Page visit of World Weather Information Service website sets new record
The World Weather Information Service (WWIS) website (http://worldweather.wmo.int/) has become increasingly popular since its operation in 2001 and the cumulative page visits has reached almost 800 million. In recent years, its access rate has set new records every year. With the launch of the brand-new WWIS future version in early 2010, the total page visits from January to June reach a record high of over 70 million, an average of more than 10 million per month.
The WWIS website was developed by the Hong Kong Observatory on behalf of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It aims to provide authoritative and reliable weather information of National Meteorological Services around the world to all internet users. At present, 124 WMO Members provide official weather forecasts covering more than 1,300 cities on the website.
The WWIS future version website launched this year is to meet the public's need in a modern age. This version of WWIS is Google Earth enabled. It allows users to freely move around a virtual globe by changing the viewing angle and position. It features a quick search function and a versatile "fly-over" function to any part of the world for easy access of the required weather information. This future version is being showcased in the MeteoWorld Pavillion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 until October 2010.
