Digital Atmosphere - Weather Graphics

Digital Atmosphere is a powerful weather forecasting program that allows you to create detailed maps of real-time weather for anywhere in the world. It makes extensive use of techniques and algorithms that are comparable and in some cases superior to the National Weather Service's multimillion-dollar computers. It runs on any Windows system, and uses free data from government and university sources on the Internet.

Try out a copy!

You can download a fully functional program and use it for 30 days to test out its capabilities. If you like it, register and we will send key numbers to keep the program functional past the 30-day evaluation period. Registrations are processed manually and you will receive an email with instructions on how to obtain your key within 3 days of your order.
» Download Digital Atmosphere

Types of data supported

Digital Atmosphere imports and displays land synoptic (WMO FM 12 SYNOP), ship synoptic (WMO FM 13 SHIP), METAR (WMO FM 15 METAR), buoy (WMO FM 18 BUOY), upper air (WMO FM 35 TEMP), aircraft data report (ACARS) (WMO FM 42 AMDAR), NMC frontal depiction transmission format (ASUS1 KWBC), gridded binary (GRIB) (WMO FM 92-IX), NEXRAD Level III (ICD 2620001) WSR-88D NEXRAD format, Australian AXF comma-delimited observational data and similar formats, NHC Hurricane Warning bulletins, any weather agency's radar images available on the web (JPG or non-animated GIF; configuration may be required), and more!

Screen shots

Click any screen shot to enlarge.

Basic surface data can be plotted worldwide from METAR, SYNOP, and BUOY data.	Composite of surface data, radar reflectivity, and gridded wind.
The powerful radar import feature allows use of international radars, such as in Canada.	Digital Atmosphere not only imports Australian AXF data but also can use the legacy NMC/NCEP font.
Digital Atmosphere's SKEW-T's are suitable for the most demanding storm forecasting work.	Radar data can be plotted against detailed U.S. maps in the Professional Version.
Digital Atmosphere supports the European FLEETCODE bulletins.	Standardized planetary maps can be imported from many different sources on the Internet.
Plotting shapefiles is a breeze. Here, a shapefile for U.S. railroads is imported.	Digital Atmosphere allows color schemes to be changed readily.
Hurricane Charley as plotted against street-level TPC raster maps (Professional Version) in west central Florida. You can see exactly which communities are getting struck by the eyewall.	Hurricane Charley with streamlined METAR/BUOY wind fields. There is a slight position shift since the radar is minutes old while the surface data is about 20 minutes old.

Helpful links

Download

Screen shots

FAQ and support

Upgrade information (for existing users)

Online manual

Case Study (2000 heat wave)

Questions & Answers

What kind of raw data does Digital Atmosphere accept?

It uses almost every conceivable format established by the World Meteorological Organization. These include SYNOP, SAO, METAR, PILOT (TTAA/TTBB/PPBB), NIDS WSR-88D data, and more! All of this data is accessible for free (it's on the Internet and anyone can get it).

Where do I get the data?

It's taken care of for you! You just check off the kind of data you want on the Internet Retrieval panel and Digital Atmosphere will fetch it for you and import it for instant viewing. You can change or add new URL's at your discretion. You can also use great weather databases such as WSI and AccuData, and any canned (saved) data.

What kind of other cool stuff does Digital Atmosphere do?

Digital Atmosphere contains a scheduler for automatically retrieving and redisplaying maps every hour (copies can even be saved to disk). There is a fascinating climatology module that lets you display highs, lows, rainfall, etc for specific cities or plotted on your basemaps. Finally Digital Atmosphere is a great tool for creating basemaps that can be used in web sites, studies, and publications.

Why not just use premade weather maps I can already get off the Internet?

Nearly all Internet sites let you look at only live data. You're out of luck if you want to see the maps that led up to a significant weather event. With Digital Atmosphere you can load and view historical data any time you want!

What's the fun of using a map you didn't make? Maps online are often not quite perfect for the uses you intend. With Digital Atmosphere you have total control over the appearance -- you can specify your own contours, plot styles, and overlays.

You are totally at the mercy of online map sites. If they go down or stop receiving data (which is common from time to time), the maps also go down. With Digital Atmosphere you are not tied to one specific data source. You always have maps at your fingertips.

What's the difference between the Standard and Professional Version?

The Professional Version has four main differences:

Highly detailed raster basemaps for the United States at 4 different levels. It fills up an entire CD-ROM.

No serial and key validation -- our anti-pirating scheme is disabled so you never have to register your copy. Suitable for corporate use.

Unlimited analysis menus (the Standard version has a limit of 100 analysis menu entries)

What's this I hear about topographic maps?

Topography is an essential element of forecasting weather, and Digital Atmosphere features both topography and photoreal terrain.

What kind of system requirements are there?

All you need is a Windows computer (Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000) with at least 30 MB of disk space. That's it! Digital Atmosphere is also cleanly written and unlike a lot of software does not populate your system with dozens of nasty drivers, DLLs, and dependencies.

Who writes this program?

The software was written by Tim Vasquez, a former Air Force forecaster and veteran storm chaser. Digital Atmosphere enjoys a legion of grass-roots support because it is a clever software application written for professionals and amateurs alike.

Can I try it for free?

Of course! Our downloadable version is fully functional, and when you register there's nothing else to download or install. Simply scroll to the top of this page and use the DOWNLOAD link at the left.

What happens if I don't register?

Certain features in your evaluation version will stop working after 30 days. You will still be able to retrieve, import, and create maps, but certain features are disabled. These features are restored when you register the software and you get your key; you simply enter it in Help > Register. Your registration is appreciated; not only does it make your copy legitimate but it goes to pay the author's mortgage and groceries. Rest assured you aren't just feeding some corporate bank account.

How can I order? What's the cost?

Just go to the top of this page and look at the ADD TO CART links on the left-hand side. The cost is $89 for the Standard Version and $199 for the Professional Version.

What technical support is available?

Check out our contact page to reach us with comments and questions.

What other support options are there?

For general questions about Digital Atmosphere and other software, visit our online forum. Also read the informative Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list.

Corporate customers

Most of our users are amateurs, hobbyists, individuals, students, and retired meteorologists. However, our list of corporate users reads like a Who's Who of the industry. Digital Atmosphere finds its niche in an astounding cross section of the meteorological community! The users who have registered Digital Atmosphere during 2002 and 2003 alone include...

INDUSTRIAL - Perhaps the most popular use for our software is for power companies to research current and past weather data to determine energy loads, as well as to do day-to-day forecasting.
Salt River Project (Phoenix AZ);
Idaho Power Company (Boise ID)

UNIVERSITIES - Many instructors have found that Digital Atmosphere makes a powerful tool for recreating examples and case studies: a perfect thing since Internet maps perish in mere hours.
Northland College (Ashland WI);
University of North Dakota (Grand Forks ND);
SUNY Brockport (Brockport NY);
Univ of North Carolina (Asheville NC);
Emory University (Atlanta GA);
Mississippi State University (Starkville MS);
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (Yongin, South Korea);

GOVERNMENT - Digital Atmosphere has proven itself as a powerful utility for all kinds of forecasting and research work in the government sector.
National Weather Service (Hastings NE);
National Weather Service (Pendleton OR);
NOAA Air Resources Laboratory (Silver Spring MD);
Centro Meteorologico Regionale (Milano, Italy);
KNMI (De Bilt, Netherlands);
MeteoSwiss (Zurich, Switzerland);
Cyprus Meteorological Service (Lefkosia, Cyprus);
US Geological Survey / Water Resources of Indiana (Indianapolis IN)

RESEARCH - Digital Atmosphere is used to sift through historical datasets (including the sets we sell) and to examine current weather in closer detail.
Meteorological Institute (Munich, Germany);
Weizmann Institute of Science (Neteanya, Israel)

CONTRACTORS - The Digital Atmosphere software package makes a powerful add-on for all types of meteorological equipment.
UKWtechnik Electronic GmbH, Baiersdorf, Germany;
Mobile Weather Information Systems GmbH (Seewalchen, Austria);
Skycom Telecom Ltd (Newchapel, UK);
Zephyrus Communications (Tulsa OK);
Sea Scan International (Caledon East, Ontario)

PUBLIC FORECASTING - Private consulting firms find Digital Atmosphere to be an indispensable and flexible tool for all types of situations.
DTN Weather Services (Burnsville MN);
Meteorlogix (Burnsville MN);
The Weather Network (Mississauga, Ontario);
Meteo WVl (Koksijde, Belgium)
T-Storm Weather (Chicago, IL)

MILITARY - Digital Atmosphere's no-nonsense graphics, easy usability, and flexibility compared to corporate display systems makes it ideal for all types of planning and operational decisions.
US Air Force / Air and Space Operations (Pentagon, Washington DC);
3 ASOS (Air Force) (Eielson AFB AK);
US Navy NAVEURMETOCCEN (Souda Bay, Greece);
US Navy NAVPACMETOCCEN (Pearl Harbor HI);
US Navy NACPACMETOCCEN (Yokosuka, Japan);
Maritime Warfare Centre (HMNB Portsmouth, UK);
Naval Technical Training Unit (Keesler AFB MS)

AVIATION - Digital Atmosphere makes it easy to examine winds aloft and examine weather systems three-dimensionally.
Colt International (Houston TX);
ABX Air / Flight Operations (Wilmington OH)

MARINE - Using ship reports and buoy data, Digital Atmosphere helps fine-tune wind and wave forecasts that are only hinted at by models in data-sparse regions.
WNI Oceanroutes (Aberdeen, Scotland);
Fugro GEOS / Marine Weather Services (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates);
Oceans Limited (St Johns, Newfoundland)

TELEVISION - Digital Atmosphere makes an excellent backup for demanding forecasters, offering an excellent alternative to black-box weather display systems and inflexible, sometimes unreliable Internet graphics.
KIMT-TV (Mason City IA);
World Weather Productions (Cesson Sevigne, France)

SCHOOLS - The best way to inspire kids is to let them approach an interesting task just like the pros do. Some teachers choose to leave the textbooks and let kids do just that! Some such schools include...
Upper Dublin High School (Fort Washington PA);
Erik Ramstad Middle School (Minot, ND);
Woodward Academy (College Park, GA)

Quotes

It was a great pleasure to receive a new key for our very useful Wx Software Digital Atmosphere 2000. I am thankful to you. I am working with your Digital Atmosphere 2000 software here in Bangladesh Air Force.

Abul Hossain
Bangladesh

DA is really a great software, I cannot live without it! When will the next= major upgrade be made available?

Dennis Le Bihan
France

Thanks Tim for your quick response (we like that at FedEx) about our Professional Versions! As we're a 24/7 operation, we're look forward to augmenting our present weather system with Digital Atmosphere.

Mel Bradley, FedEx Operations
Memphis, Tennessee

The addition of NEXRAD radar has made this program valuable far beyond its price. Thanks for all the hard work.

Jerry Nieman
Lockwood, Missouri

The NEXRAD support is truly awesome and easy to use – and the ‘other’ feature just really tops it off. This is about my sixth email tonight – the other five being to other spotters in the area telling them they just have to download Digital Atmosphere and give it a serious going over.

David Cashion

I am very impressed with what you have done. I have already shown several people at work your site. I plan on talking to our MIC (Meteorologist In Charge) soon to see if we can get Digital Atmosphere in the office to complement/supplement AWIPS.

Ken Simosko, NWS
Pocatello, Idaho