The weather app is putting a damper on America's summer plans
Business owners are concerned that simplified weather app forecasts are negatively impacting their revenue by discouraging customers with inaccurate rain icons. The article highlights the tension between complex meteorological data and the simplified user interfaces that millions rely on for daily planning.
Why it matters
It illustrates the real-world economic consequences of how digital interfaces interpret and present complex scientific data to the public.
Getty Images; Alyssa Powell/BI Maya Haddad Miller has long been fixated on weather apps — especially how they hit her bottom line. Haddad Miller and her dad own Brooklyn Beach Shop in Coney Island, New York , which sells souvenirs and beach gear. When a little rain icon pops up on the ubiquitous weather apps on any given day, it can cut business in half, she says, whether any rain falls or not. "When you talk about weather forecasts, that's our life — we eat, breathe, everything the weather," she says. This became such a hobby horse for Haddad Miller that, for a while, she kept a spreadsheet comparing forecasts with actual weather data to track discrepancies. A decade ago, she took the issue up with then-Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul during the politician's visit to the beachside neighborhood.
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