14 June 2005
An Internet service providing free, specialised reports on weather conditions in Wales has released impressive usership figures since its launch in October 2003.
Mountainweatherwales.org has so far recorded half a million hits, according to PublicTechnology.net.
The service is sponsored by the Welsh Assembly Government gives walkers and mountaineers details on wind speed, temperature and visibility in the mountains every day from 05.30BST and covers Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons.
The site is a subsidiary part of the Met Office web site and therefore not a 'stand-alone' website, however the popularity of its simple concept is being attributed to a well-chosen web address which can be easily promoted and marketed.
A common problem for e-government services is that they are hidden within a Department or Authority website, but the stand-alone URL which re-directs to the page has allowed for exceptionally strong usership.
The mountain weather service was launched as a pilot in October 2003 and made permanent in April 2005. Recorded hits reached a monthly high of 34,189 in May this year, bringing the total since October 2003 to 520,710.© DeHavilland Information Services plc
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