PredictWind announces release of new weather routing algorithm

New weather routing algorithm © Predictwind.com

PredictWind has announced a new weather routing algorithm with completely new code that offers unparalleled performance.

Faster Routes

The new routing algorithm finds the faster routes 70-90% of the time, compared to our competition. We tested the new PredictWind router against the competition, by using the same boat polar, the same wind field and then evaluated the optimal routes through a sailing simulator to actually see which routing algorithm sailed the boat fastest to the destination. The new PredictWind router was a clear winner! Faster routes are typically the safest routes. Check the technical report for details.

Routing Corridors

The new router shows "routing corridors" along with the optimal route. These corridors show an area where the boat can reach the destination within 0.1% of the fastest time. Routing a boat on the water is a very different situation to a GPS car navigation route. The boat route is only as accurate as the weather forecast, and the boat polar. The routing corridors show areas where it is imperative to be close to the optimal route, and other areas where you can deviate a long way from the optimal route. Overlapping areas between the six routes based on forecasts from six different sources, gives you a high degree of confidence in the route to sail. This new concept will revolutionise how you view optimal routes.

Accurate Weather

Every PredictWind route is calculated using the highest resolution ECMWF/SPIRE/UKMO/GFS/PWG/PWE forecast data. ECMWF is proved to be the most accurate global weather model. The high resolution PredictWind models that are run at 1km/8km resolution are the highest resolution models available with proven accuracy in the short term. Getting 6 forecasts for every route gives you additional confidence in the forecast.

Speed & Ease

As the PredictWind router is run on cloud computing off the boat, it is not essential to download GRIB files to calculate a route, and in some circumstances this will save you at least 50 MB of GRIB downloads. The PredictWind router has access to the highest resolution GRIB data for wind, wave and current. To download this data on a mobile or satellite connection is very slow and expensive. With the click of a button, the forecast information, including routes for all 6 forecasts are quickly and easily displayed to help make informed decisions.

Long Range Forecasts

We have added the ECMWF ensemble forecasts with an incredible long range 4 week forecast. The ECMWF ensemble is unequivocally the leader in long range forecasting, and will let you plan your trip well in advance, with better accuracy than traditional climate forecasts.

Reliable

The PredictWind router simply works. No failed routes, or issues with the router crossing the land, so you can concentrate on sailing the boat, rather than troubleshooting why the router did not work. Check the technical report for reliability of the new PredictWind Router.

Detailed Feature List

• Weather routing with a grid-based, highly optimized algorithm
• Fast execution time as 6 routes are calculated parallel
• Considers wind, currents and waves
• Uses highest resolution grib data wherever available
• Automatically covers the entire globe
• Effective land avoidance
• Considers all exclusion zones supplied
• Provides both optimal weather routing and comfort routing
• Advanced boat polar extrapolation
• Allows a course to have both waypoints and roundings
• Display of the overlap of such corridors to show passages where the ensemble of weather forecasts agree that it is optimal to pass
• Numerous data available along the route: wind, currents, waves, speed, distances, angles, times, air pressure, temp, rain, CAPE index
• Continuous interpolation of these data along the route
• Presentation of motoring time in comfort routing
• Choose the Ocean Current data source
• Router finds a route when start & destination waypoints are on the land
• Wave and Ocean data available along the coastline
• ECMWF routes use the 9km resolution wind data & 14km wave data
• Last 5 routes are saved, so can be quickly compared for analysis