Rain on Your Radar: Engaging in Weather Data as Part of Everyday Routines

Abstract

This chapter discusses visualizations of weather data, used to communicate short-term precipitation predictions to lay audiences. Focusing on the example of Buienradar, a popular Dutch weather forecast website and app, it investigates how people engage with such representations on a daily basis, how they interpret them, and how their readings of them affect their actions and decisions, shaping their day-to-day routines. The research is based on semi-structured interviews with users with different demographic profiles. Aside from establishing usage patterns or preferences and readerly strategies, the chapter also considers people’s own evaluations of their conduct in relation to the Buienradar service, and more broadly, their reflections on the significance of weather data visualizations to their lives.