nostalgeo wins the audience award at Apps For Europe
After winning AppsforGeo and AppsforFlanders, nazka's nostalgeo also won the audience prize at Apps for Europe.
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20 june 2025
This week DTU Wind and Nazka Mapps have launched a new update of the Global Wind Atlas: version 4.0. This significant update combines an improvement of the accuracy of wind resource data with a better usability of the platform. This release was made possible with funding of the World Bank's ESMAP program as well as support and feedback from it's staff and consultants.
Instantly noticable is the redesigned user interface, drawing on extensive user research. A streamlined side panel makes it easier than ever to interact with the map and the data. The new side panel offers better access to area and temporal data, the energy yield calculator and downloads. The application remembers which graphs the user is interested in, to make it easier to find the required information during a next visit.
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In addition, the new transparency/opacity slider allows users to navigate the map more easily and compare wind data layers with the underlying landscape. Again the interface remembers the users's choices, so they don't have to set the transparency each time they open GWA.
Beyond interface improvements, GWA 4.0 represents a leap forward in data accuracy. A completely new microscale modelling step has been implemented based on the latest version of PyWAsP. Wind resources are calculated for countries all over the world together with their offshore exclusive economic zones. The modelling incorporates updated air density, ERA5-based stability and geostrophic wind shear data, and additionally tree height data as part of a new displacement height model. It also features a new generalization method and updated elevation and roughness data derived from Copernicus DEM30 and WorldCover, respectively.
Validation of the data has been updated in several countries, including Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam and Zambia, and extended to a new country: Ethiopia. This reflects the enhanced accuracy of wind data in GWA 4.0.
Visit the release notes for a full overview of the latest updates. Explore the updated about pages of GWA for more information about the method, datasets and validation.
