Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport offers a weather service quite unlike any other. Instead of doling out boring reports, it actually lets people feel what the weather is like in various cities around the world before actually flying there.
Yvonne Boe, communication manager at Swedavia – the company that manages Sweden’s airports – describes the unique Climate Portal as an “experience for all your senses which replicates the weather live from all over the planet, a direct link to the whole world. It’s also a preview of where you’re going, so you know if you need that warm sweater or an extra pair of sunglasses before boarding.”
Dev Malhotra, executive technical director of Studio NOC, revealed that the Climate Portal consists of three different rooms that takes visitors to hot, cold and big destinations respectively. They use the latest sound and image technology, along with wind and temperature simulations. The portal is hooked up to several online weather services and translates the data from weather stations across the globe.
The ‘Go Cold’ room simulates cold northern winds with the sound of barking dogs in the background, and winter landscape visuals at places like Kiruna, Sweden; Tromsö, Norway; Reykjavik, Iceland and more.
The ‘Go Hot’ room, on the other hand, replicates conditions in warmer places like Dubai, Qatar, and Fort Lauderdale in Florida, with sounds of cicadas. Finally, the ‘Go Big’ room takes visitors to super cities such as Hong Kong, New York, and Los Angeles. Here, you can hear the buzz of the city and “feel the urban pulse in a never-ending stream of taxi cabs and people, and are intoxicated by the smells of all the kitchens in the world.”
“With the climate portal we wanted to explore the possibilities of not just taking you to your destination, but our destinations to you. A direct link to the whole world,” said Michael Persson Gripkow, marketing director at Swedavia.
Launched on May 29 this year, the portal is a already a big hit – it has had over 40,000 visitors so far. Unfortunately, it’s not a permanent addition to the airport and will only remain open until August 31.
via Accuweather
