Modify Spotter Network data icons to prevent misleading images?

[Dan Robinson]

For the various apps that display Spotter Network data over radar images, would it be possible to make the dots smaller or somehow less prone to be used as misleading anti-chaser propaganda? Do we know how many apps are incorporating this data, and who the contacts are?

The misuse of this data has become a recurring theme in anti-chaser articles and social media, it would be nice to somehow make the data look more realistic. Any ideas?

 

[Randy Jennings]

This is a problem that has plagued GIS since GIS was invented. The GIS industry solves the problem by using clustering (instead of displaying lots of markers they display one marker with a number or color to indicate how many markers are really there). Unfortunately using clustering will not fix the chaser convergence perception problem we have.

There are lots of things that many folks don’t understand about these types of maps and quite honestly I don’t think we can possibly fix that. If they want to see chaser convergence they will see chaser convergence.

Take for instance the picture in the “Storm Chasers Stay Home” article. It shows 31 markers by my count on US 283 and US 160 between Minneola and Ashland, KS. It looks like a clogged road, but in reality that is 28 miles. At most it is 1.1 chasers per a mile. That is hardly a clogged road. Once you consider that some of those chasers are probably in the same vehicle, the chaser vehicle density goes down even more. You also have to take into account time. Many of those beacons are old. Some of those chasers are probably already on US 54 or some other road. No amount of reason will convince those who want to see chaser convergence.

I suppose that developers could do away with the dots and move to colored lines like Google maps does for traffic – and display a chaser convergence index (yellow is 1 chaser per mile, red is 5 chasers per mile). But that isn’t the purpose of the dots. The purpose is so NWS and emergency managers can reach out to chasers/spotters. It has the added benefit in that those of us in the chaser community can see who we know is around us. Both are becoming harder to do. I often hit the max zoom on RadarScope and can’t select every spotter dot in the area I am in.

We could always turn off our own position reporting to stop perpetrating the convergence myth, but that has draw backs. Sometime I don’t have good APRS digipeter coverage and SpotterNetwork is the only thing I have to remind me of where I was at when I review the trip a few days later. I also would like to meet some of the folks I converse with here on StormTrack if we happen to be in the same area. That would be hard to do if we all turn it off.

So for now, I’m leaving position reporting on and not worrying about it.

 

[Marc R. O'Leary]

I'm not worried about it. At any time on any given day, some a-hole can write an article and screen shot DFW or OKC and show a "convergence" when in reality, many people just never turn off their icon.

Plus many of the icons are just local county spotters and not chasing at all.

IMO...who cares. :shrug:

 

[ScottCurry]

I'm not worried about it. At any time on any given day, some a-hole can write an article and screen shot DFW or OKC and show a "convergence" when in reality, many people just never turn off their icon.

Plus many of the icons are just local county spotters and not chasing at all.

Mark is right. Look at any major city during a non-severe day and you'll see lots of dots. Most are not moving. Maybe the answer is to only show dots that have moved more than 1 mile in the last hour (or something similar).

 

[rdale]

That is the case. If stationary > xx minutes (I don't know exactly) then it drops off as I recall.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

I'd be more for a system of not showing dots unless they've made 5 SN reports in the past 18 months. That'd drop us to about 100 people though, since people don't seem to actually ever report.

 

[Drew Terril]

I'd be more for a system of not showing dots unless they've made 5 SN reports in the past 18 months. That'd drop us to about 100 people though, since people don't seem to actually ever report.

Not via SN. I don't have my laptop on when I'm in chase mode in the truck, nor do I have any kind of GPS puck for it, and it's easier to report via amateur radio or (if I have signal) cell phone. If I don't have enough signal to make a phone call, then I certainly won't have data to pull up SN on a laptop that I don't even keep turned on.

 

[Dan Robinson]

I just wonder what the purpose of showing the dots is in the first place. That there are chasers/spotters out? That much is obvious. All I ever see the screen caps with dots being used for is to decry the number of chasers out.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

I'd be weary of using that feature in the first place. The public safety officials that are wishing to witch-hunt chasers are probably using that data themselves to know where to look for them, throw up their road blocks and such. If you show them where you are to begin with, you draw attention to yourself.

 

[TJKLECKNER]

I could see limiting the general public display of spotter dots, but I would keep the NWS/Public safety portal side alone

 

[rdale]

The public safety officials that are wishing to witch-hunt chasers are probably using that data themselves to know where to look for them, throw up their road blocks and such.

Ahh yes - that's what most police officers try to do it between domestic assault calls and handling irate shoplifters. Boot up GR3 and start plotting their next roadblock. #SMH

 

[John Moore]

On the app I sell, Radar Alive Pro (Android), the dot sizes can be selected among a few choices.

But... dot sizes are chosen to convey information, and if you make them realistic, they will be simply invisible except at the highest zoom. Hence I think there is really no point in trying to make them better so reporters won't turn them into propaganda.

 

[Shawn Gossman]

Ahh yes - that's what most police officers try to do it between domestic assault calls and handling irate shoplifters. Boot up GR3 and start plotting their next roadblock. #SMH

I'm not trying to place all officers in that kind of pool, rdale. If that is what you assume, I apologize for my wording. But I've read articles online about operations being conducted by KS LE officials on storm chasing disruptions and I was only telling everyone what I thought the feature could do for the witch-hunter LE types. You can't deny that some of them are out to get storm chasers...

 

[rdale]

You can't deny that some of them are out to get storm chasers...

Ehh, most of the "articles" online are from the same source posting information from "secretive" LE forums where apparently someone is "leaking" this information... I have a hard time buying the "they are waiting for you to find the tornado so they can arrest you" line.

 

[Bill Hark]

I think the spotternet webpage only shows those who have made a few quality reports while the apps show everyone. I wouldn't get rid of those folks who don't report but it might be nice for the radar apps to have a user set filter: those with no good reports, those with 5, 10 etc. Maybe folks using Spotternet could have folks self report as chasers, local spotters or other and the dots can be color coded.

Bill Hark