XC Skies Version 2 Release

Dear XC Skies User,

Some changes have been made to the XC Skies website today. Although quite a bit of testing was done, there are sure to be some bugs to work through over the next few days. Please send emails to info@xcskies.com to report any problems to help us debug issues. Please include links and detailed descriptions so we can resolve issues and provide answers as effectively as possible.

 Here are the major points everyone should know about:

• A small delay in forecasts processing occurred today, with the RUC not being run all together.
• New look and feel of XC Maps and a missing Explorer tool. The new XC Maps has the same functionality as before with a few exceptions. New features include the following:

1.  The Explorer tool is now rolled into the main map tool allowing easy exploration of routes and point forecasts all within a central application. Old links will redirect to the new tool and load the same information in a slightly different format.
2. New layout of the My XC Skies page with clearer links to saved profiles and QuickCasts.
3. The previous maps API has been replaced with the OpenLayers map API, which provides more mapping features to be leveraged down the road.

• New base map layers and missing road overlays. Google imagery is no longer being used. To align XC Skies towards an open source goal, open-source map imagery is now being used. Base map layers can be accessed with feature on the top right of the map. This shows all layers currently used on the map and allows changing the base layer.
  
• New icons have been added to the map to free up precious screen real-estate. They include the following:

1. Minimize / Maximize map and hide left menu.
2. Create a route on the map.
3. Create a point forecast. Drag the marker around and the forecast instantly updates.
   
4. View the Skew-T sounding profile for any location on the map.
   
5. View all recent RAOB balloon soundings and view Skew-T data from them (in development).
   
6. Toggle all layers on the map to view base layers quickly.
7. View a pop-up calendar to view historical data.
   
8. Change default units and other misc settings.
   
9. Save a profile.
   
10. Open an existing profile.

• New parameters added. Mean sea level pressure (MSLP), Lifted Lndex (LI), and Precipitation layers have been added to GFS, NAM and RUC versions of the map layers. Zoom in on the maps and view the data as detailed contours.
  
• New versions of code are running faster than ever behind the scenes, so expect to start seeing 5 day forecasts for the GFS and NAM models very soon. All code is now running on Python, C, and Fortran. All are open-source languages which allows XC Skies to start taking advantage of cloud computing once prices come down a bit.
  
• Archived data has not gone away. However, it will be inaccessible for several days until hooks from the new data can be linked back to the previous data formats.
• QuickCasts are now using different base imagery. The exact same forecast data is being used, but it may look quite different than before due to the base layers. NASA's Landsat 7 is now the base image instead of Google Terrain. A new solution to replacing this will happen shortly once all options are explored. QuickCasts may ultimately need a new approach to be effective without detailed base imagery. CloudMade is one such solution we are looking into.

The biggest thing to note is that Google imagery is no longer being used on XC Skies. This is due to a licensing question currently being reviewed. Specifically, a website that uses any form of subscription cannot use Google's Map products without a premium application upgrade fee, even if the maps are exposed to anonymous users. The fees are costly and priced for large enterprises, and certainly beyond the means of a break-even website model such as XC Skies.

Accounts and Pricing Update.

There will be no price increases with subscriptions. We do not intend to increase any fees a penny more. In fact, we are exploring means of making XC Skies free to use for everyone. In order to do this, quite a few things need to align and the cost of cloud computing still needs to come down. However, in the mean time, please do not share an account with multiple users. This will only increase the price for everyone, which is not anybody's goal. The amount of data XC Skies hosts and transfers is large by most web standards and it is important that members pay for what they use. We think that $3.33 USD a month is not an excessive fee. That's about the price of a large Cafe Latte and you wouldn't share that with your friends.

What's Coming Soon

• A new Mobile Web App. It has been completed for a few weeks, however it relies on Google's Map API which is under review right now. TBD
• One free limited subscription coupon for all members of XC Skies to gift to a friend or use for themselves.
• Ability to download segments of soaring forecasts into Google Earth. Imagine being able to just download a single KMZ file and review the soaring forecast locally in 3D at 1km resolution. Plus, anyone will be able to archive and arrange data locally.
• A fully functional forecast review tool that allows pilots to compare the details of the forecast against their own tracklog for any given flight. Feel free to play with this tool here: http://www.xcskies.com/cgi-bin/map/uploadlog.cgi. It's currently in development so don't expect it to always work. We'll announce a full release in a month or two.
  

1. Nevil Hulett's 500km flight in South Africa. http://www.xcskies.com/cgi-bin/map/reviewlog.cgi?tid=27
2. A recent flight from Bright, Australia uploaded from Leonardo. http://www.xcskies.com/cgi-bin/map/reviewlog.cgi?tid=645.
3. Another randomly selected flight from Leonardo in South Africa. http://www.xcskies.com/cgi-bin/map/reviewlog.cgi?tid=601

The goal is to start quantifying all flights against the forecasts to gain more insight into how we can pattern match forecasts to historical flights. This tool and service will be free for anyone to use and we hope to partner with as many sources of tracklog info as possible.

A lot more is going on, so expect more news regularly.

-Team XC Skies