1. The predominant style in weather communication is the use of weather symbols This is the case especially on interactive and mobile media. Does this mean that: Weather symbols are most suitable for this new technologies ? Or is it just the rashness: What had been best practice in the past, must also be the solution in the future ?

2. Progress has also been made in the weather forecast The resolution of Numerical Weather Prediction data is today many times higher than 20 years ago. But nobody is aware of this, because until now this resolution has not been communicated. The style of weather communication has not kept up with the improvements of weather data. 3. Points against area Weather symbols only represent a point in time and space. They are not able to visualise an area. But: Weather always exists in reality and virtually (forecast data) as an area Forecast data are calculated on a regular grid. Results are geografically defined areas of wind,- precipitation, -temperature, -clouds, etc. 4. Static against dynamic Weather symbols represent only a point in time An animation of weather symbols makes no sense Weather symbols are static But: Weather forecast is about the development of the future weather An animation is required to visualise the movement of the areas of weather, which are calculated in small time intervalls ( f.e. hourly or less) 5. The challenge of high resolution Weather forecast data today can have a very high resolution ( up to 2 km and more). This means there is a data point every 2 km on a regular grid of the forecast model. Weather symbols are not able to meet the demand for visualisation of high resolution. In contrast, they make the resolution imprecise. 6. ungenaue SymboleTremendous data loss caused by obsolete style of visualisation f.e. the german Cosmo-de Model, resolution: 2,8 km gridpoints: 190.000 Only 16 points are visualised 7. 1400 Punkte (MeteoMedia) gegen 60.000 Punkte des cosmo.de (DWD) 100% besser = 2800 Pt, 500% besser = 7000 Pt, 60.000 Pt= 4200% The question is, what display format is required to show all 190.000 points ? 8. Weather symbols are not in line with zooming maps Geografical areas become more and more detailed, the closer you zoom in. This is not the case with a point, because it has no geografical spreading. But: The hierarchy of resolutions of Numerical weather prediction data require zooming for appropriate communication. They consist of a model chain with several models of different resolutions, ranging from low to high resolution. 9. Weather symbols are not suitable for Locations based Weather The position of the user, marked on the map, is in the center of Location based Weather. The movements of the surrounding weather fields in relation to the position of the user are the subject of mobile weather. As weather symbols can represent neither areas, nor a movement, these are totally insufficient. 10. Weather symbols cannot make the most of the technologies of new interactive and mobile media Weather symbols belong to the static old print media with no possibilty of animation, with no possibilty of zoom, without location based weatherfields, with the necessity to oversimplify precise data. But now we have the media, bandwidth and technologies to communicate the full information quality of available weather data. 11. GeoWeather is the solution We have to withdraw from weather symbols 12. GeoWeather is the solution We have to withdraw from weather symbols 13. The first market-ready app of GeoWeather is Geo-wind Browser version Shop: http://geo-wind.eu The new sea weather forecast for sailors.