Openly available sources
Where permitted by licensing, IMBER will use openly available forecast datasets from established meteorological providers, with appropriate attribution and details of their limitations.
ABOUT IMBER
Forecasting, with clarity.
IMBER was created by Benjamin Raisanen, a Geography student at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), to provide real-time weather forecasts using openly available meteorological datasets and transparent forecasting methods.
Our aim is to make detailed forecasts easier to understand, compare and reuse — with clear information about where the data comes from and how confidently it can be interpreted.
OUR BACKGROUND
From local observations to wider forecasting.
The roots of IMBER lie in St Nicholas Weather, an independent weather observation and data project established in 2021 in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. What began with a local weather station grew into work on real-time measurements, historical datasets, interactive charts and public data access.
That experience inspired a broader question: how could weather forecasts be presented with the same emphasis on accessible data, transparent sources and practical detail? IMBER is being developed to answer that question.
HOW IT WILL WORK
01 / DATA
02 / MODELS
03 / UNCERTAINTY
04 / ACCESS
Good forecasts should be understandable.
Transparent model guidance
Forecasts will identify the contributing models, their available resolution and update times. We intend to develop location-specific model selection and blending as the platform matures.
Confidence in context
Different weather models do not always agree. Planned comparison tools will make these differences visible rather than presenting every forecast as a certainty.
Useful beyond the website
Alongside the main dashboard, we plan to offer documented API access so weather information can be reused in research, software and other applications.
DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP
Planned features.
These capabilities are being developed and should not be taken as available services until they are individually launched.
- Real-time forecast updatesRegularly refreshed forecasts based on available weather-model runs.
- Location-based forecastsFind a place or use browser location permission to request a relevant forecast.
- Hourly and daily detailReadable temperature, rainfall, wind and other useful weather information.
- Model selection and comparisonCompare available models and see where their guidance agrees or differs.
- Forecast confidenceClear explanations of uncertainty, source resolution and forecast limitations.
- Maps and visualisationsExplore forecast patterns and changes over time with accessible graphics.
- Public weather APIDocumented endpoints, units, provenance and reuse conditions.
Website development
IMBER’s website has been developed with assistance from OpenAI’s GPT-6.0, supporting coding, design and technical development. The project remains independently managed, with changes reviewed and implemented by IMBER.
Current development status
IMBER's forecast platform is under development. The dashboard displays placeholders where verified forecast data is not yet connected. No simulated forecasts are presented as live observations or predictions.