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Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Thu 08 Nov 2018 8:58 pm
by GSV3MiaC
I just saw that WU are pulling their free API (thanks IBM) and while they promise we PWS uploaders will still get access, it has yet to happen. I'm peeved because I use WU to save my data for others to see, but I use the API (with Domoticz) to download the PWS data into my home management systems .. have yet to figure out how to get Domoticz to access the Cumulus data files (which are on another machine on the network) directly.

I assume everyone except me is already aware of the WU changes .. if so, does anyone have any inputs/comments/plans? Are we going to keep sending WU out PWS data so IBM can sell it ?

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Thu 08 Nov 2018 10:16 pm
by ConligWX
Yep I posted about this here in June of this year.

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=16969

WU/IBM have been destroying the web services for sometime. The information being released from them is very vague, and not forthcoming.

Plenty of discussion too on the Trello boards and wxforums. I'm afraid it will be a wait a see approach I guess though I wold not hold my breathe for too long.

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Thu 08 Nov 2018 11:19 pm
by saratogaWX
There are two parts to the WU-API discussion:

1) PWS users submitting data to WU will be able to get their data (they say) and likely via the existing 'Download as CSV' function on a PWS station page and not via the current (discontinuing WU-API+key).

2) Current WU-API users who are getting forecast (5 or 10 day) info via the WU-API+key will be turned off in Jan 2019. The replacement for hobbyists has not been announced. Commercial users will have to switch to the costly weather.com API instead.

Re (2) -- the fate of WU-forecast.php script hangs on what they do with offering a free/low-volume access key for 5 or 10 day forecasts or not. If not, then the script will be deprecated, and I'll try something with DarkSky instead. If yes, then I'll try using the new API (which is unspecified at this time).

Follow along on the discussions at https://apicommunity.wunderground.com/w ... ground-api
Lots of unsatisfied folks commenting there (self, included).

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Thu 08 Nov 2018 11:23 pm
by ConligWX
saratogaWX wrote: Thu 08 Nov 2018 11:19 pm
Re (2) -- the fate of WU-forecast.php script hangs on what they do with offering a free/low-volume access key for 5 or 10 day forecasts or not. If not, then the script will be deprecated, and I'll try something with DarkSky instead. If yes, then I'll try using the new API (which is unspecified at this time).
Ken I know the Met office have an API but it maybe only available to UK users.

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/datapoint

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Thu 08 Nov 2018 11:33 pm
by saratogaWX
Yes, various country Met Offices offer some APIs for country-specific forecasts -- I was looking for a service that offers world-wide coverage like WU does. I didn't want to have to write a bunch of scripts (one per country).. just lazy, I guess.

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Fri 09 Nov 2018 12:41 am
by RayProudfoot
I have solar panels and provide the output data to this site.
https://www.pvoutput.org/intraday.jsp?i ... &sid=28300

I applied for an API from WU around 4 years ago to display a temperature line and it still appears to be working.

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Fri 09 Nov 2018 7:54 am
by ConligWX
RayProudfoot wrote: Fri 09 Nov 2018 12:41 am I have solar panels and provide the output data to this site.
https://www.pvoutput.org/intraday.jsp?i ... &sid=28300

I applied for an API from WU around 4 years ago to display a temperature line and it still appears to be working.
yeap the WU API still work for now. December afaik is the cut off date for WU and free APIs

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Fri 09 Nov 2018 9:15 am
by GSV3MiaC
Thanks all, that accords with what i heard. I wonder if there is another place to put/get my pws data, or some other method to suck it into domoticz (which runs on a synology server elsewhere on the network, so can't directly see the cumulus data files .. at least i haven't figured out how)

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Fri 09 Nov 2018 9:30 am
by RayProudfoot
ConligWX wrote: Fri 09 Nov 2018 7:54 am yeap the WU API still work for now. December afaik is the cut off date for WU and free APIs
Losing it would not be a problem but it does make the exchange of data very one-sided. Without user weather data WU would be nothing.

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Fri 09 Nov 2018 9:45 am
by mcrossley
The other thing happening is that lots of these cheap weather stations automatically upload to wu and don't offer much else. Two sides to that, they may lose API access to their data completely, the other that most of them are supplying poor quality data anyway and diluting the value of wu.

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Fri 09 Nov 2018 2:04 pm
by ConligWX
If WU dont help us PWS owners out then I'm done with them. for over a year I haev emailed them about one site near me that shows temperatures that show UK records in the winter. -31.9c I think at one stage...

https://www.wunderground.com/personal-w ... UNITEDK471

yet WU refuse to answer any emails or block this sites data uploads. it amazes me that all they are interested in is data, but hey any data will do as long as its data.

WU's integrity is at an all time low.

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Fri 09 Nov 2018 4:54 pm
by mcrossley
saratogaWX wrote: Thu 08 Nov 2018 11:33 pm Yes, various country Met Offices offer some APIs for country-specific forecasts -- I was looking for a service that offers world-wide coverage like WU does. I didn't want to have to write a bunch of scripts (one per country).. just lazy, I guess.
The UK Met Office DataPoint forecasts do offer worldwide data, but with the rider - "contact them about access"

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Fri 09 Nov 2018 11:07 pm
by RayProudfoot
ConligWX wrote: Fri 09 Nov 2018 2:04 pm If WU dont help us PWS owners out then I'm done with them. for over a year I haev emailed them about one site near me that shows temperatures that show UK records in the winter. -31.9c I think at one stage...

https://www.wunderground.com/personal-w ... UNITEDK471

yet WU refuse to answer any emails or block this sites data uploads. it amazes me that all they are interested in is data, but hey any data will do as long as its data.

WU's integrity is at an all time low.
And just to rub salt into the wound that site has a Goldstar award for the quality of its reports. What a bloody joke. Temp currently showing -5C when the actual temp is around +8C. :roll:

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Sat 10 Nov 2018 3:40 pm
by nitrx
LOL I want Platinum stars :D

Re: Weather Underground API .. oops

Posted: Sun 11 Nov 2018 6:40 pm
by mcrossley
Right, I've switched my main page from using Weather Underground to UK Met. Office for the 'nowcast' and 5 day forecast summary. I'll have to see how robust it is...