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False Claims about WSV3 Debunked Thread

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:48 pm
by Paul
Having seen some misinformation be spread about the WSV3 product, either from Googling "WSV3" or people's messages to me, I found it useful to create this thread in which inaccurate information can be acknowledge, explained, and addressed. I'll keep this updated.

Re: False Claims about WSV3 Debunked Thread

Posted: Thu Dec 24, 2015 12:56 pm
by Paul
#1 - Bandwidth usage and price claims

This one came across when someone messaged it to me. The link is here.

Claim #1: WSV3 is a bandwidth-hog.

Response: This is an arbitrary statement, true or false depending on subjective interpretations. The verifiable fact is that WSV3 is massively less bandwidth-consumptive than GREarth, which downloads full resolution raster tiles for a host of zoom levels on the map. WSV3 uses, on the other hand, a special Amazon Web Services-backed cloud optimization server to redistribute small, 512x512 8-bit compressed raster data files that contain all tiles for all raster products. Most national radar frames are 250kb each. As it concerns Level 2 and 3 data, this is very standard and quite likely to be the same across products. However our optimized Level 2 refresh intervals, which reckon the most efficient update frequency given the user's display of tilt and product, are quite likely to beat the competitor in efficiency. Furthermore, the competing product does not (to my knowledge) use raw, compressed GRIB data for model and mesoanalysis layers like WSV3, but instead uses the bandwidth-heavy tiling system mentioned above.

Short response: use a tool like Wireshark to factually demonstrate WSV3's superior bandwidth efficiency over GREarth in the respective areas. Our faster loop loading speeds are plainly evident to the user even without any special analysis.

UPDATE (Mid/late 2016): While not overusing bandwidth, users noted that the optimization server connection component opened an sub-optimally plural number of HTTP connections and this has since been rectified by opting for a more efficient position on the tradeoff between a small and large number of HTTP worker threads.

Claim #2: WSV3 is $480.

Response: This is WSV3's retail price, however until 1/1 the release discount chops off $160 and reduces this to $320.

Re: False Claims about WSV3 Debunked Thread

Posted: Sun Dec 27, 2015 7:52 pm
by Paul
#2 - Severe misconceptions about WSV3 Basic advertising

Source (from Google): http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=27340.0

Claim #1: We claimed that WSV3 Basic has 95% the functionality of WSV3 Professional.

Response: Absolutely false.
This is a contortion of the true statement on the WSV3 Basic page, which states: "95% of what you see in this September announcement trailer" - a very different claim. The only things pictured in the trailer and not available in WSV3 Basic are the few shots of NEXRAD Level 2 data. We measured the seconds of visibility of these data, and divided by the seconds of WSV3 Basic available features, and found that 93% and a fraction of the video showed functionality available in WSV3 Basic. Rounded to the nearest 5%, this is 95% and is completely accurate and in an independently verifiable fashion.

Claim #2: "They say that the only thing missing from the Basic version is the NexRad Pro [sic] tab."

Response: Absolutely, categorically false. This false assertion has appeared nowhere in our publications, from Facebook posts/comments to website materials and individual emails. We never said this, thank you very much. See below.

Claim #3: Marketing of WSV3 Basic was "deceptive".

Response: It certainly wasn't. The clear, full, and exact enumeration of WSV3 Basic features had been listed on the Value Story page days before release: http://wsv3.com/valuestory.php Furthermore, this page was publicized well on our Facebook page prior to release.

(Seeming) Claim #4: FTP Uploading is still unfinished in WSV3 Professional.

Response: V1.3, posted on Christmas day, has added FTP uploading. The current version of WSV3 Professional is V1.4 as of 12/27/2015 and contains the automatic FTP uploading feature.

Claim #5: "As with Atmograph, you will not be able to upload your custom logo until you purchase the program."

Response: False on both accounts; trial is fully functional - identical to final, purchased version.

Re: False Claims about WSV3 Debunked Thread

Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 12:08 am
by Paul
#3 - Severe misconceptions about WSV3's NEXRADPro system

Source (from Google): http://www.wxforum.net/index.php?topic=27340.0

Claim #1: "I believe that radar data is still sent after a complete sweep so the radar sweep lines are fake, but more realistic than what you see on TV. Professional weather software shouldn't have radar sweep lines as it is just eye candy."


Response: Next to nothing is fake in WSV3 NEXRADPro, and a text indicator states the actual real-time delay between the newest pictured ray and the time it bounced back from the sky (often less than 7 seconds).
This doubting claim is to be expected, given how revolutionary our system is and the fact that nothing like it is available elsewhere for PC. The radar sweep line (called "Live sweep" in the UI) is our novel NEXRAD real-time beam prediction algorithm which extrapolates the real-time progress of the radar's volume scan and indicates tilt level, scan type, and angle on the UI up top:
RTBP.PNG
RTBP.PNG (36.96 KiB) Viewed 16289 times
This is not the same as the update beam, which you see when LiveScan pipes in the newest real-time data. This is a ~1.0 second long "fake" animation effect for introducing the newest live radial chunks of data. Since these newest rays are a few seconds behind real-time (usually under 10 and sometimes 5), this update beam will lag a little bit behind the true real-time beam above. You can also turn off the animation effect and get the full advancing in-progress newest chunks of data as they come in without waiting 1s for the pretty animation to see the newest ray.

In summary, WSV3's ability to display in-progress Level 2 radar data, not only before the end of the volume scan but even before the end of a pictured sweep (i.e., partial, in-progress sweeps), is exactly the novel ability which distinguishes it from other solutions. The Level 2 data has always been offered in real-time to enable this, and WSV3 is the first PC product to capitalize on this fact.

Nothing is fake about the Level 2 LiveScan feature, and if you don't believe us, pull up the competitor side-by-side and watch the very same L2 data appear in it 30-80 seconds later.

Re: False Claims about WSV3 Debunked Thread

Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:18 pm
by Paul
#4 - Anonymously confided emotional ridicule of WSV3 product, including slanderous and ascertainably false statements, on a private Facebook users' group for a competing product.

Claim #1: We refuse to add anything tropical to the system until next season.

Response: False. The beta patch posted very recently added a basic requested feature to filter products by selected storm. This criticism is a misinterpretation of an honest comment about the relative priority of current developments vs. when many of the desired tropical optimizations can be made. To say there has been outright refusal embodies an absolute, straightforward dishonesty.

Claim #2: WSV3 looks "cartoonish".

Response: This extraordinarily misunderstanding, ill-perceiving criticism denies the existence of WSV3's extensive visual customization options and instead contorts one of the software's most admired aspects (graphics and customization ability) into a negative instead of a positive. Furthermore, the advent of the new terrain rendering engine has given rise to professional-grade graphics with lighting, terrain shading, ocean rendering, imagery blending, and coastline fade effects - all of which are absolutely optional, heretofore unreleased outside of private, internal BETA versions, and extremely efficiently implemented. WSV3's look is entirely decided by the user.

Claim #3: There has been neglect of fixing/maintaining quality meteorological data in favor of developing "flashy"/"useless"/"cartoonish" effects.

This false perception, unsurprisingly an emotionally charged aspersion following from hurt feelings when the author's inappropriate antics on this forum were called out and corrected, entirely ignores the verifiable facts that the only new data issues during the terrain engine's development have been 1) severe watches, and 2) HRRR-based layers since the 8/23 NCEP change - and that both of them have been fixed in an emergency V3.3 patch posted to forums, as well as in the current internal testing BETAs.

Claim #4: Upon users reporting problems with the software, immature offense is taken rather than listening to the issue.

Response: The falsity of this laughably absurd accusation, quite fortunately, may be ascertained through the most cursory visit to the Troubleshooting forum, in which every handled issue report is treated with respect and seriousness. Hundreds of such exchanges occur on a regular basis, a testament to the highest standards of customer service and professionalism mandated in WSV3's mission. An array of users agree and have commented as such on the Testimonials page.

Claim #5: Concrete promises have been made about additions that have not been satisfied.

Response: Every concrete promise ever made has been meticulously fulfilled, and the extreme care to satisfy every verbal promise, even in the most informal contexts, is so severe that it has in the past delayed updates until every last bit of promised content has been delivered. We enthusiastically challenge the author of this baseless attack to substantiate one example to the contrary.

Claim #6: We said adding more METAR fields was impossible due to data limitations.

Response: False. We explained why it would likely be sub-optimal due to the lengthening of load times, and then requested feedback on the offered alternative solution. Instead, the individual neglected to follow through with constructive counter-feedback to a persuasive degree and circulated the aforementioned slanderous, false accusation above.

Claim #7: The new terrain engine consumes 10GB of data.

Response: This categorically, verifiably false statement unsurprisingly proceeds from the same verbally abusive parties to whom all credibility has been lost above. One may observe in the current beta release of this system that the entire global dataset consumes no more than 2.8GB, and that in no way does the software impose the necessity of pre-loading this entire quantity. Furthermore, this risible contortion of reality pertains to a private, closed beta system posted on the forums and never released to the public. Moreover, a general ignorance of the dimensions of mapping data accompanies this tragically dishonest attack, as the orthoimagery data employed both by WSV3 and rival programs may often exceed the referenced size in magnitude, and is in fact more intensive than the analogous datasets in our undeployed terrain system.

Claim #8: "WSV3 requires an expensive subscription."

Response: This slanderous falsehood assumes its recipients lack the intelligence to see plainly and incontrovertibly on the WSV3 website that all WSV3 products are offered without mandating a subscription as a one-time purchase option, and that this promising fact is energetically adopted in WSV3 marketing materials as a distinguishing factor.