The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has faced widespread criticism following the launch of its redesigned website, with complaints from farmers, politicians, and the public about missing features and usability issues. The backlash has prompted the federal environment minister to order changes to the site, which cost $4.1 million to develop.
Users have reported difficulties finding key features, such as the ability to search by GPS coordinates, which is crucial for farmers monitoring weather conditions on their properties. The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said locals were frustrated that searches were restricted to towns or postcodes. However, the BoM clarified that latitude and longitude searches remain available through its MetEye tool on both the old and new sites.
The timing of the launch, coinciding with severe weather in south-eastern Australia, also drew criticism. The BoM's acting chief executive, Dr Peter Stone, apologised for the issues and assured the public that improvements would be made in the coming weeks. He emphasised that the radar on the new site is not a substitute for official weather warnings issued by meteorologists.
The BoM noted that the redesign was necessary following a serious cyber intrusion in 2015, which exposed vulnerabilities in its systems. The new site has been in beta testing for 16 months and aims to meet modern standards for accessibility and mobile-friendliness. Despite the backlash, the BoM highlighted that its app remains more popular than the website, with 2.6 billion visits to the site annually.
For now, users can still access the old site, which will remain available as features are gradually transitioned to the new platform. The BoM has welcomed feedback and pledged to act quickly to address concerns.
