WeatherBug Debuts HTML5 Mobile Lightning Widget for Developers at SXSW

Posted by admin on March 9th, 2013

AUSTIN, Texas & GERMANTOWN, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Just in time for severe weather season, WeatherBug
is unveiling its new Spark™
HTML5 Mobile Lightning Widget for app developers at South by
Southwest® (SXSW®), March 9-10 in Austin, Texas. Available at no cost to
all mobile app developers and designed for easy and quick integration
into existing apps, WeatherBug’s Spark Mobile Lightning Widget makes it
possible for developers to offer additional and potentially life-saving
features to mobile apps aimed at users who enjoy spending time outdoors.

“Until now, there has been no systematic way to get information on
lightning detected near you”

Anytime people are outdoors, weather matters — and keeping safe from
lightning, which can strike more than 10 miles out from a storm, is
critical. WeatherBug’s Spark HTML5 Mobile Lightning Widget is the only
product and mobile developer tool that reports the nearest lightning
strike, minute-by-minute and mile-by-mile, based on a user’s GPS
location on their smartphone. The new widget is based on Spark, an
exclusive feature coming soon to WeatherBug’s iPhone and Android apps.
Spark is the only mobile tool that can detect both
cloud-to-ground and in-cloud lightning and is made possible by
WeatherBug’s unique and proprietary Total
Lightning Network™ — the world’s largest network for detecting
lightning in the clouds and strikes that hit the ground.

TapTools LLC is the first developer integrating the Spark HTML5 Mobile
Lightning Widget. Taptools’ Trail Tracker GPS, a popular iPhone and iPad
app designed for outdoor enthusiasts for tracking their entire trip
whether biking, hiking, skiing, walking, running or even driving. Says
TapTools’ Founder, Eric Mitchell, “Our users love to be out on the trail
and on the road, and we’re integrating WeatherBug’s Spark Lightning
Detection to give people peace of mind and an added measure of safety.
With just a click within our app, they’ll know how far away lightning is
from their location to help stay out of harm’s way.”

“Until now, there has been no systematic way to get information on
lightning detected near you,” says Amena Ali, Chief Marketing Officer,
Earth Networks – WeatherBug. “We are thrilled to bring this innovative
capability not only to our own apps, but also to mobile developers in
the U.S. via our Spark Mobile Lightning Widget. Spark is a perfect fit
for apps used by outdoor enthusiasts, including runners, cyclists and
golfers, and even travelers. We’ve made our widget available for free
and designed our Spark API to work seamlessly into existing apps on iOS
and Android, so developers can give their on-the-go users this new and
important feature and increase the value of their apps at the same time.”

Spark is an ad-supported service that is free to developers and
partners. Developers can learn more and integrate Spark Lightning by
registering at http://weather.weatherbug.com/spark-alert/spark-develop.html
or emailing [email protected].

Follow WeatherBug on Twitter @WeatherBug
and Like Us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WeatherBug.

About Earth
Networks- WeatherBug

For 20 years, Earth Networks^SM has been Taking the Pulse of
the Planet with the world’s largest weather observation, lightning
detection, and greenhouse gas monitoring networks. The company’s popular
WeatherBug® website, desktop
application and mobile apps
for smartphones provide real-time neighborhood-level weather and
advanced severe weather alerts to millions of consumers. Enterprise
solutions from Earth Networks enable organizations and markets,
including energy and utilities, agriculture, schools, sports and
recreation, emergency operations and government entities, to safeguard
lives, prepare for weather and climate events and improve business
operations. Founded in 1993, Earth Networks (www.earthnetworks.com)
is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. area with locations in Mountain
View, Calif.; New York, NY; Milan, Italy and a local presence in 50
countries worldwide.