ColorGraphics Weather Systems: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:34, 14 December 2008

Revision as of 05:58, 14 December 2008

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After graduating from the [[University of Wisconsin-Madison]] in 1971 with a degree in [[meteorology]], Terry Kelly took a job with [[Madison, Wisconsin]], television station Channel 27 calculating weather predictions. Over the next two years he introduced a number of new techniques to the industry, including using magnets to represent high and low points, color markers on a whiteboard for graphics, and later hand-photographing satellite cloud imagery with a Bolex camera to produce the first cloud-movement animations.<ref name=p306>Nelson, pg. 306</ref><ref name=mad>Robert Chappell, [http://www.madisonmagazine.com/article.php?section_id=918&xstate=view_story&story_id=194192 "The Liberal Media"], ''Madison Magazine'', March 2005</ref>

Kelly and several of his collegescolleagues also produced [[weather forecasting]] [[software]]. In 1974 he was promoted to chief meteorologist at Channel 27,<ref name=mad/> and at the same time started Weather Central to sell and operate their software for smaller organizations such as ski resorts and local highway departments.<ref name=p306/>

ColorGraphics was formed in 1979 as a partnership between Kelly and Richard Daly. Kelly and Daly had both worked in the [[University of Wisconsin]]'s Space Science and Engineering department, developers of the [[PDP-11]]-based "McIdas" (Man-Computer Interactive Data Access System) weather display system. McIdas used downloaded satellite cloud cover images and superimposed them on locally generated maps. Designed for the [[National Weather Service]], McIdas was a high-end system well beyond the budget of a television station.<ref>Nelson, pg. 302</ref>