Capturing a great sunset comes down to being at the right place at the right time. Where to look is a given, but knowing when is where it gets complicated. A vivid sunset can be just that only for a brief period of time when everything comes together perfectly. Jacob DeFlitch is one of the founders of SunsetWx and has taken his passion for photographing great sunrises and sunsets and turned it into a business. SunsetWx.com provides forecast graphics for sunrise and sunset quality across the globe. With plans to expend into the mobile phone market along with clients in local and national news, chances are you will be seeing more and more of SunsetWx. One of our meteorologists had a chance to talk to DeFlitch about how SunsetWx got to where it is today, and where it will be tomorrow.
Weatherboy:
Who started it and how long have you been providing sunset/sunrise forecast graphics?
DeFlitch:
The Co-Founders are myself, Ben Reppert, and Steve Hallett. While an undergraduate at Pennsylvania State University, I worked as a photographer for the University. During this time, I captured moments across campus, focusing on sunrise and sunset times. However, despite the time spent driving …(and) getting to the position, the sky did not play out as I had expected with regards to a colorful sky. This is how the idea of SunsetWx.com came to fruition. I reached out to Ben Reppert, who usually joined as I captured photos, and he thought it was a great idea. Steve Hallett joined the crew for the creation of the algorithm and his well-known computer programming skills at PSU. Justin Lowery joined later in 2016, as a developer. He is the brains behind our API and further developments. We have been providing TV graphics for approximately a year. I reached out to Penn State alums in the broadcast network in early January of 2016.
Weatherboy:
What was your inspiration to cover only sunrises and sunsets?
DeFlitch:
The original inspiration for SunsetWx was from my work with photography. However, further inspiration spurred from my interest in social sciences. In meteorology, we often present the public the general information regarding temperature, wind speed, precipitation… the goal with SunsetWx is to provide the public with a unique weather variable, and one they can enjoy. Sunsets and sunrises do just that.
Weatherboy:
How does someone interpret the sunrise and sunset quality from your graphics?
DeFlitch:
The sunset and sunrise graphics have color bars located vertically along the right-side of the forecast. On both sunrises and sunsets, the warmer colors denote a better sunrise or sunset.
Weatherboy:
How do you determine and predict the quality of sunset and rise?
DeFlitch:
The model itself takes primary elements into account: moisture, pressure, and cloud cover. Using our knowledge of the atmosphere, we started with a basic idea of what variables are important, and their relative importance to one another. There are additional variables that are considered, however, due to the algorithm being proprietary, they will not be released.
Weatherboy:
Do you use weather model data available to everyone?
DeFlitch:
Yes, we ingest data from both the NAM and GFS run by NOAA. This data is then pulled into our algorithm and, ultimately, creates the daily sunrise and sunset prediction we distribute.
Weatherboy:
Do you change the quality index during the year/location?
DeFlitch:
The quality index remains constant through the year at every location.
Weatherboy:
What type of feedback have you received? Do you use that to verify and improve your forecast methods?
DeFlitch:
The majority of feedback we have received regarding the accuracy of our forecasts has been extremely positive. Daily we receive sunrise and sunset photos on both Twitter & Facebook to help verify our forecasts for that day. Furthermore, we also receive feedback regarding adjustments with the communication of our sunrise and sunset forecasts.
Weatherboy:
Aside from the general graphic that you can find on your webpage, is there a more detailed you provide to clients?
DeFlitch:
We provide our television clients with a localized graphic for their coverage area. This graphic provided updates daily for both sunrise and sunset predictions. The broadcast meteorologists then overlay their station’s banner, cities, and counties for presentation to the public.
Weatherboy:
Is this something you hope to improve on and provide for a fee?
DeFlitch:
We’re currently working on a mobile app which will debut this year that will provide the public with a more localized forecast directly to the user’s phone.
Weatherboy:
Are you planning on ever introducing other new weather products that might be of interest to photographers? Perhaps forecasts for fog, wind, or rainbows?
DeFlitch:
At the moment, we’re working towards improvements and additions to SunsetWx, including the creation of our mobile application. However, we have received several requests regarding expansion to rainbows and astronomy forecasts and we are keeping this in the back of our mind the future.
