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April 25, 2014
NikeFuel Weather Activity
In partnership with Nike, we’ve created NikeFuel Weather Activity, a website that connects 2013 Nike+ FuelBand activity with localized weather data, allowing users to see how daily temperature, rain, and snow affect personal, statewide, and national movement patterns in the U.S. The site features an interactive map that illustrates how states and regions react differently to changes in the weather. You can see, for instance, that what’s considered warm in the Midwest is still too cold for the South to get moving, or that the Rocky Mountain states are the only region to turn up their intensity in extreme heat. In addition, the site provides Nike+ FuelBand users with personalized stats and interactive graphics, so individuals can see how temperature, rain, and snow affect their minute-to-minute and daily activity patterns.
The U.S. earns peak NikeFuel at 66 degrees.

We connected minute-to-minute activity data for U.S. Nike+ FuelBand users with data from the nearest NOAA weather station. By associating each individual’s NikeFuel with the weather data most proximate to their postal code, we were able to see how regions reacted differently to varying types of weather. The Midwest improves the most as daily temperatures heat up, and the South is most negatively impacted when the cold blows in.

From coast to coast, below-freezing temperatures have the most negative impact on NikeFuel activity across the states.
The typically dry Southwest takes a hit when the rain comes in.

The map measures the percent difference of each state’s temperature-specific NikeFuel earnings from its overall average daily NikeFuel, so each state’s positive and negative changes are measured only in comparison to its own daily performance. Using the NikeFuel color scheme, low red states indicate that a state is performing far below its overall daily average, while raised green states are performing well above their overall average NikeFuel.

The site features personalized information about how the weather impacts individuals’ daily intensity levels and frequency of workouts. Nike+ FuelBand users can see the nuances between their general activity and the number of weekly workouts at each temperature range. FuelBand users can also see the weather on their “Best Day,” and find out their personal “Sweet Spot,” or the temperature at which they earn the most daily NikeFuel. To see one of our earlier projects exploring Nike+ FuelBand data, take a look at 2013 Year in NikeFuel.

A personalized chart of weekly workouts and 'Hours Won' at each temperature range, in addition to a distribution of daily intensity levels at each temperature
Overall NikeFuel by temperature range
Spencer C., do you run marathons or something?

We’re pretty excited about the site because it allows users to gain tangible insight on their behavioral patterns. It's easy to assume we get the rainy day blues, or that we’re more active when temperatures warm up, but NikeFuel Weather Activity gives an honest depiction of how the weather impacts our movement. Next time you feel like chatting about the weather, talk about your movement instead; we’ve got a hunch there aren’t too many degrees of separation between the two.

We’d love to hear what you’re working on, what you’re intrigued by, and what messy data problems we can help you solve. Find us on the web, drop us a line at hello@fathom.info, or subscribe to our newsletter.