The Challenge
The SW+ Alerts service in the StormWatch+ app is unique in many ways.
Today, mobile applications depend on rich cloud services to offer great in-app experiences. Many web services and apps, such as your favorite music streaming service or social media app, enjoy predictable fluctuations in demand. Given that severe weather can strike at a moment's notice, our SW+ Alerts service must be able to cope with extraordinary increases in demand.
How do we characterize extraordinary? Our web services can't just cope with a doubling or tripling of baseline demand. They must be able to successfully handle nearly instantaneous demand increases of orders of magnitude (10-20 times or more) when severe weather alerts are triggered over a populated area. Moreover, without the financial backing of large corporate entities, we must maintain our backend services in an economical manner that allows us to offer the service at a modest price to you.
The SW+ Alerts service in the StormWatch+ app is unique in many ways.
- Its class leading Critical Alerts functionality ensures you don't miss a notification for weather phenomena that could pose a risk to life or property
- We strive to strike the right balance in offering you ease of use and a suite of rich customization options, while giving you access to the geeky details
- Unlike many weather apps, we offer a service in a way that respects your privacy and security, without invasive trackers or ads, as we recognize you as the customer, not a product to sell to data brokers
Today, mobile applications depend on rich cloud services to offer great in-app experiences. Many web services and apps, such as your favorite music streaming service or social media app, enjoy predictable fluctuations in demand. Given that severe weather can strike at a moment's notice, our SW+ Alerts service must be able to cope with extraordinary increases in demand.
How do we characterize extraordinary? Our web services can't just cope with a doubling or tripling of baseline demand. They must be able to successfully handle nearly instantaneous demand increases of orders of magnitude (10-20 times or more) when severe weather alerts are triggered over a populated area. Moreover, without the financial backing of large corporate entities, we must maintain our backend services in an economical manner that allows us to offer the service at a modest price to you.
| The Solution We're pleased to announce that the SW+ Alerts service now takes advantage of a spate of advancements in cloud computing offerings that have emerged over the last 18 months. With this infusion of technology, the SW+ Alerts cloud service now has over 25 times the capacity while simultaneously improving responsiveness nearly 50 times. This means we can better meet the needs of SW+ Alerts users today and as our user base grows in the future. |  |
