The comparison BMKG vs Weather Underground forecast It's interesting because they both use a very different approach to weather data gathering. BMKG vs Weather Underground predictive — BMKG relies on official government station networks, while Weather Underground relies on a network of private weather stations donated by individuals and communities around the world.
What's Weather Underground?
Weather Underground is a unique weather platform set up in 1993 as one of the first Internet weather websites. Now owned by IBM, Weather Underground has a network of over 250,000 private weather stations (Personal Weather Stations / PWS) donated by users around the world. This crowdsourcing approach produces very detailed hyperlocal weather data.
The concept of Weather Underground is fundamentally different from conventional weather services. Alih-instead of relying on official government stations, Weather Underground collected data from thousands of home weather stations. As a result, Weather Underground can provide weather data for very specific locations. — even level of impending — If there's a contributor in the area.
BMKG vs Weather Underground comparison
| Aspek | BMKG | Weather Underground |
|---|---|---|
| Station Type | Official government | Personal station (crowdsourced) |
| Number of Indonesian stations | 200 + official station | Very limited (only big city) |
| Calibration Tool | Stationalized and calibrated | Variable (Depends on owner) |
| Data Utility | Very high | Variable |
| Spacal Resolution | Per degree | Hyperlocal (if there are PWS) |
| Official Warning | Yes (legal) | No. |
| Earthquake information | Yes | No. |
| Data History | Available | Complete per station |
| Indonesian | Yes (native) | Limited |
| Cost | Free | Free (with advertising) |
BMKG excellence for Indonesia
BMKG has a very significant advantage for the Indonesian context. First, all 200 + BMKG stations in Indonesia use the standard equipment and calibrated periodically by meteorologists. As a result, BMKG data has consistency and reliability that can't be supported by private stations.
Second, BMKG coverage covers all of Indonesia including remote areas like Papua outback, the Plain Islands, and Southeast Nusa. Instead, the Indonesian Weather Underground contributors are very limited and concentrated in cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bali.
Weather Underground excellence
Though limited in Indonesia, Weather Underground has some unique advantages. First, the weather history of Weather Underground is complete and accessible per station. Users can see temperature, rain and wind data for specific dates in the past — It's useful for research, agricultural analysis, or insurance purposes.
Second, in the locations that have many PWS contributors, Weather Underground can provide very hyperlocal weather data. For example, in Jakarta some contributors put up weather stations in their housing complex. The data from this station could be more representative to the surrounding environment than the BMKG station that might be a few kilometers away.
Weather Underground limitations in Indonesia
Unfortunately, the use of Weather Underground in Indonesia is still very limited because of the lack of PWS contributors. Therefore, the primary benefits of Weather Underground — hyperlocal data — cannot be fully enjoyed by Indonesian users.
Besides, the quality of the data from the private station is very varied. Uncalibrated stations or installed in unideal locations (too near AC, direct sunlight) can provide inaccurate data. Unlike the BMKG that ensures all stations to meet the WMO standard.
Usage Recommendations
Untuk pengguna Indonesia, BMKG adalah pilihan utama yang lebih andal dibanding Weather Underground. Gunakan Weather Underground hanya jika Anda membutuhkan data histori cuaca yang detail atau jika ada kontributor PWS yang aktif di lingkungan sekitar Anda.
Sebagai alternatif modern yang menggabungkan kemudahan akses dengan akurasi tinggi, gunakan Cuaca.in yang menggunakan data Open-Meteo berbasis ECMWF. Tersedia juga 7-day forecast dan informasi kelembaban serta UV yang tidak tersedia di Weather Underground.
