather Services International in Billerica, Mass. Linda Levy, Bay News 9's news programming director, would not say how much the station paid for the technology but hinted it was not cheap. "We put a premium on the weather," she said.

The 9 Interactive system is a combination of two other products WSI sells, TrueView and Vortex, said Linda Maynard, the company's marketing director. Vortex manages weather data, while TrueView is used to present the information.

In competitive television markets, those who have the technology have an edge, she said.

"The number one reason people watch the news is for the weather," Maynard said. "When there's a breaking weather event, you don't want to pull your meteorologist off the air so he can get and sort through the data."

Vortex and TrueView are being used in other television markets such as New York, Orlando and Philadelphia, but Bay News 9 "is leading the way in the use of this technology," Maynard said.

Winfield said it's the greatest single leap in technology he's seen in the 21 years he's been a meteorologist.

"This is definitely a major step up," he said. "A lot of changes have been gradual, but this is a whole new way of doing things. We're almost like guinea pigs because it's so new. It's been awesome."