OKO’s #FreeWebFriday continues this week with every wind and kitesurfers favourite weather forecasting site: Windguru.cz. In existence since 2000 head honcho Vaclav Hornik has been involved from the start having identified a need to provide accurate wind, wave and tidal data for those going afloat. At the time of inception Windguru was quite unique and still remains the benchmark for this type of site. There probably aren’t that many wind and kitesurfers unfamiliar with Windguru – with 20.000.000 visits / 35.000.000 page views per month it continues to grow.
Vaclav says there’s a lot of work that goes into the site. Considering all data is translated into 23 different languages you can understand this. Utilising the services of an extended network of language experts Windguru is made easy to digest and get a handle on weather conditions whatever dialect you speak. It’s not hard to see why the site is so popular.
Who uses Windguru.cz?
Windguru is tailored to wind sport participants but windsurf and kitesurf riders are its main audience. That said anyone with a need for accurate weather information will find useful stats on the site. Average wind speed, direction and frequency/strength of gusts are measured, plus in depth tidal info, live readings, pressure charts, wave buoy figures and swell heights – basically all the info anyone needs.
How is the site funded?
Windguru is funded through a mixture of advertising. Some of it are Google products (AdSense), some is direct advertising and there’s also the Windguru Pro subscription service that users can upgrade to. This gives extended forecast data and even more in depth weather detail. There’s also a shop that sells a few products, including the Windguru weather station. The data collected with these is plugged into the already extensive network of live locations. It all adds to the mix to help create the most accurate resource available for weather nerds.
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