Mobile Weather Visualization Using Camera and Location Context
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing weather applications on mobile devices fail to provide specific, real-time weather information relevant to the user's location, often requiring users to interpret complex radar displays and lack necessary location-specific details.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device application that utilizes location-determining capabilities, a compass, and a camera to query a remote server for weather information within a predetermined radius, displaying relevant weather attributes and potential impacts visually.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If users view weather radar displays to obtain weather information, then they can see weather patterns and movements, but the information becomes complex and difficult to interpret
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a camera as an intermediary device between the user and the weather radar system. The camera captures images of weather events, which are then processed by image recognition algorithms to extract meaningful information. This intermediary approach translates complex radar data into visually intuitive image-based information, making weather patterns easier to interpret while preserving comprehensive weather data.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates visual copies of weather events through camera images. Instead of directly displaying abstract radar data, the system captures actual visual representations of weather phenomena (clouds, storms, precipitation) and uses these copies to convey weather information. This copying approach makes the information more relatable and easier to understand while maintaining accuracy.
2Loss of information
If weather applications provide comprehensive weather data, then users receive detailed weather information, but the application complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential and relevant weather information from comprehensive weather data. By using image recognition to identify specific weather features (cloud types, storm intensity, precipitation patterns), the system extracts meaningful information while discarding unnecessary complexity. This extraction approach maintains data completeness for critical weather events while simplifying the overall application structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs automated image recognition algorithms that independently process and interpret weather images without requiring complex user interaction. The application self-services by automatically capturing images, analyzing weather patterns, and presenting relevant information, thereby reducing the complexity burden on the user while maintaining comprehensive weather monitoring capabilities.
3Loss of information
If users rely on traditional weather alerts, then they receive weather notifications, but the alerts lack location-specific details
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously monitoring and capturing weather conditions in the user's specific location before traditional alerts are needed. The camera and image recognition system are pre-positioned to detect and analyze local weather events in real-time, so when weather changes occur, the information is already processed and ready for immediate display, eliminating the time delay associated with traditional alert systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by focusing weather monitoring on the user's specific location rather than providing generic regional weather data. The camera captures localized weather phenomena, and the image recognition system analyzes conditions specific to that particular area, delivering location-tailored weather information that addresses the unique weather patterns of the user's immediate environment.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention essentially comprises an application, software, system, method and combinations thereof that allow using a mobile phone's location-determining capabilities, compass, and camera, an application on the mobile device that can be used to display characteristics of weather within a predetermined distance from the mobile device by querying a remote server to gather information on the attributes about the weather within the predetermined radius of the device location.