Product Review: Seasonality Core (Mac Users)
I have been slowly acquiring more apps for my I-Mac now that I have the space and power to run more robust software. I happened to stumble across "Seasonality Core" recently. For $9.99 it seemed worth investigating.
Basics
The software offers an all in one package for: general and detailed forecasting; current weather information for specific locations based off ICAO weather stations; astrological information; and radar and satellite overlays.
Review
I have only been using the program for a few days but thus far I am extremely impressed. It has been great to own a program that does so much and not have to visit 2-3 different websites. The satellite feature is brilliant and easy to use. It provides a static image from the most recent capture as well as the option to animate the desired timeframe. The zoom quality is limited but there isn't much need on my end (rafting, canyoneering or backpacking) to see much specific detail.
The astrological feature is also great. It provides both text information regarding sun and moon times as well as a visual graph, including moon phase.
The setup includes a basic visual presentation of a 7 day forecast with commonly used symbols. The detail graphs below are interactive and include past and future information. The interface is easy to read, analyze and interact with. I own a Mac Trackpad which allows me to move rapidly through the interface with simple gestures. There are enough details in graphs to pick out the more detailed information for future forecasts.
Location information is chosen from existing coordinates or custom input. It helps to read the data carefully to decide what cities should be chosen; many inputs in Southern Utah rely upon the same ICAO weather stations. This can be misleading at first but still can be useful. The current weather for such locations will be based on the weather station but forecasts will specialized the altitude and geography of the custom location. The plethora of locations allows for a quick and painless read of current conditions across an interested area (I focus on the region bounded between Cedar, Moab, Bluff and Page right now).
I haven't had the chance to see it but evidently the satellite feature updates the ground image on a regular basis. This allows one to see the seasonal snow changes on the ground. May not be current to the day but could help with regional travel plans in the autumn and spring.
On the dorky side, there is a journal that allows the user to record on the ground, observed information. Seems helpful for those who recreate outdoors a lot (fishing, canyoneering, rafting, etc) who want to remember and store long term observations. Easy to remember what it was like last October that way.
Overall, the program is extremely convenient and rather eloquent. I would recommend anyone with a Mac check it out.
Phillip
