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Met Office loses BBC contract


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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
9 minutes ago, crimsone said:

All true. I just have a soft spot for the met office. The world feels topsy turvy to me without them. :D:)

I can understand that but that's my concern, most of the arguments in here are put from a "rose tinted" and nostalgic perspective.

I work for a competitor of MeteoGroup, but I'll defend the usage of private companies providing forecasts for public bodies. Best off waiting and seeing what the result is...whenever MeteoGroup do take the reins!

Edited by Nick L
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Posted
  • Location: New Zealand
  • Location: New Zealand
1 hour ago, Nick L said:

I can understand that but that's my concern, most of the arguments in here are put from a "rose tinted" and nostalgic perspective.

I work for a competitor of MeteoGroup, but I'll defend the usage of private companies providing forecasts for public bodies. Best off waiting and seeing what the result is...whenever MeteoGroup do take the reins!

Perfectly fair, that.

This may actually be one of those rare instances where I might propose that a little competition might be a good thing...

... or at least would be if it wasn't an executive agency of the department of BEIS. It's not like it's going to get any more funding after all. :(

 

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Posted
  • Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
  • Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
12 hours ago, Summer Sun said:

Contract ends tonight but the met office will continue to provide the data until Meteogroup takeover

That seems odd. If the contract had ended, the Met Office should surely stop providing the data? Why would they supply something they are not getting paid for?

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington
1 hour ago, Paul_1978 said:

That seems odd. If the contract had ended, the Met Office should surely stop providing the data? Why would they supply something they are not getting paid for?

Maybe they are getting paid

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Posted
  • Location: Evesham/ Tewkesbury
  • Weather Preferences: Enjoy the weather, you can't take it with you 😎
  • Location: Evesham/ Tewkesbury

Well happy days for me ,glad to see the tired old met office go , I certainly embress a change they  have been in there position way too long , nothing wrong with change it can be a good thing:hi:

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Posted
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield
  • Weather Preferences: Any Extreme
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield

No change as yet.

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Posted
  • Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
  • Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
On 01/10/2017 at 09:52, Summer Sun said:

Maybe they are getting paid

And getting paid handsomely too I guess. 

I suspect if the Met Office are supplying forecast data in a non-contract situation then they are certainly charging an expensive rate.

After all on the face of it it would appear that the reason the change has not taken place yet is simply that Meteogroup are not ready. For what reason we don't know.....but it's not the Met Office's problem! :-) 

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Posted
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield
  • Weather Preferences: Any Extreme
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield

Sounds like the Beeb have chosen a service provider who can't provide. Perhaps they should have considered this during the tendering process.

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Posted
  • Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
  • Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Update from the Met Office on Twitter this afternoon to advise they have signed a new 6 month contract with the BBC to provide weather services until 31st March 2018, after which point they expect Meteogroup to take over.

It's taking some transitioning this isn't it!

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
16 minutes ago, Paul_1978 said:

Update from the Met Office on Twitter this afternoon to advise they have signed a new 6 month contract with the BBC to provide weather services until 31st March 2018, after which point they expect Meteogroup to take over.

It's taking some transitioning this isn't it!

Can you post the link? Trying and failing to find this tweet!

Never mind, found it!

Edited by Nick L
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Posted
  • Location: Manchester Deansgate.
  • Weather Preferences: Heavy disruptive snowfall.
  • Location: Manchester Deansgate.

I don't understand why it matters anyway, its like the bbc have ditched the Met Office but even if there were a better meteorological organisation then the shortfall in the Met Office 'profit' will be funded by the taxpayer anyway, all the data will still come from the met office, otherwise what model will the BBC use? The GFS for mid range and the arpeage / hirlam etc for daily forecasts???  HAHA, so its not like money will be saved as the government still cant cut the Met Office budget anyway, I'm all for saving taxpayers money but that's not the case here, if it aint broke then don't fix it.

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  • 3 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield
  • Weather Preferences: Any Extreme
  • Location: Sheffield South Yorkshire 160M Powering the Sheffield Shield

As far as I understand the data wasn't coming from the met office which is/possibly going to cause confusion as the weather warnings will be issued by the met office which probably won't match with the actual forecast. This may end up with the met office making a clean sweep of the weather service if this contract falls through.

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Posted
  • Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
  • Location: Wakefield, West Yorkshire
1 hour ago, The PIT said:

As far as I understand the data wasn't coming from the met office which is/possibly going to cause confusion as the weather warnings will be issued by the met office which probably won't match with the actual forecast. This may end up with the met office making a clean sweep of the weather service if this contract falls through.

There will be egg on faces somewhere if it does fall through. I must say it's taking an awful long time to transition. The announcement was made back in August 2016, and by the time the end of March 2018 comes along (end of current contract), then 19 months will have passed. Wonder why it's taking so long?

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  • 2 weeks later...
Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
3 hours ago, Summer Sun said:

BBC extends Met Office weather forecast contract

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-41878713

 This was announced a month ago :cc_confused:

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Posted
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: cold and snowy. Summer: hot and sunny
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)

Any risk here of the Beeb cancelling the MeteoGroup contract and sticking with the Met Office long term?

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  • 2 months later...
Posted
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: cold and snowy. Summer: hot and sunny
  • Location: Home: Chingford, London (NE). Work: London (C)

Looks like the switchover to MeteoGroup has now taken place: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/0

The BBC weather website has changed it's layout/graphics and it now says in association with MeteoGroup at the bottom. 

EDIT: I don't see any pressure maps on the new site, which is disappointing....

EDIT number 2: It looks like it's only showing the new site form a desktop at the moment. From my iPhone it's still the old site and says in association with the Met Office. 

One good new feature is you can scroll back over the last 24hrs and see the rainfall radar, temperature, cloud cover - basically all the weather that took place for the previous 24hrs. 

EDIT 3: I've found the pressure maps. You have to open the weather maps to full screen and then select it as an option. Shows the pressure bars but not cold, warm, occluded fronts etc.

Edited by danm
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Posted
  • Location: East Lothian
  • Weather Preferences: Not too hot, excitement of snow, a hoolie
  • Location: East Lothian
1 hour ago, danm said:

Looks like the switchover to MeteoGroup has now taken place: https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/0

The BBC weather website has changed it's layout/graphics and it now says in association with MeteoGroup at the bottom. 

EDIT: I don't see any pressure maps on the new site, which is disappointing....

EDIT number 2: It looks like it's only showing the new site form a desktop at the moment. From my iPhone it's still the old site and says in association with the Met Office. 

One good new feature is you can scroll back over the last 24hrs and see the rainfall radar, temperature, cloud cover - basically all the weather that took place for the previous 24hrs. 

EDIT 3: I've found the pressure maps. You have to open the weather maps to full screen and then select it as an option. Shows the pressure bars but not cold, warm, occluded fronts etc.

Wonder if it will look any different tonight on the telly? 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Darlington
  • Weather Preferences: Warm dry summers
  • Location: Darlington
12 minutes ago, Jo Farrow said:

Wonder if it will look any different tonight on the telly? 

 

TV graphics are changing in a few weeks if all goes to plan

Blog about all the changes here looks like they are phasing it all in ahead of the short-term met office extension ending in early spring

 

Edited by Summer Sun
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Posted
  • Location: East Lothian
  • Weather Preferences: Not too hot, excitement of snow, a hoolie
  • Location: East Lothian

Comments are hilarious. I was at BBC when the launched the new graphics, losing the symbols. Change causes outrage

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Posted
  • Location: Brighton (About 1 mile from the sea and at 89m above sea level)
  • Location: Brighton (About 1 mile from the sea and at 89m above sea level)

I note that one of the 'improvements' the BBC are offering is a new online 14 day forecast.  Having followed the models on websites like this for the last 20 years, and seen how inaccurate forecasting becomes beyond about 5 days, I think they're asking for trouble, as people will start complaining about poor forecasting.

 

 

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Posted
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
  • Weather Preferences: Winter: Cold & Snowy, Summer: Just not hot
  • Location: Cheddington, Buckinghamshire
22 minutes ago, SussexmarkyMark said:

I note that one of the 'improvements' the BBC are offering is a new online 14 day forecast.  Having followed the models on websites like this for the last 20 years, and seen how inaccurate forecasting becomes beyond about 5 days, I think they're asking for trouble, as people will start complaining about poor forecasting.

 

 

It's bad enough with people giving the whole "waaaahhh my app said it would rain at 14:06 today but it actually rained at 14:20" hysterics.

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Posted
  • Location: Brighton (About 1 mile from the sea and at 89m above sea level)
  • Location: Brighton (About 1 mile from the sea and at 89m above sea level)
21 minutes ago, Nick L said:

It's bad enough with people giving the whole "waaaahhh my app said it would rain at 14:06 today but it actually rained at 14:20" hysterics.

And apparently they are going to show hourly forecasts for 14 days hence.....

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