Windows PhoneCustomer Solution Case Study

Weather Data Provider Speeds Development by 20 Percent with Phone Technology

OverviewCountry or Region: United StatesIndustry: Media and entertainment

Customer ProfileWeatherBug, a brand of Earth Networks, manages and operates a global weather network. It has 150 employees and is located in Germantown, Maryland.

Business SituationThe WeatherBug strategy is to expand its services to include every popular delivery channel, especially mobile platforms, and to be quick to market in those channels.

SolutionWeatherBug revealed its app for Windows Phone 7 at the Windows Phone release. To do so, it used familiar tools, code reuse, an innovative interface, and its relationship with Microsoft.

Benefits Reduces time for controls

development by 20 percent Enables code reuse to speed future

development Provides innovative, engaging way to

deliver information Delivers early insight into Microsoft

plans

“The user interface of Windows Phone 7 is definitely unique and fun to use. Being on Windows Phone 7, and taking advantage of its Metro user interface, gives our app those same qualities.”

Christopher Sloop, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Earth Networks—WeatherBug

WeatherBug knows that a key to success in providing weather services is to provide those services where, when, and how users want to interact with them. Weather information must be available across platforms including desktop, web, and mobile. With the then-forthcoming release of Windows Phone 7 in 2010, WeatherBug saw an opportunity not only to expand into an important mobile phone platform, but to demonstrate its focus on innovation by being among the first on that platform. It sped time-to-market by more than 20 percent, thanks to familiar Microsoft tools, the ability to reuse Microsoft Silverlight 4 controls, and a relationship with Microsoft that provided early insight into the evolving phone technology. By taking advantage of the distinctive Windows Phone 7 interface, WeatherBug delivered a highly engaging app that has been ranked among the top three for Windows Phones.

SituationAn old saying has it that “everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” Nobody but WeatherBug, perhaps.

WeatherBug, a brand of Earth Networks, provides weather information to more than 40 million users each month. It provides weather information services to both consumers and businesses, to broadcast and other media outlets, and to governments and schools. WeatherBug may not be able to control the weather, but it’s doing quite a bit when it comes to disseminating and presenting weather information.

One of the keys to the brand’s growth, and to its highly visible presence in an intensely competitive market for weather information services, has been its innovative development of a proprietary network of 8,000 weather observation stations across the United States, including installations at schools, sports stadiums, residential neighborhoods, and fire and police stations. WeatherBug doesn’t limit its weather reporting to the local airport. The company also provides worldwide weather services through its use of 35,000 World Meteorological Organization reporting stations.

Another key to its growth has been its focus on using as many delivery channels as possible. Originally focused on providing its services through a downloadable desktop application, it then expanded to provide web-based services and, more recently, support for mobile platforms. A corollary to this approach has been its determination not only to offer applications

on a broad range of platforms but also to be first, or among the first, to adopt new delivery channels as they become available, and to use them in innovative ways.“Given the highly competitive nature of the weather space, it’s not enough to support the platforms you’re already on and hope more people will discover you,” says Chris Sloop, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Earth Networks—WeatherBug. “Part of staying ahead of the competition is continually finding new ways to bring customers to you. It’s particularly crucial to bring innovative applications to new platforms as early as possible, especially new platforms that are likely to be highly popular.”

That strategy led WeatherBug to enter the mobile market early—as early as 2003, when it debuted its first website for mobile phones based on the first Wireless Application Protocol standard, popularly known as WAP 1.0. WeatherBug introduced its first Java-based mobile application in 2006. It was also quick to support iPhone, Droid, and Windows Mobile devices.

“The mobile market is highly important to us,” says Sloop. “It’s certainly one of the highest growth markets we see, greater even than the web. This is especially true when you look at the fastest-growing market demographic for our services—millennials and other relatively younger consumers. If you want to reach them, you have to be big in mobile services. And you have to be everywhere they are.”

SolutionWith the need “to be everywhere” in the mobile market, combined with the need to add support for new mobile platforms as

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“Given the highly competitive nature of the weather space, it’s not enough to support the platforms you’re already on and hope more people will discover you.”

Chris Sloop, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer,

Earth Networks—WeatherBug

early as possible, WeatherBug in 2010 saw the release of Windows Phone 7 as a market opportunity they could not afford to miss.

WeatherBug had already developed a successful mobile application for Windows

Mobile 6.1 and 6.5—however, Windows Phone 7 was a new platform with a new user interface. Typically, that would mean WeatherBug would have to spend the time to train its developers in an entirely new operating system and new hardware, and then spend more time to create new application code from the beginning.

That wasn’t the case with its app for Windows Phone 7. The developers had a significant advantage when it came to creating code. The code they had already

written for the current WeatherBug web application was directly transferrable to the app for Windows Phone 7, courtesy of their common use of Microsoft Silverlight 4 technology. Silverlight is a development platform for creating engaging, interactive applications for many screens across web, desktop, and mobile devices—and, in this case, for using existing Silverlight controls from the WeatherBug web application in its app for Windows Phone 7.One of the key controls that WeatherBug reused was its Bing Maps control. WeatherBug uses Bing Maps as the foundation for its visual presentation of data of the United States and around the world. To the views provided by Bing Maps—such as aerial, road-based, and hybrid geographic views—WeatherBug adds an overlay showing any user-specified combination of information on Doppler radar, infrared satellite, temperature, wind speeds, wind chill, lightning strikes, hurricanes, drought, flu activity, allergens, and more.

Existing controls weren’t the only familiar technology elements that WeatherBug used to develop its app for Windows Phone 7. WeatherBug developers also used the same Microsoft tools they were already well-acquainted with, including Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate and Microsoft Expression 4.

WeatherBug developers say they were impressed by the distinctive Windows Phone 7 user interface, based on the Windows Phone design system codenamed Metro. They made a point to take advantage of it in designing their app. That can be seen right away in the brand’s use of dynamic or Live Tiles, which give users

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Figure 1: The WeatherBug app uses a Windows Phone 7 Live Tile to provide at-a-glance information on a user’s startup screen. Choosing the app delivers more detail.

an at-a-glance localized weather report whenever they turn on their phones, even before they go to the WeatherBug app. When a severe weather advisory is in effect, the advisory is also presented dynamically in the Tile, as well as through a toast notification that appears no matter what app is showing. Choosing the WeatherBug Live Tile produces more-detailed data on current and forecasted weather (see Figure 1).

Users flick their fingers to move through the app itself, which takes advantage of the

Metro user interface’s panoramic view. The app presents information using the interface design’s hallmark combination of both icons and text, for example, in presenting short-term and long-term forecasts (see Figure 2).

For those who want to see the weather for themselves, the WeatherBug app uses Bing Maps with a proprietary weather overlay to show, for example, a region’s Doppler radar. Using live webcam views, users can evaluate weather conditions on their own (see Figure 3).

BenefitsWeatherBug has met its goal of being among the first to create an innovative app for Windows Phone 7. It did so by using Microsoft technologies—and its relationship with Microsoft—to streamline and expedite time-to-market. WeatherBug is already using the fruits of its development for Windows Phone 7 to enhance its existing web application, and it envisions using its phone development to speed future projects, too.

Reduces Time for Development by More Than 20 PercentWeatherBug wanted to participate in the first wave of apps for Windows Phone 7, which were released along with the debut of Windows Phone in the fall of 2010. That goal required a development process that was as streamlined as possible. WeatherBug achieved that goal with Windows Phone 7.

The use of familiar, and highly effective, Microsoft tools—especially Visual Studio 2010 and Expression Blend 4, a component of Microsoft Expression 4—was a big factor contributing to fast time-to-market. For example, developers didn’t need to spend time—generally several weeks—learning a new programming language and toolset.

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Figure 2: The WeatherBug app uses a distinctive combination of icons and text—a hallmark of Metro user interface design—to present data.

“The Windows Phone 7 platform makes complex GUI [graphical user interface] creation a breeze,” says Alex Nichol, Senior Software Engineer at Earth Networks—WeatherBug. “The Expression Blend environment creates a first-class WYSIWYG [what you see is what you get] experience where you can easily create your data model, bind it to your controls, and use the Expression Blend tools to create rich animation and transitions. The availability of existing toolsets and their ease of use dramatically reduced our development time, saving us about 20 percent—or three weeks—compared to the development time needed for other mobile platforms.”

In addition to the time saved through the use of a familiar language and tools is the time saved by reusing existing Silverlight controls, such as the Bing Maps control. Sloop, CTO at Earth Networks—

WeatherBug, estimates that his team saved two weeks in development through the reuse of that one control, about 10 percent of the time it would have taken to fully recreate the control.

Out-of-the-box features for Windows Phone 7, such as Tiles, also contributed to faster development—and to the effectiveness of the app. “Tiles didn’t just make it easy to present information, they also made it easy to keep that information front and center with the user,” says Sloop. “We spent a lot of development time trying to do the same thing for other platforms. That’s definitely an advantage of using Windows Phone 7.”

Enables Code Reuse to Speed Future DevelopmentOf perhaps greater value to WeatherBug than the time saved on its Windows Phone 7 app development is the long-term impact of that development, and of technologies including Silverlight, on future applications from WeatherBug. For example, WeatherBug has already used Silverlight controls that it created for its app for Windows Phone 7 to update its existing web application, and expects to use its Silverlight code in the next version of its desktop application.

Sloop envisions reusing Silverlight controls to enhance the company’s professional applications, too, such as its web application for Canadian farmers, at www.weatherfarm.com. He also foresees the possibility of reusing existing code for development on future Microsoft technologies.

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Another way that Windows Phone 7 and Silverlight are changing development at WeatherBug is in the way that developers are assigned to projects. “It’s not just that we can use the same Silverlight code from the phone to other platforms—we can also use the same developers,” says Sloop. “Now, the developers for Windows Phone 7 can also work on really cool apps for the web. That saves time in not having to relearn a new programming language, and it gives us the flexibility to put developers on projects based on where we need them, not on what they’re trained to do.”

Provides Innovative, Engaging Way to Deliver InformationSloop sees another, more basic benefit to WeatherBug being among the first supporters of Windows Phone 7. “The user interface of Windows Phone 7 is definitely unique and fun to use,” he says. “Being on Windows Phone 7, and taking advantage of its Metro user interface, gives our app those same qualities. And being among the first to use the platform shows that we’re innovative in adopting these qualities for the sake of our consumers.”

One aspect of the Windows Phone interface that Sloop finds particularly striking is its use of both icons and text. “Weather information is by nature icon-driven—we have icons for current conditions, forecasts, maps, and so on,” he says. “With Windows Phone 7, we have the ability to integrate icons and text to present information in an extremely useful way. It’s a unique way for people to get their weather information via a mobile phone, and it creates a more engaging environment.”

The website www.zdnet.com seems to agree. A blog column on the site ranked WeatherBug among the top three apps for Windows Phone 7, citing in particular its innovative use of the custom Tile capability.

Delivers Early Insight into Microsoft PlansAccording to Sloop, yet another advantage to developing for Windows Phone 7 is the multifaceted relationship that WeatherBug enjoys with Microsoft. He cites the Microsoft development evangelists assigned to WeatherBug who contact him regularly to provide advance information on relevant developments at the company, introduce him to business and technical contacts, and help with technical information to solve development challenges as they occur.

He also points to invitations to participate in technology adoption programs that give WeatherBug a very early look at the latest technology and a running start in adopting that technology. He also appreciates invitations to participate in marketing events—such as the premiere app showcase for Windows Phone 7.

“We get various kinds and levels of support from Microsoft,” says Sloop. “But perhaps the greatest value of the relationship is the early insight it provides into what’s going on at Microsoft—and what will be going on. It lets us prepare, to get our people ready to work as soon as toolkits become available.”

The quality and extent of the Microsoft relationship isn’t something that Sloop sees from all providers of phone operating systems and platforms. “The support we

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Figure 3: WeatherBug combines Bing Maps with proprietary overlays to deliver views such as Doppler radar (left). Using live webcam feeds, users can see the weather for themselves.

“The support we get from Microsoft is at a consistently high level; they really want us to succeed.”

Chris Sloop, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer

Earth Networks—WeatherBug

get from Microsoft is at a consistently high level; they really want us to succeed,” he says. “The Microsoft relationship stands out.” Windows PhoneWindows Phone 7 is a different kind of phone, designed to bring together what you care about most—easier and faster. It delivers captivating phone experiences across work and play, enables productivity without compromise through Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office Mobile, and provides a platform for compelling applications that can work across the phone, web, and PC.

For more information on Windows Phone 7, go to: www.windowsphone.com

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For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about WeatherBug services, call (301) 250-4000 or visit the website at:www.weatherbug.com

This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.

Document published March 2011

Software and Services Windows Phone 7 Microsoft Expression Blend 4

Microsoft Visual Studio− Microsoft Visual Studio 2010