We are Live!

2017-10-07 17:22:12.000 – Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist

Over the past year or so, we have been periodically doing facebook lives to test it out and see how feasible it would be to do. Originally we were just able to do the facebook live broadcast from the weather room because that was the only place we had Wi-Fi. We then were able to use a spare router and put it up in our tower so that the deck could get coverage. We did a few Q and A’s from the deck on nice weather days. The reason the observatory never did a facebook live during severe storms was because we were using our personal phones and with the high winds and moisture, we didn’t want to risk damaging them.

This summer, we were able to upgrade the internet that we have on the summit and make it much faster as well as have a lot more bandwidth. Now we are able to stream live video in a much better quality as well as be able to do work at the same time because of less bandwidth restriction. We are even able to have public Wi-Fi on the summit now similar to an airport, but the money goes to help improve the technology up here at the Observatory.

This weekend we have been trying out doing Facebook lives to see how well they will do and to test out some of the software that we have up here now. Right now, it takes a bit to set up before we do one but as we get used to it, it will become easier to get ready for a live shot. We are hoping to be able to do a live segment every day! One thing that is needed is an IP based mobile camera so we can easily move outside and do some live shots from outside. The only glimpses people get to the outside is through our webcams right now and it will be really cool to be able to show the weather from the ground!

Adam Gill, Weather Observer/IT Specialist