Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

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Hurricanehink
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Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#1 Postby Hurricanehink » Sun Feb 26, 2023 12:17 pm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Irma_2017_track_(Feb_2023_proposal_9_tweak).png

Used freely around the internet, Wikipedia track maps show the path and intensity of each tropical cyclone, known around the world as hurricanes and typhoons. Almost every recorded tropical cyclone is listed on Wikipedia, organized primarily by the annual season in each of the seven major bodies of water, known as tropical cyclone basins. In October 2005, user:Jdorje developed the track map generator, which allows users to input location coordinates and plot them on a map of the Earth. The tracks are overlaid specifically on Blue Marble 2002.png. This creates a map of the tropical cyclone path, and because it is uploaded to Wikimedia Commons, it can be used freely all over the internet.

Because storms can last as long as 31 days (a record set by Hurricane John in 1994), it is useful to display the trajectory of the center of the cyclone. Maps can carry more information by indicating the strength of the tropical cyclone. The storm’s winds, a significant damage factor, typically occur near the center of circulation. The winds are estimated using surface and air observations, satellite imagery, and other means, which is the basis for various tropical cyclone scales. Most storms worldwide are named when they produce sustained winds of 39 mph (63 km/h). The next major threshold occurs at 74 mph (119 km/h), when storms become a hurricane, a typhoon, a very intense cyclonic storm, or a different designation depending on where it is in the world.

The tropical cyclone maps use different colors to represent the intensity. After years of using the track maps, it became apparent by November 2021 that the original colors were not discernible for some users who are colorblind, a violation of a core Wikipedia principle toward accessibility. Users discussed which background map to use, agreeing to use the by-then traditional Blue Earth. After an extensive period of comment on the need for change, spearheaded by User:Hurricane Noah, there was an attempt in September 2022 to implement a new color scheme. A request for comment (RfC) closed on February 16, 2023, in which a new color scale would be implemented.

The most significant change is the color purple, which is now the color for the most intense tropical cyclones on the maps, the Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The purple replaced the dark red, which is now the new color for a Category 4. It took several hundred kilobytes of discussion, and input from many users, but the colors on Wikipedia’s track maps will now be accessible to all people.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#2 Postby wxman57 » Sun Feb 26, 2023 1:52 pm

I fixed your link. Can't use an image tag on an "https" URL. Would be nice if they updated the map backgrounds to something similar to HRD or NHC.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#3 Postby aspen » Sun Feb 26, 2023 5:45 pm

I’m really not a fan of how pale the colors look on the storm info boxes and season history charts. They pop out much better on the adjusted Irma track, but given how pale they are on the white Wikipedia background, I think they might need another revision later on.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#4 Postby Foxfires » Sun Feb 26, 2023 9:23 pm

aspen wrote:I’m really not a fan of how pale the colors look on the storm info boxes and season history charts. They pop out much better on the adjusted Irma track, but given how pale they are on the white Wikipedia background, I think they might need another revision later on.


They would need to darken every single color for that since these colors were chosen with monochromatic color blindness in mind. It should be fine without change for the info boxes since the classification is typed down but I'm not sure about the season summaries (assuming that's what you mean by "season history charts", unless you mean the season effects section). But also, if they darken them they'd also have to balance the colors with the track background.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#5 Postby weeniepatrol » Mon Feb 27, 2023 7:43 am

It took several hundred kilobytes of discussion


i LOVE this :D
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#6 Postby Hurricanehink » Mon Feb 27, 2023 10:55 am

weeniepatrol wrote:
It took several hundred kilobytes of discussion


i LOVE this :D


Not sure all of the users involved loved this. There might have been some heated words. That’s why I made this topic, as well as a press release to hopefully get the word out, to explain the rationale for the decisions made.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#7 Postby weeniepatrol » Mon Feb 27, 2023 11:33 am

Hurricanehink wrote:
weeniepatrol wrote:
It took several hundred kilobytes of discussion


i LOVE this :D


Not sure all of the users involved loved this. There might have been some heated words. That’s why I made this topic, as well as a press release to hopefully get the word out, to explain the rationale for the decisions made.


Sorry, I meant the specific phrase "several hundred kilobytes" of discussion was such an charming way of putting it

I am assuming that this is pure text which means it would be quite a lot indeed.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#8 Postby tolakram » Mon Feb 27, 2023 7:10 pm

Hurricanehink wrote:
weeniepatrol wrote:
It took several hundred kilobytes of discussion


i LOVE this :D


Not sure all of the users involved loved this. There might have been some heated words. That’s why I made this topic, as well as a press release to hopefully get the word out, to explain the rationale for the decisions made.


Too many cooks in the kitchen. :lol: New colors look perfectly fine to me.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#9 Postby Hurricanehink » Tue Feb 28, 2023 10:06 am

weeniepatrol wrote:
Hurricanehink wrote:
weeniepatrol wrote:
i LOVE this :D


Not sure all of the users involved loved this. There might have been some heated words. That’s why I made this topic, as well as a press release to hopefully get the word out, to explain the rationale for the decisions made.


Sorry, I meant the specific phrase "several hundred kilobytes" of discussion was such an charming way of putting it

I am assuming that this is pure text which means it would be quite a lot indeed.


Hah then I’m glad the recap was mildly entertaining :lol:
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#10 Postby Category5Kaiju » Mon Mar 13, 2023 9:27 am

Are they also going to change the colors of the storm path maps? I still see many Atlantic hurricane and EPAC hurricane articles with a Cat 4 red label or a Cat 5 purple label but with the original orange=Cat 4 and red=Cat 5 colors on the track plots.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#11 Postby Hurricanehink » Mon Mar 13, 2023 3:08 pm

Category5Kaiju wrote:Are they also going to change the colors of the storm path maps? I still see many Atlantic hurricane and EPAC hurricane articles with a Cat 4 red label or a Cat 5 purple label but with the original orange=Cat 4 and red=Cat 5 colors on the track plots.


Getting there, it takes time for all of the coding. Hoping to have everything done by the NHC hurricane season.
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Re: Wikipedia maps for tropical cyclones have their first major update in 17 years

#12 Postby WalterWhite » Thu Aug 31, 2023 1:11 pm

I am still not used to these new colors. Whenever I see red or orange on the track maps or seasonal summaries, my mind immediately jumps to Categories V or IV respectively, even though they are now Categories IV and III respectively.
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