Freese-Notis

Freese-Notis is a weather forecasting corporation associated with meteorology, weather analytics, digital weather content, and related information services. The company was established in 1973 by Charlie Notis and Harvey Freese, who were graduate students at Iowa State University during the oil crisis. The business began on the university campus in Ames, Iowa, and was formally organized as a partnership on May 1, 1973. Its first office equipment was a typewriter, which was reportedly used as collateral for shares of stock. A friend suggested the name Freese-Notis Weather. The company initially developed its reputation through broadcast weather forecasting. Its name occasionally caused confusion among radio listeners, particularly during the summer, because some interpreted the announced “Freese-Notis” forecast as a reference to a “freeze notice.” Over time, the company broadened its work beyond conventional public forecasts. Its expertise became particularly relevant to natural-gas, energy, commodity, agricultural, and other weather-sensitive markets, where forecasts could support operational planning, risk assessment, and trading decisions. Freese-Notis became an early participant in online weather publishing during the mid-1990s. In 1995, Quote.com used meteorologist-produced content from the company and presented weather information alongside commodity symbols, making the material accessible to traders and other market participants. During the same period, Freese-Notis supplied sponsored and subscription-based weather pages for Successful Farming’s website, targeting farmers and agricultural producers. The company also developed InterRAD, a Doppler weather radar service that presented national, regional, and local views across the contiguous United States and the District of Columbia, with a particular emphasis on agricultural use. The online service model evolved after 2000 as web portals, mobile applications, and specialized weather-map displays became more important. Freese-Notis also provided weather content for other commercial websites. One documented example involved Azurix, whose irrigation-oriented website used Freese-Notis forecasts and maps to help users assess water consumption, irrigation conditions, and operational risk. The company’s broader digital model incorporated advertising, sponsorship, and subscriber-funded content rather than relying solely on direct broadcast distribution. Freese-Notis has also been described as providing Internet access through DSL and web-hosting services in addition to its meteorological activities. Its weather products have supported media, web publishing, agriculture, energy, commodities, and other industries in the United States and abroad. Available reference material identifies Des Moines, Iowa, as its headquarters and describes a global presence, but does not provide sufficient information to establish its current ownership, leadership, financial condition, listed status, or present operating status.

Freese-Notis originated at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, during the 1973 oil crisis. Its founders, Charlie Notis and Harvey Freese, were graduate students at the university. They formalized their partnership on May 1, 1973, beginning with minimal equipment: a typewriter served as the first office machine and was used as collateral for stock interests. The company adopted the name Freese-Notis Weather after a friend proposed it. In its early years, the company built a public profile through radio forecasting. The unusual name sometimes led listeners to misunderstand broadcasts, with some hearing the service as a “freeze notice,” especially during summer weather reports. The business later expanded its commercial focus toward sectors in which weather could affect prices, supply, transportation, production, or operating risk. Natural-gas and energy markets became important areas of expertise, alongside agriculture, commodities, media, and online information services. A significant development came in 1995, when Quote.com became an early online distributor of Freese-Notis meteorological material. The content was written by meteorologists and displayed with commodity symbols, helping connect weather information with financial and commodity-market analysis. Around the same period, the company supplied sponsored and subscription services through Successful Farming’s web presence, reaching farmers and agricultural producers. Freese-Notis also developed InterRAD, a Doppler radar presentation intended to show national, regional, and local conditions across the contiguous United States and the District of Columbia. The service was particularly oriented toward agricultural users who needed weather information for crop, irrigation, and production decisions. After 2000, the system developed into a newer generation of web-portal services incorporating mobile applications and additional weather-map formats. The company’s content was used by other commercial web properties as well. Azurix incorporated Freese-Notis weather information into an irrigation-focused service, where forecast maps helped users consider water consumption and operational risk. Freese-Notis also supplied weather services to Enron’s trading operation and continued to be recognized by that organization in 2001 despite Enron’s wider corporate difficulties. Over time, the company’s digital publishing model moved among advertising-supported, sponsor-supported, and subscription-based approaches. Reference material describes Freese-Notis as headquartered in Des Moines and active internationally in meteorology, analytics, and related services. It also identifies historical or associated offerings in DSL Internet access and web hosting. The available material does not establish a reliable current account of ownership, corporate control, executive management, financial performance, or whether all historical service lines remain active.

• 2001

  Continued recognition by Enron trading

  [1]Freese-Notisen.wikipedia.org

  Freese-Notis was reported to have remained among the weather-service recipients recognized by Enron Trading during 2001, despite Enron’s emerging corporate crisis.

• 1995

  Expansion into online commodity and agricultural weather content

  [1]Freese-Notisen.wikipedia.org

  Quote.com began using Freese-Notis meteorological content with commodity symbols, while the company also supplied sponsored and subscription-based material for Successful Farming’s website.

• 1995

  InterRAD radar service

  [1]Freese-Notisen.wikipedia.org

  Freese-Notis provided Doppler radar imagery with national, regional, and local coverage for the contiguous United States and the District of Columbia, with agricultural users as a key audience.

• 1973

  Business founded in Iowa

  [1]Freese-Notisen.wikipedia.org

  Charlie Notis and Harvey Freese established the business at Iowa State University in Ames during the oil crisis. Their partnership was formalized on May 1, 1973.

A specialized weather and meteorological information provider serving broadcast, digital-media, agriculture, energy, commodity, and other weather-sensitive markets, with additional historical Internet-access and web-hosting activities.

• Meteorological services · 1973

  Weather forecasting

  Freese-Notis’s core activity has been the production and distribution of weather forecasts. Its forecasting work has served broadcast audiences as well as commercial users in agriculture, energy, commodities, media, and other sectors where weather affects planning or risk.

• Weather radar and mapping · 1995

  InterRAD

  InterRAD was a Doppler weather radar service presenting national, regional, and local views across the contiguous United States and the District of Columbia. It was especially designed for agricultural and producer audiences and later evolved for web portals, mobile applications, and other digital map formats.

• Market intelligence · 1995

  Commodity-oriented weather content

  Meteorologist-written weather material was distributed through Quote.com with commodity symbols, linking forecast information to the needs of traders and other participants in weather-sensitive markets.

• Agricultural information services · 1995

  Agricultural weather services

  The company supplied weather pages, forecasts, radar imagery, and map-based information for agricultural audiences, including users concerned with irrigation, water use, crop operations, and weather-related production risk.

• Web and mobile content · 1995

  Digital weather publishing

  Freese-Notis distributed weather information through sponsored, advertising-supported, and subscriber-funded web pages. Following the expansion of web portals after 2000, related services included mobile applications and additional weather-map displays.

• Internet services

  DSL Internet access and web hosting

  Reference material associates Freese-Notis with DSL Internet access and web-hosting services alongside its meteorological business. The available sources do not establish the duration, scale, or current availability of these offerings.

• 2000

  Evolution of InterRAD for newer digital platformsGeneration change

  Background

  Web portals and mobile formats were becoming more important channels for weather information after 2000.

  Action taken

  The InterRAD service evolved into a newer generation designed for web portals, mobile applications, and additional weather-map presentations.

  Aftermath

  Freese-Notis’s radar and mapping capabilities became adaptable to a wider range of digital distribution formats.

  Source

• 1995

  Move into digital and market-oriented weather informationStrategy

  Background

  The growth of commercial online services created new ways to distribute forecasts beyond radio and other traditional media. Weather information was also increasingly valuable to commodity, agricultural, and energy users.

  Action taken

  Freese-Notis supplied meteorologist-produced content to Quote.com, developed weather material for Successful Farming’s web audience, and offered radar and map-based services through online channels.

  Aftermath

  The company expanded from broadcast forecasting into web publishing, digital radar, subscription services, sponsored content, and industry-specific information products.

  Source

1. 1Freese-Notisen.wikipedia.org