System and method for providing personalized weather reports and the like
View Patent ↗A system and method for generating weather reports and the like which are precisely computed automatically for a particular individual user's geographic location and which are provided automatically to the individual user. A user establishes an individualized user profile in which the user defines a particular location of interest, a contact address, and optionally, a personalized activity weather condition profile. A detailed and accurate weather forecasting model is run to provide high geographic and temporal resolution forecast data. The high resolution forecast data is compared to the individual user profile and a personalized weather report for the particular location, times, and conditions of interest are provided automatically to the individual, e.g., via e-mail and/or at a personalized internet web page. A detailed weather forecast report may be provided in an easily readable tabular form, with notable weather conditions, e.g., daily high and low temperatures, highlighted.
1. A method for generating a personalized weather report, comprising the steps of:
(a) establishing a user profile including a user defined location of interest;
(b) providing a personalized internet web page address to a user;
(c) generating forecast weather condition data for an area including the location of interest;
(d) generating a personalized weather forecast and weather report of forecast weather conditions at the location of interest automatically from the user profile and the forecast weather condition data; and
(e) providing the weather report so as to be accessible at the personalized Internet web page address.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of establishing a user profile includes the step of providing a user profile set-up menu user interface.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of establishing a user profile includes the step of establishing a user contact address.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of providing the personalized internet web page address to a user includes the step of providing the personalized internet web page address to the user contact address.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the user contact address is an e-mail address and wherein the step of providing the personalized internet web page address to a user includes the step of providing the personalized internet web page address in an e-mail message provided to the e-mail address.
6. The method of claim 3 comprising additionally the step of providing the weather report to the user contact address.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the user contact address is an e-mail address, the step of generating the weather report includes the step of generating a weather report e-mail message, and the step of providing the weather report to the user contact address includes the step of sending the weather report e-mail message to the user contact e-mail address.
8. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of generating the weather report e-mail message includes the step of providing a link to the personalized internet web page address in the weather report e-mail message.
9. The method of claim 7 wherein the step of generating the weather report includes the step of generating a summary weather report e-mail message providing a less detailed report of forecast weather conditions than the personalized weather report of forecast weather conditions provided so as to be accessible at the personalized Internet web page address.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of generating forecast weather condition data includes the step of running a weather forecast model to generate weather forecast model data for an area including the location of interest.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of generating a personalized weather forecast of weather conditions includes the step of extrapolating weather conditions for the location of interest from the weather forecast model data.
12. A personalized weather report generating system, comprising:
(a) user profile generator means for generating a user profile including a user defined location of interest and a personalized internet web page address;
(b) means for providing the personalized internet web page address to a user;
(c) weather forecast model data generator means for generating weather forecast model data for an area including the location of interest;
(d) weather report generator means for generating a personalized weather forecast and a weather report of forecast weather conditions at the location of interest automatically from the user profile and the weather forecast model data and providing the weather report so as to be accessible at the personalized Internet web page address.
13. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 12 wherein the user profile generator means, the weather forecast model data generator means, and the weather report generator means are implemented in at least one general purpose computer.
14. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 12 wherein the user profile generator means includes means for generating a user profile set-up menu user interface and for providing the user profile set-up menu user interface to a user.
15. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 12 wherein the means for providing the personalized internet web page address to a user includes means for providing the personalized internet web page address to a user contact address.
16. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 15 wherein the user contact address is an e-mail address and the means for providing the personalized internet web page address to a user includes means for providing the personalized internet web page address in an e-mail message provided to the e-mail address.
17. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 12 comprising additionally means for providing the weather report to a user contact address.
18. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 17 wherein the user contact address is an e-mail address and the means for providing the weather report to the user contact address includes means for generating a weather report e-mail message and means for providing the weather report e-mail message to the user contact e-mail address.
19. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 18 wherein the means for generating the weather report e-mail message includes means for providing a link to the personalized internet web page address in the weather report e-mail message.
20. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 18 wherein the weather report generator means includes means for generating a summary weather report e-mail message providing a less detailed report of forecast weather conditions than the personalized weather report of forecast weather conditions provided so as to be accessible at the personalized Internet web page address.
21. A method of generating a personalized weather report, comprising the steps of:
(a) establishing a user profile including a user defined location of interest;
(b) generating forecast weather condition data for an area including the location of interest; and
(c) generating a personalized weather forecast and weather report of forecast weather conditions at the location of interest automatically from the user profile and the forecast weather condition data, wherein the weather report of forecast weather conditions includes a tabular representation of a plurality of forecast weather conditions including forecast temperature conditions for at least each hour throughout a day, and wherein a daily forecast high temperature condition and a daily forecast low temperature condition in the tabular representation of forecast weather conditions is highlighted.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of generating a personalized weather forecast and weather report of forecast weather conditions includes the step of generating a tabular representation of a plurality of forecast weather conditions for at least each hour throughout a day, and wherein selected ones of the plurality of forecast weather conditions are presented in graphical form in the tabular representation.
23. The method of claim 21 wherein the daily forecast high temperature condition and daily forecast low temperature condition in the tabular representation of forecast weather conditions is highlighted by color.
24. The method of claim 21 wherein the daily forecast high temperature condition and daily forecast low temperature condition in the tabular representation of forecast weather conditions is highlighted by size.
25. The method of claim 21 comprising additionally the step of providing the weather report to a user.
26. The method of claim 25 comprising additionally the step of providing a personalized internet web page address to a user and wherein the step of providing the weather report to the user includes the step of providing the weather report so as to be accessible at the personalized internet web page address.
27. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of generating a forecast of weather condition data includes the step of running a weather forecast model to generate weather forecast model data for an area including the location of interest.
28. A personalized weather report generating system, comprising:
(a) user profile generator means for generating a user profile including a user defined location of interest;
(b) a weather forecast model data generator means for generating weather forecast model data for an area including the area of interest; and
(c) a weather report generator means for generating a personalized weather forecast and weather report of forecast weather conditions at the location of interest automatically from the user profile and the weather forecast model data, wherein the weather report of forecast weather conditions includes a tabular representation of a plurality of forecast weather conditions including forecast temperature conditions for at least each hour throughout a day, and wherein a daily forecast high temperature condition and a daily forecast low temperature condition in the tabular representation of forecast weather conditions is highlighted.
29. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 28 wherein the user profile generator means, the weather forecast model data generator means, and the weather report generator means are implemented in at least one general purpose computer.
30. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 28 wherein the weather report generator means for generating a personalized weather forecast and weather report of forecast weather conditions includes means for generating a tabular representation of a plurality of forecast weather conditions for at least each hour throughout a day, and wherein selected ones of the plurality of forecast weather conditions are presented in graphical form in the tabular representation.
31. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 28 wherein the daily forecast high temperature condition and the daily forecast low temperature condition in the tabular representation of forecast weather conditions is highlighted by color.
32. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 28 wherein the daily forecast high temperature condition and the daily forecast low temperature condition in the tabular representation of forecast weather conditions is highlighted by size.
33. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 28 comprising additionally means for providing the weather report to a user.
34. The personalized weather report generating system of claim 33 comprising additionally means for providing a personalized internet web page address to a user and wherein the means for providing the weather report to the user includes means for providing the weather report so as to be accessible at the personalized internet web page address.