Timeline for Weather forecasting - On Topic?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
13 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2016 at 20:20 | comment | added | Rory Alsop Mod | ErikvanDoren - yes, the community is to decide, which is why this is a good meta question. | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 18:21 | comment | added | Erik | @ErikvanDoren I think that is the wrong metric. >99.99% of the people on the site will not find it useful to know how bodies are disposed of on Everest, but many people found it interesting. I find high altitude mountaineering interesting, but I'll never stand on the top of K2 nor will most people so information on K2 isn't truly useful. Since few people will stand on K2 does that mean K2 is off topic? Personally useful shouldn't be the core metric. | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 18:10 | comment | added | Erik vanDoren | @Erik, don't know, wouldn't that end including even questions that are not useful for 99.99% of the people that is interested in outdoor activities? I thought SE frowned on that. (I picked lapse rates not because I wanted to fill my mouth with a technical term but just because they would be needed by the user that asked the meteo question but, I suspect, noone else would care about it) | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 17:45 | comment | added | Erik | @ErikvanDoren In general if the person makes a decent case that <technical concept> in <field of study> is needed for <outdoor pursuit> for <reasonable logic> then I think it is on topic. That is the basic filter I'd apply. We can't expect everyone to know everything about every outdoor pursuit. Just like we can't expect everyone on SO to know every programming language. I know nothing about "lapse rates" and slightly more about what it takes to kayak across the Atlantic. However if someone makes a reasonable case that lapse rates are important and show passing knowledge I wouldn't close it. | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 17:36 | comment | added | Erik vanDoren | @Erik, thats what I mean, Unless you need to study meteorology you dont know/care about lapse rates, to me they are off topic as way beyond what one would need for going outdoors unless they are pilots or skippers etc, people that should know them already anyways. "what are lapse rates" would be off topic. But if a person says "what are lapse rates, i need to know because i want to understand meteo data as I'm planning to kayak across the Atlantic" is then considered on topic? even if its basically the same question? | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 17:19 | comment | added | Erik | @ErikvanDoren I have no idea what "lapse rates" are. If it is tied to a valid use case then sure. If it is a pure meteorology question for general knowledge, it is off-topic. That is why each question must be judged on its own merits. | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 17:15 | comment | added | Erik vanDoren | Is explaining what lapse rates are and how to use them, the different kind of clouds and what we can understand from them on topic or off? | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 17:11 | comment | added | Erik vanDoren | i see Russell got to that one | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 17:04 | comment | added | Erik vanDoren | @RoryAlsop, i think the community should decide where is the line in between what is needed by hikers and what is beyond the scope of SE. Outdoor means a lot and to various degrees depending of activity and that way a tons of stuff can be made to be on-topic. (its really expected that someone planning an Himalayan expedition asks meteo info in SE? id expect them answering questions rather). I dont find the help section that clear on it. On the other hand i dont get why noone raised the offtopic issue on questions like "best way to cut a forest down" ;) | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 15:00 | comment | added | Rory Alsop Mod | No - I disagree with that, I'm afraid. There is a vast space between basic (clouds mean possible rain) and professional meteorologist. The training you get in meteorology for being a gliding pilot, or a yacht day skipper for example are possibly a bit further than a hiker may need, but a hiker/climber in the Himalayas may need extensive knowledge - so I think definitely on topic. | |
| Mar 4, 2016 at 14:18 | comment | added | Erik vanDoren | @RoryAlsop, im not sure Russell Steen intended weather skills, I think what he actually means is becoming a proper meteorologist. If that's true then he is right in saying that it's listed as off-topic since the proper answer would be basically a meteorology book. And if that weather question has to be answered in real detail there would be a lot to type. Maybe an edit should be suggested to keep it within some limits | |
| Mar 3, 2016 at 23:36 | comment | added | Rory Alsop Mod | I was going to write much the same till I saw your answer - I think weather skills are an essential part of outdoors experience and safety. | |
| Mar 3, 2016 at 21:59 | history | answered | Erik | CC BY-SA 3.0 |