This website, shetlander.co.uk, and it’s partner websites/web apps are the product of the Mayburn Labs, home and workplace of their creator, Mark Burgess. All of them have been made with the primary aim of filling a gap that no-one else had thought to fill. None of them have been built with commercial intent as a first priority, though if they covered their costs as some point, that would be splendid!
Mark gained his first qualification in web development and digital media around 2006, and then continued study at Shetland College UHI, where he became part-time lecturer and instructor for 8 or so years. Throughout a variety of other work commitments he continued to do low-level freelance web development in the background for clients and himself, and continued to dabble in digital media and commercial photography, paralleled to an enduring interest in the technical capabilities of modern cameras and software.
“I’ve never been big into portfolio showcasing, but it makes sense to pull together links to my various current personal projects.” Mark Burgess
Wadder is a hyper-local Shetland weather forecast. Drawn from the open-source weather service provided by Meteo, Wadder provides forecast for individual areas or settlements within Shetland. It contains a variety of unique innovations, to suit usage in Shetland, the principle of which is to have the wind forecast front and centre. Most regular forecasting apps have the wind data buried deep within them, but for Shetland it is a key consideration for all activity.
Wadder is Shetland language for weather. You can find Wadder at shetlander.net
The app allows users in the 15 chosen areas to report weather experienced, if and when it does not align with forecast weather, as can often be the case within Shetland’s complex microclimate. Perhaps the best illustration of this comes during balmy summer days where warm moist air arriving from the east becomes mist and haar on the east coast of Shetland, while the west bathes in clear sunshine! – users can share reports of the haar or sunshine respectively.
Not only can you self-report the weather, but I’ve built in to the forecast algorithm that if conditions suggest it will be misty on the east side and not the west, the app will alert to the contrast – maybe making for a fine day at the beach that would otherwise be missed in the mist! Another innovation is a set of “activities” icons that refer to whether it is a good day for particular outdoor activities. They each have their role to play.
Big Midgie was built out of a simple frustration: existing midge forecasts cover Scotland in broad strokes, but Shetland has its own conditions, its own season, and its own relationship with Culicoides impunctatus — the Highland biting midge.
Wind is everything up here. On most days it keeps the midgies at bay. But on those rare calm evenings in July, with the sun barely dipping below the horizon and the peat bogs breathing warm damp air — you need to know. And you need to know specifically, not just “moderate risk across northern Scotland.”
This forecast is built on a purpose-designed algorithm that accounts for Shetland’s unique conditions: the near-24-hour daylight of midsummer, the dominant role of wind and topographic shelter, and the specific habitats — blanket bog, sheltered voes, wooded valleys — that make some locations far worse than others.
Scalloway.net is an information resource for the village of Scalloway and the surrounding communities. The website contains useful information on village life, events, activities and history. It also has a unique scalloway webcam, so you can view the harbour from the west, any time, day or night.
The webcam is a prototype and still being tested, so may be down at times, but never for long. We’re hoping to add more webcams around the village as time goes on- it’s a beautiful place!
selcateringscalloway.co.uk is the website for our own holiday let business, at Viewcliff Cottage and Chalet. Viewcliff is a beautiful historic cottage, restored to modern standards in the leafy backstreets of picturesque Scalloway. Private mature wooded garden, sheltered and tranquil. Short walk to the waterfront and all visitor amenities or open moorland with stunning views just a stride away. A central starting point for your Shetland experience with nearby transport links and a convenient location in the island’s ancient capital of Scalloway. Stunning views to the harbour, Scalloway Castle and nearby islands, and host location for the Scalloway Webcam.
shetlandimages: You can find me on Youtube, where I post occasional videos, sometimes serious, sometimes not at all serious.