Safety App Of The Week

July 27, 2015 No Comments

Below is this week’s “Safety App of the Week“.  Every Monday we publish an article that reviews and rates a new workplace safety app.  Our testing is done on Apple iPads and Samsung Galaxy Tab 3s.  We rate each app from to ♥♥♥♥♥ (♥♥♥♥♥ is the best).  Prior app of the week articles are archived here.

Lightning Cast

Push Notifications, Alerts, NOAA Weather Radar

Official Description  

“The only app in the app store that instantly alerts you via push-notification whenever there is a lightning strike near any of your designated places. CAUTION: subscription based pricing, see below.

Important: When you install and launch for the first time, the app will ask to turn on push-notifications. Please choose YES to avoid the hassle of having to manually enable it later.

– See lightning strikes in near real-time on a fluid animated hi-def radar map
– Add location bookmarks on the map for your important places
– Get a push-notification whenever lightning strikes near a bookmark within the radius you have specified!
– You can choose anywhere from 1 mile all the way up to 200 miles for notification radius, individually per location bookmark
– NWS severe weather warning boxes on map with alert details
– Check weather + forecast for any point on map
– Choose from Hi-Def Radar or Cloud Cover animated map overlays
– Hourly forecast for the next 24 hours
– Swipe through forecasts for all your bookmarked locations
– On screen temperature & conditions display for either your current or bookmarked home location
– Live pressure for current location on devices with a barometer sensor
– Live GPS (speed, altitude, direction) display on the map as you are moving about!
– Portrait/Landscape: iPad, iPhone, iPod, iPhone5 fully supported at full-screen
– Get fast support from within the app

Lightning strike locations are shown with full accuracy on the map throughout the contiguous lower 48 states, regardless of distance from your location.

Pricing:
– The initial purchase gets you lightning data and notifications for 3 months.
– After the first 3 months are over, you must purchase a subscription renewal to get notifications.

Subscription Information:
– Renewal options are either 3 months for $1.99, or 1 Year for $6.99.

Coverage Notes:
– This app is only useful for users in the lower 48 states. Accuracy is not sufficient for users in Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico.1

 

Thumbs Up

  • cost is $3.99 for initial 3 months of service, and $6.99 a year thereafter 
  • good instructions (FAQ) page
  • simple and intuitive to use
  • continuously updates lightning strikes in your area
  • can view in “road”, “satellite”, or “hybrid” modes
  • sends alerts to your phone when lightning is in your area
  • can add multiple locations
  • I worked with a company who had an employee struck by lightning while working in their outside raw-materials storage area – this app would likely have prevented that accident

 

Thumbs Down

  • requires a wi-fi connection
  • works only for continental USA locations

Overall Rating

  • iPad / iPhone  –  ♥♥♥♥
  • Android –  not available
  • Overall – a valuable app for construction companies (and other employers) who have employees who work outdoors

¹ Description courtesy of  iTunes

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