Spotternetwork Reporting Question

[John Wetter]

If you can't submit a report 'now' via spotternetwork, you should be reporting it via other means. If the report doesn't need to go in 'now', then I'd say report it when you get home via eSpotter. That's my opinion on the matter having worked with all modes of reporting...

 

[Matthew Fischer]

Does the new beta client let you submit reports through the client itself? I was out on Saturday and tried to report two inch hail. My connection was so spotty though I couldn't wait for the page to load before I had to move. It would be nice if you could fill out the fields in the client and just hit send, instead of loading a separate page.

Skip remember you lead us to the 2 inch hail on the other side of Foss Lake! I know on sunday i had trouble loading the web page to report the wall cloud near Ok 152 and 6. Plus doesn't help that we didn't have an amp. plus doesn't help gps gate was being stupid by turning red all the time! Another thing to figure out too.

 

[Tyler Allison]

If you can't submit a report 'now' via spotternetwork, you should be reporting it via other means. If the report doesn't need to go in 'now', then I'd say report it when you get home via eSpotter. That's my opinion on the matter having worked with all modes of reporting...

You can also submit "old" reports via the SN. Just make sure you select the proper time on the report so it gets placed in the proper location within the database and is referenced as such. Some folks have submitted old reports but forget to change the time, but then in the notes say that it's old.

 

[Bill Tabor]

Yeah same problem happened to me yesterday using the 2.2 client. When I clicked 'Submit Report' in the client it brought me to the web page that was on the Spotternetwork login screen. From there I had to choose 'Make a Report' or whatever link it is called. That brought up the Google map app zoomed all the way out and it took forever on my slow connection - which I noticed seems slower near severe storms. I reported a wallcloud over Guthrie, Tx but I subbed it nearly an hour late. That wasn't because of the software though I knew it would be slow...it was because the storm was intense and it was very dark / black where I was an I was trying to keep from getting eaten.

But yeah, to use this easily and consistently it needs some improvement. I checked and it showed my IP Geo lat/long as somewhere in Ohio? I am using a Delorme Earthmate via USB and gps was working. I'm not sure if my Pantech USB wireless modem supports gps. My old Sierra Wireless did. Is that what is required in order to make it recognise my position? And, if so how is the process different then? Will it bring my position up and zoomed down to the appropriate level? So you see it isn't just the form...if Google Maps can initialize with the proper coordinates and zoomed in at a proper level to move the pin that would then be no problem IMO and it would work well I think.

 

[Tyler Allison]

If the SN client is connected to your GPS then when you click 'Submit Report' it will _not_ show you the google map but instead a pure text version of the report screen with your exact position already filled in. You just click a few times for what the report is and hit submit.

 

[Bill Tabor]

That's definitely not what happened to me last night when I tried it. Is this an Earthmate issue? Have you tested this. As I stated when I clicked it it brought me to the website where I had to log in, then choose the proper link for reporting on the left side of the page, and then the Google map with no gps info. I promise I am not making this up.

Perhaps I should uninstall and then reinstall? It says I have version 2.2. I didn't uninstall the old one first - perhaps I should have?

Perhaps I'll hook it up and test in a minute again. If I'm not chasing. Doesn't seem like ma nature is in a hurry to do anything severe today.

 

[Tyler Allison]

It's not an earth mate issue. I've setup several folks with earthmates and not had this problem.

It definitely works as I described unless something is off on the client end. I've used it multiple times as described.

Send me an email with your SN ID# and I'll check the logs. I can usually tell what's going wrong that way. It should _never_ ask you to login when you click 'Submit Report' if your client is properly configured. The fact that you had to login _after_ clicking 'Submit Report' suggests something is not right.

-Tyler

 

[Steve Polley]

It's not an earth mate issue. I've setup several folks with earthmates and not had this problem.

It definitely works as I described unless something is off on the client end. I've used it multiple times as described.

Send me an email with your SN ID# and I'll check the logs. I can usually tell what's going wrong that way. It should _never_ ask you to login when you click 'Submit Report' if your client is properly configured. The fact that you had to login _after_ clicking 'Submit Report' suggests something is not right.

-Tyler

Tyler, lately I have been having the same issue as well. It now asks me to login and drop the pin in google maps where to identify the report.

 

[Tyler Allison]

That's actually a good thing. Now I have two data points to try and find a common issue. email me your SN # ([email protected])

It should not be working that way.

 

[Tyler Allison]

Well...seems I need to eat a little bit of crow.

There was a bug in the code that was causing an issue with the auto-location reporting action as I described above.

If folks could double check I'd appreciate it.

Just bring up your SN client and set Manual or GPS and click 'Submit Report'. It should _NOT_ require you to login or show a google map so long as you have a valid lat/lon

 

[Bill Tabor]

Mine is working perfect now Tyler. I thought it was what I did though, but now that I log in to tell you I see that you may have changed something. I removed both versions on my computer. (Yes, it showed 2 in Add/Remove Programs). I made sure the directories were gone, and I killed all the shortcuts, and desktop icons as well. Next I killed the download versions in my temp folder and then downloaded the latest from the website where it created a new extract folder and I extracted to new location. I then installed and reset my spotter id went out in the field (where I am now), and got a Millenicom wireless connection, connected my gps, went active and clicked 'Submit Report'. As you mentioned it went to the abbreviated webpage form and already had my location sited via the lat / long of the gps - correctly. I had the option to go to the high bandwidth which I did, and after a few moments it brought up the Google Map with the pin located in the correct position as desired. Bravo! I like it.

My only suggestion would be to have 1 more zoom level of resolution when the map loads. I had to click '+' one time on the scale to the left to manage the pin in an area where I would be seeing storm features (certainly within 20 miles or so). I think that would be an improvement, but clicking on it one time wasn't so big a deal. Yep, pretty cool. Now if I only had a storm to report on tonight - Alas!

Another thought...when in OK (or was it near Guthrie, Tx) the website said my CWA doesn't accept Espotter reports so I was also wondering if that would affect anything. The location I am in now does and also provides their contact number.

Anyway, thanks for looking into this.

 

[Tyler Allison]

Another thought...when in OK (or was it near Guthrie, Tx) the website said my CWA doesn't accept Espotter reports so I was also wondering if that would affect anything.

Just means that the SN has not been authorized by that office to submit reports to them via eSpotter for some reason. We still take the report and distribute where we can like the various feeds, NWSChat, etc

I wouldn't let that stop you submitting the report.

 

[Dan Cook]

Check out the Indiana report; "lots of lightning".

 

[Andrew Pritchard]

This is only partially related, but I noticed a few times (maybe all?) that when I, or others would submit a "rotating wall cloud" the report would come out as a "NON-rotating wall cloud". This creates some funky reports with a Non-Rotating Wall cloud being described in the note as having rapid/violent rotation with a tornado imminent.

Do we have some wires crossed?

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Check out the Indiana report; "lots of lightning".

I like this one:
Reported By: Daniel Starks
Other - See Note
Time: 2009-05-02 20:17:00 UTC
Notes: Heavy Rain

Well duh - there's a storm above you! No mention of flooding or extraordinary rainfall rates that may be of use to spotters, chasers, or operational meteorologists.

I've heard about the 'all wall-clouds reported as non-rotating' issue before, but I haven't run into it myself, and I've seen a few 'rotating wall-cloud' reports in the past week. I assume you making sure to change the box to "Rotating wall-cloud" from "Non-rotating wall-cloud" (which is the default option)?