Review: Project Noah mobile app for Android

I’m proud to say that I was there at the Davao Hackathon where the Project Noah mobile app was conceptualized. So I was really happy to see it come to fruition, with DOST and PAGASA backing it up. 

 

This app has the potential to save a lot of lives, so I thought it was best to take this app for a spin and see how well it works in the real world. The Android app has just been launched, and the iOS version is expected to make an appearance soon.

 

At first glance, the first thing I noticed was the app was quite pretty and I appreciated the fact that the developers took the time to allow the users to fully customize the app. Not just the look, but also the type and amount of information you want to get from Project Noah. This helps save a lot of time because you don’t have need to sift through all that data and you immediately get the type of weather information that’s important to you. 

 

For first-time users, I recommend reading the information section before you dive right into the features. Most people would download this app for the regular weather updates and that’s fine. But to truly appreciate the amount of information you’ll be receiving, it’s best to know a little bit more about the science involved in weather forecasting. The information feature turns this app into a great teaching resource because it explains most of the terms and jargon used in the simplest way possible. Going through it helped me appreciate the amount of work involved in weather forecasting and allowed me to understand it better.

 

The Pros

 

The data and news alerts are refreshed every 5-30 minutes, depending on the type of data and location.The forecast it gave for Davao for the past few days was pretty accurate and comprehensive. The default setting of this app automatically detects current location but this can easily be changed if you want to. You can even set the app to set up alerts for specific weather information like probability of rainfall.

 

The feature I liked the most was the automatic weather notifications. All I need to do is set the time I want to receive the notification and the places and I’ll get the information direct to my phone without having to go through the other features of the app. I know I’ll be using this feature a lot, especially once my daughter goes to school and when I travel. I also liked it that it was so easy to post updates and images on Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and Skype.

 

The Cons

 

Some users noted problems with the app when they transition it from portrait to landscape view but I haven’t encountered this problem with my device.

 

Sadly, the flood maps from the Project Noah website are not yet available with the mobile app. This is disappointing because it’s one of the features that would have been useful in metropolitan areas like Cebu, Manila or Davao but I know this is something that they will resolve once the technology to do this becomes available. Another thing I noticed about this app is that it can be really slow, especially when accessing maps. The search function is also a bit problematic. It can recognize some of the major cities in the Philippines but not all. 

 

Conclusion

 

But all in all, despite the limitations, I give this app my two thumbs up. It’s accurate; it works well, and is quite easy to use. I know there are other weather apps out there that might be better, but I really liked the fact that it can also be used as a tool to teach Filipinos about the weather.  If you’re looking for a reliable tool that can also teach you about the weather, this would be a great app to use.  —TJD, GMA News