CWOP - totally underwhelming experience

[RayProudfoot]

A friend convinced me that sending my data to CWOP would be a useful thing to do as I could compare my data with nearby stations.

So yesterday I went through a fairly complex sign up procedure and was sent an ID - DW8024. Once I had seen my first data packets were being received I sent an email confirming I had started sending data via Cumulus.

This morning, 18 hours later I have still to receive any acknowledgement but notice I'm in the list of Unregistered stations that data is being received from.

Whilst I can see my own data the bigger picture isn't exactly setting my world on fire. To be honest it looks more like graphics from 15 years ago. I also upload to PWS and theirs is a nice looking site with the same data presented in a far better way.

At what point does my unregistered station become a registered one? Does it rely on a few people doing something? I would have expected that once you start sending data your station would become registered automatically.

How many of you send to this service and what do you feel about it? Am I being unduly critical?

[steve]

I think that you need to wait until Russ Chadwick has read and processed the email that you send when you confirm that your data is being sent OK and your location is correct (step C here: http://www.findu.com/citizenweather/signup.html). Although, I can't find any record of having sent him an email, possibly he just regularly processes batches of new stations.

I upload to CWOP simply because I upload to everything, for testing purposes. I only ever look at the CWOP site when someone has a problem or query. I too find PWS to be the most easily understandable of all of the various sites (but I think WOW looks promising).

[RayProudfoot]

Thanks Steve. I have sent an email to Russell which was a different email address to the one I posted to yesterday.

I have noticed that Registered stations' data can be compared to other registered stations so perhaps once mine is registered it will be slightly more useful although I agree with you that WOW's compare feature looks good.

LATER: I've just had my message returned from the address in your link. Looks like they need to update their documentation. Hopefully the one I sent to yesterday will be processed as that hasn't been bounced.

[gemini06720]

Ray, my 'other' weather software has been posting to the Citizen Weather Observer Program (CWOP) site for years. I am also using a script to download the data from the CWOP site and include it into my weather site, such as the [link removed] and the [link removed] pages.

It might not produced the nicest graphics but the site is a good repository for one's weather station - and remember that the site is not sponsored by any large businesses...

Here is a link to the [link removed] weather data on CWOP.

[RayProudfoot]

It might not produced the nicest graphics but the site is a good repository for one's weather station - and remember that the site is not sponsored by any large businesses...

Ray, of all the sites I upload to:- CWOP, my own website, Wunderground, PWS and the UK Met Office's WOW, CWOP looks the least polished. Maybe it was set up many years ago and without any sponsorship has not progressed as others have.

At least WUnderground 'reward' providers with an advert-free site but CWOPs looks so bare it isn't attractive to those on this side of the pond where, for example, the radar facilities are non-existent.

Your own site certainly shows the data at its best.