Wearable Weather Forecast : Creating a forecast through iOS and Smart Clothes

Abstract: Smart Clothes refers to clothes that have been embedded with computer devices. Items of the category can be used to inform an individual about his health. The technology can likewise be used to track an individuals surroundings. There are many possible uses for Smart Clothes. This thesis is based on the idea of creating a Smart Clothes item that can create weather forecasts independently. In order to create such system unique problems have to be solved. One major problem to overcome is realizing what a mobile application a mobile application has to do in a Smart Clothes system that predicts weather to the user. This thesis tries to answer the problem by examining how an existing weather forecast model can be implemented into an application to later display a forecast to a user. The study is built on an inductive approach and has a purpose to explore the necessary steps in developing a mobile application that predicts the weather. Presenting an implemented prototype is the purpose of the thesis. As such, the purpose becomes to create a mobile application that implements a weather forecast model and translates the created weather forecast into a UI suited for a mobile application. The weather forecast model should use atmospheric pressure differences to create a weather forecast. The goal of the thesis is to find out how the purpose can be achieved, how a mobile application should behave in order to assure that the Smart Clothes system can create a weather forecast for the user. A partial goal is to understand how atmospheric pressure should be converted into a weather forecast and how the weather forecast should be translated into a UI. The result is presented in the form of a prototype, an iOS application. The created prototype uses atmospheric pressure differences to create a weather forecast. The weather forecast is shown to the user through a intuitive user interface. The prototype is tested through a user-test and is evaluated through a thorough model with criteria. The evaluation shows that the prototype is easy to use and understand. There are in the same time improvements to be done for the future. Proposals have been given for improvements. The user-test has shown that the interest in the prototype is higher in situations where the user lacks internet connectivity. There is thus, a link between the prototype's usability and internet connectivity. In other words, people find the prototype to be of a big benefit as it can be used without Internet connectivity.