We’d like to reiterate a few things and let you know of a few small timing changes as we move closer to the previously announced retirement of the Weather Underground API:
- Based on the response to the previous announcement as we neared year end, we have extended the retirement date to February 15, 2019 to allow you more transition time.
- All Weather Underground API keys will stop working on February 15, 2019 unless otherwise agreed upon with Weather Underground.
- All credit card charges for existing Weather Underground API subscriptions will stop on December 26, 2018.
Personal Weather Station (PWS) owners/contributors will continue to be eligible for a free replacement API service selected from our standard IBM/Weather Company standard offerings that contain:
- Current observations from the PWS network
- 5 day daily forecast
- PWS historical data
- PWS lookup by geocode, zip code and location
- Call volume: 1500/day, 30/minute
You can check out our PWS contributor replacement API documentation here.
If you need higher call volumes, you can still sign up for a paid API subscription plan from The Weather Company. Prices begin at $200/month. To have a representative contact you or to request a demo, please click to fill out the contact form.
Finally, we are humbled by the loyalty you’ve shown us during this difficult transition period. Thank you for your continued support of the Weather Underground community.
With gratitude,
The WU API Transition Team
Tim Roche, Official Rep
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Posted 11 months ago
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thanks for the update.
I do not have a PWS but am thinking of getting one. Will it be possible to get the same terms as people who already have a PWS or not?
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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--Victoria
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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If you want to transition to a paid data subscription, you should investigate the options and fill out the form on this page: http://biz.weather.com/WU-Data-API_Data-Package-Demo-Request.html.
The post you're commenting on is the most up-to-date information on the transition to the API for PWS owner/uploaders.
If you would like to get added to my email list for PWS owners, email me your PWS id, and your API key, and I will send you information as it becomes available. But it will fundamentally be the same information found on this Forum.
Victoria Gardner
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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I just learned about this api key change today. Since our account
was set up prior to me being here, and the prior person has been gone for over
2 years, I requested a password change. Nothing was sent.
I need to get more info about this. We are a very small company (<$100k in
revenue annually), 1 full-time employee, me, and some consultants. We only use
the weather radar overlay.
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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--Victoria
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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Victoria Gardner
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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The web pages that you can see on the Weather Underground PWS pages will continue to display the 10-day forecasts.
Does that answer the question? The "program on Android" is what was confusing me.
-Victoria
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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--Victoria
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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--Victoria
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However I still can not see anything about the non-PWS owner low call volume option.
Is there still something like this planned or has that option being abandoned?
My suspicion is that we "free leechers" are being terminated. Afterall a business is there to make money, right?
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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The Weather Company offers limited-time-length trial keys for their paid subscriptions. For more information, see http://biz.weather.com/WU-Data-API_Data-Package-Demo-Request.html
We again thank everyone who has been part of using Weather Underground as the old API comes to an end, and wish everyone the best in their future endeavors.
Victoria Gardner
Victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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I just learned about this api key change today. Since our account
was set up prior to me being here, and the prior person has been gone for over
2 years, I requested a password change. Nothing was sent.
I need to get more info about this. We are a very small company (<$100k in
revenue annually), 1 full-time employee, me, and some consultants. We only use
the weather radar overlay.
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
- 618 Posts
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The old API is gone. There's nothing to change a password on.
If you send me an email, I can get you to a sales rep. Include your old API key there.
--Victoria
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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For developers who use WU API data for non-commercial purposes, you will have access to a new plan for a personal use, low call volume API. Stay tuned for more details as we build this out.
Where is that information?
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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The Weather Company offers limited-time-length trial keys for their paid subscriptions. For more information, see http://biz.weather.com/WU-Data-API_Data-Package-Demo-Request.html
We again thank everyone who has been part of using Weather Underground as the old API comes to an end, and wish everyone the best in their future endeavors.
Victoria Gardner
Victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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Please forward my displeasure to the relevant person.
It is extremely disappointing that the low volume non-commercial API usage will be withdrawn completely. My requirements are to use less than 10 calls a day for 6 months of the year, so as you can expect I can not justify $200/month on a project that is non profit, diverting funds away from other places. However its not like we weren't prepared to pay something or even asked to - were happy to contribute but not to the extent requested.
The first email failing to be received by seemingly anyone was unfortunate. The announcement at the time stating there will be plans for users exactly like myself, a muck-up. The lack of an email on the update, shows a lack of care.
On the up side, less than 6 weeks until your job goes back to normal levels of support requests - hope they don't turn their back on you too.
I will make other arrangements for data unless someone reaches out to me via email.
James
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The PWS owners are the source of all the data. However, they will only get 5 day forecast instead of the previous 10 day. There's no hourly forecast. Is this the way people are being thanked for all the PWS data?
As already mentioned, there are plenty of other companies that offer the data for low usage experimentation and development. In particular darksky.net offers 7 day forecast both daily and hourly in a json format. It took very little time to convert my programs and customers to that web site.
When I worked for IBM, people would have been fired if they suggested retiring an existing API before the new API was available and tested.
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Much easier AWEKAS, CWOP, PWSweather, Weathercloud or staying at WU.
(No API required at any of the services in the line above to post data)
Currently you can still manually download data from your station on WU w/o an api. If you don't collect it by another method.
I can not speak to the future of that feature. Perhaps Victoria Gardner knows.
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Just out of curiosity - are there other websites that would take data that have an API?
I do not have my PWS yet but looking for places where I can share it.
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https://wiki.meteobridge.com/wiki/index.php/Home
Edit: It is shown as discontinued on Ambient's site, but it is still offered on Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/Ambient-Weather-WEATHERBRIDGE-Universal-Compatible/dp/B00FPPYM7M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547240107&sr=8-1&keywords=WEATHERBRIDGE
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and flash your own for much lower cost following simple flashing from meteobridge.com
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In order to begin our transition we need access to PWS contributor replacement API. Every day without access is shortening our transition time.
Any idea when we can gain access to begin testing and transitioning?
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I have been waiting since Nov of 2017 for info on this changeover and seems everyone daily is asking the same with the same We will let you know when we get more info Its getting old and boring. Feb 15 is a month away and and not alot of time left for us to do the major re-writes to our software..The owner of meteotemplate.com needs to know soon to be able to re-write his software also.
Again... we are asking when will we get a more solid answer. Time is running out.
Andy out...
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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Victoria Gardner
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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Am I missing something? I genuinely want to help.
Victoria
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Valid for the nine pieces of data listed in the documentation, and in JSON format only.
You won't be happy.
Tom
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Question. Will the WU site also be changing in any form also on the 15th of Feb or remain WU as is?
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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Didn't mean that to be a non-answer answer, but there it is.
--Victoria
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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@ivo said:Please provide some feedback over on their forum using the above link.
Would you like to report your weather station data to Windy?
Are you owner of personal weather station? Are you maintainer of network of weather stations?
We plan to create API endpoints so you could send your weather station data to us. Please help us to do this project by answering following questions:
1) What type of weather station you have
2) Do you report your data to some other Internet website?
3) How technically do you send your reports to this other website. Which software or protocol do you use.
4) Do you have any tips and ideas, how should our reporting API look like?
5) Would you be willing to offer your station data to anyone else (not only windy.com) as open data?
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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We'd like to remind our PWS owners/contributors:
- Your past data will always be available to you for viewing and download in a web browser on wunderground.com, just like it always has.
- If you are in the small minority of people who use the WU API and a corresponding WU API key to obtain data in .json format, here's what's happening:
- You'll sign up and get a new API key for the new API
- Once the registration page is open, we'll keep the old API and your old API key active for 2 weeks to allow transition time to your new key
We'll announce in the forum when the registration page opens.
Or, email victoria.gardner@ibm.com to receive an email notification once it's ready.
- The new API will provide access to
- Current observations from the PWS network
- 5 day daily forecast
- PWS historical data
- PWS lookup by geocode, zip code and location
- Call volume: 1500/day, 30/minute
The documentation for the new API is available here.
Victoria Gardner
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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I make an hourly call to get the forecast data and decode the json to get the information I need, so only 24 calls a day (unless WU dont return a decent forecast json and the I call it again). I do use the radar call to grab an image every 15 minutes so thats 96 more, so 120 calls / day.
I have been trying Darkskys API and it gives far more information and I am in the process of converting my website and will switch over in a few days. As for the Radar, I can live without it until I can find another source. The WU radar image was hit and miss anyway.
So I am sorry WU, the new significantly reduced API is not a big enough carrott for me to keep providing you with my PWS data. You need to consider upping the ante before myself and many other loyal WU supporters switch off. I am sure there will be many many API users globally who are not even aware that the API is changing and will suddenly start hitting WU wanting to know why it has stopped. I think WU are in for interesting times and I hope the powers that be reconsider.
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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If you want to be added to the list, please email me with your PWS ID, and your API key(s) if you have any.
Victoria Gardner
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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Thank you for keeping us informed.
As for this not making sense to any coder you sir are wrong. I have been writing code for over thirty years and I understand the business decision has made by buying a company and deprecating the purchased company API in favor of the buyers existing API.
Paul
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Logic says if they are keeping the existing upload API logic dictates the same for download from the same existing API which WORKS.
What Victoria refuses to answer is this....
API users will be charged 3 API calls for each segment of data they require from the existing 1 API call. The end results will be to force the users to eventually having to pay the FREE API data they supply to IBM because they will more then likely exhaust their free plan.
Don't pee in my soup and tell me you are warming it up...
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There are companies that sell devices and/or services that rely on W data which puts a burden on Wunderground. There's quite a few DIY IOT projects that people expect to be able to access for free. Now that W wants to charge that will piss people off but so long as they are willing to waive that for people that upload I'm willing to continue to provide data.
I'm glad to hear that the upload API is not changing at least at this time. I would expect the number of hits per second or minute or what ever time period you want to consider for accessing data far exceeds the number of API calls for uploading so it's not as critical that the upload API be replaced immediately especially if they don't want to risk losing lots of PWS providers.
However when products or API's being deprecated they usually give you a reasonable amount of time to phase over to the new stuff AFTER the replacement has been made available.
Unless I missed something, it sound like as soon as the new API and keys are available we are expected to drop what we are doing and rewrite our code or hope that the developers of any devices or library packages we use will be able to make changes and make it available for us to install and test again within a two week window which we don't know in advance. What happens if we are on vacation or busy with work or family or other commitments or a combination? That's the part that I do not think is reasonable.
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Paul- You have never needed an api to get your own data. You can download a csv file from your site’s homepage.
William- WU has alternate sources for data. I am not sure how much (if any) the PWS system factors into the “new” WU/TWC/IBM algorithm. I personally am just glad they are still allowing the wundermap.
Claude- You need to be aware that the data available to call will only be the 5 approved data sets (see the documentation). Also there will be no xml calls allowed.
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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We are providing 3x more data than before. And you seem to be the only person who keeps bring this up. As someone who has looked at so many many keys I can't even begin to think of the number anymore, I can tell you there's not a magic 3-calls-in-one thing going on here. Users of the old API don't all make combined calls. I don't know why you harp on this.
The old API only allowed 500 calls on a free API key. In the new system PWS API owners will get 1500 per day. Yes, there is a relatively restricted range of forecast data, but it's free. PWS historical data, free. PWS lookup by geocode, zip code and location, free. Current observations from the PWS network, free.
If you don't want it, that is your prerogative.
Any PWS uploaders who want to be added to the email list for more information as it becomes available about the new PWS API, send me an email with your PWS ID and your API key, if you have one.
Victoria Gardner
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
Victoria Gardner, Official Rep
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When the gateway is open, I (or one of my colleagues) will also post the information on the Forum, so if you would prefer to check back in this space, that is also an option.
Victoria Gardner
victoria.gardner@ibm.com
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Sorry if I go against the grain here but I think I have been more than compensated for my data.
Tom
And Mike. You will still be able to get a forecast for your area (or any other area) without using the api or donating data. The issue is the API which allows you to use WU/TWC data on another website automatically by converting the ‘code’ from WU into displayable data over a regular interval.
You will still be able to go to wunderground.com and enter a zip code and get all the forecasts you want.
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