A New Horizon Institute for Medical and Health Sciences graduate student has created an app that shows you where the light is coming from and where you can find it.
The app, called Beyond the Horizon, is designed to help those who are experiencing extreme weather, like the devastating wildfires that have ravaged Southern California, understand where light can be seen from the ground.
“We can’t predict what will happen in the future,” said John D. Fogg, a professor at the institute who is also a medical doctor and the author of the book “Beyond the Horizons.”
“The best thing we can do is try to keep our eye on the horizon and let it help us predict what is going to happen.”
BeyondTheHorizons.com has been downloaded more than 1 million times.
Figg, who has also written several books on weather forecasting, said the app has been used to find light at night.
He said the goal is to make weather prediction more accessible.
“It is kind of like the internet for weather forecasting,” he said.
“There is a lot of stuff out there, and I think this is the best solution.”
Fogg, who previously worked as a medical director at the National Weather Service, said he had developed the app after seeing how people in Southern California struggled with extreme weather conditions.
He said he learned early on that the majority of people who reported experiencing extreme heat were using the app, which he said is based on the assumption that the sky is always dark and there is no light at all.
“We were able to find that out pretty quickly,” he told NBC News.
“People who are seeing light are not seeing clouds.
They are seeing a blue sky.
If they are seeing clouds, they are going to see light.
If there is light they are not going to be able to see anything.
That was a really clear message to me.”
The app uses data collected by satellites and is designed for use by people who have never flown before, like those who need to navigate for long distances.
The user also is able to search for light with a simple button and see what is around them.
The app is designed with the aid of technology, but Fogg said he has learned how to use it for the benefit of everyone.
“I have to say that it is really important for the people that have never used this before to be really aware of the technology that we have,” he added.
“We really want to make this as accessible as possible.”
In an email to NBC News, the institute said it is aware of BeyondTheHobizons.org, which it said was created by students.
The institute said Beyond The Horizon uses information from weather stations around the world.