New BBC Weather Graphics
My previous article was about the old BBC graphics systems which I knew something about. Now we move onto the new, which was introduced shortly after I was forced to retire. One thing that is common to both the new and the old is the way the studio operates, which is a unique BBC system introduced in 1985 and was so revolutionary at the time that it is still in use today and is the envy of many Weather Presenters throughout the world.
Nearly all the broadcasts are live and unscripted and, unlike many organisations, are produced and broadcast by just one person. Indeed it was once estimated that a BBC forecast costs £25 per broadcast whereas some others, with a large team of backroom staff, cost £1250!
In the studio the forecaster switches on the lights and puts in an ear piece so that they can listen to the programme before their broadcast and to any instructions from the director in the network control room (even during the broadcast when the language can get quite blue!!). He also puts on his microphones.
The TV studios, of which there are two (and one for training) are designed for digital broadcasting and widescreen technology, incorporate a device which, at the touch of a button, adjusts the height of the camera, lighting configuration and microphone level to suit each of the presenters individually.
The forecaster stands in front of a translucent screen on which is projected a faint image of the graphics. This gives the forecaster an idea of where to point. The back of the screen is flooded with blue light and an electronic system know as ‘Chromakey’ causes any area where the camera detects blue to be replaced by computer graphics, called up in sequence by the forecaster.
The graphics are started and stopped by means of a hand held button. There is also a backup system operated by a foot switch, so all in all a forecaster needs at least 5 brains to keep up with the various actions and instructions!!
The forecasters are equipped with computer-based weather information displays linked directly to the super-computers at Met Office HQ in Exeter. These powerful computer forecast models take in data from around the world and then simulate the world’s atmosphere mathematically to predict what is going to happen (more detail in a subsequent article). The forecasters interpret and tweak the forecast products using their skills and experience in meteorology in consultation with the Met Office chief forecasters. The same data is also processed by the ‘Weatherscape XT’ graphics system, which creates the graphics as seen on television, broadband and the website. It also produces ‘real time’ satellite images from every continent and radar images of the UK.
The state-of-the-art graphics system uses virtual reality technology to present constantly updated weather data. It allows forecasters to put together a sequence of charts and other graphics which give the audience the clearest weather forecast. The graphics can include animated or still images, video clips, live weather cameras, text charts and the presenter can be in or out of vision.
Although the British Isles is shown as parched brown (a sign of things to come with Global Warming!) the system is said to resemble a 3D flying game with rain seemingly falling from clouds which cast a shadow on the ground.
The system is PC based and requires a couple of dual Xeon servers for the database. Broadcasters terminals are simply PC’s with high-end, though off the shelf, graphics cards in them.
The system devised by the New Zealand firm Metra is also in use on Australia’s Nine Network, CNBC in Europe, Asia, Dubai and Turkey, as well as TV stations in Ireland, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
For the geeks!!! Inside the servers are Dual 3.06Hz Xeon Processors (533MHz FSB/1MB cache), 2 GB Dual Channel DDR 266MHz ECC SDRAM, 2 SCSI 73GB (15,000rpm) hard drives, Ultra 320/M SCSI Controller card, NVidia FX6800 Ultra 256MB graphics card. So there you have been told!!!!
