U Wisconsin-Madison Signs with Weather Service To Monitor for Games

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 10/20/08

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has implemented DTN/Meteorlogix MxVision WeatherSentry Online Turf Edition for Sports and Recreation. The university will rely on the service to provide real-time weather and lightning information. The service helps athletic facility management professionals and game officials monitor and track potentially hazardous weather conditions such as severe thunderstorms and lightning for multiple locations. Using DTN Lightning Manager university personnel can set a 60-mile alert radius and monitor lightning strikes in real-time. If lightning strikes within a preset radius, an alert is sent to university staff, allowing game officials to take precautions.

Users can access location-specific weather updates through a standard PC or mobile device. With a mobile version of the service, staff can receive notifications sent to their cell phones.

In addition to monitoring severe weather conditions, WeatherSentry provides precipitation forecasting to help university staff curb costs by pinpointing the best time to apply chemicals to game turf.

DePaul University in Chicago and St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia also have recently implemented MxVision's services.

In 2008, a 12-month, third-party study by ForecastWatch.com found DTN/Meteorlogix precipitation forecasts outperformed all others in the industry--and had a 40 percent greater accuracy than forecasts from the National Weather Service.