Author Topic: Changes to the WeatherBug Backyard/Earth Networks PWS Program  (Read 15924 times)

parkernathan

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We've made some changes to the WeatherBug Backyard/Earth Networks PWS program that affects your PWS publishing software. See below for details.

Also, Earth Networks sold the WeatherBug brand to GroundTruth back in 2016. GroundTruth now handles development of the consumer WeatherBug.com and WeatherBug apps, but Earth Networks is still powering the data on WeatherBug (since we still own the weather station network and weather data feeds). More details are available here: https://www.earthnetworks.com/weatherbug/

Changes to the Backyard and Earth Networks PWS Program for Publishing Partners

Dear PWS publishing partner,

Thank you for your continued support of the Backyard and Earth Networks PWS program. We appreciate your partnership over the years helping PWS owners send data to the Earth Networks weather station network.

We are discontinuing the Backyard and Earth Networks PWS program which affects your PWS publishing application or PWS publishing hardware appliance. Please implement the following changes into your PWS publishing application or PWS publishing hardware appliance at your earliest convenience.


We are transitioning PWS owners from the old Backyard and Earth Networks PWS program to the NWS CWOP (the Citizens Weather Observer Program managed by the National Weather Service).  Earth Networks will continue to receive this weather station network data through the NOAA MADIS service. Once the transition is complete, we will no longer be directly managing the PWS publishing API?s or PWS publishing system that is tied to the old Backyard/Earth Networks PWS program, and we will be phasing out the old system once the transition is complete.

Here is what you will need to complete in order to successfully transition to NWS CWOP:

   ? 1.   Implement NWS CWOP publishing into your PWS publishing app or PWS hardware appliance if support for NWS CWOP isn?t already included.

To learn how you can implement NWS CWOP into your PWS publishing app or PWS hardware appliance, please visit: http://wxqa.com/cwop_info.htm.

For questions regarding how to implement NWS CWOP publishing into your PWS publishing app or PWS hardware appliance, please email cwop-support@noaa.gov.

If you already support NWS CWOP publishing, you are already set for the first step. NWS CWOP is also referred to as ?APRS WXNET?. Both terms describe the same weather station network.

   ? 2.   Please remove the ?WeatherBug? publishing feature from your PWS publishing app or PWS hardware appliance. We will be phasing out support for this API and publishing service after the transition to NWS CWOP is complete. This will occur before the end of May 2018.  Please ensure you include this change in a future updates to your PWS publishing app or PWS hardware appliance firmware.

   ? 3.   Instruct your PWS users to transition to NWS CWOP in order to continue sending data from their PWS into the Earth Networks weather network and into websites and apps that utilize Earth Networks weather data. Instruct them to visit http://wxqa.com for more information about NWS CWOP.

Earth Networks will also be communicating a message directly to PWS owners regarding the transition. PWS owners are welcome to email Earth Networks with questions regarding the transition to pws@earthnetworks.com (Earth Networks will no longer continue troubleshooting of the current PWS system since it is being discontinued effective June 1, 2018).

If you have any questions concerning the transition to NWS CWOP, please email pws@earthnetworks.com. Once you have successfully completed the transition, all future questions with regard to NWS CWOP will need to be directed to cwop-support@noaa.gov.

We have already sent a message to PWS owners. However, if you wish to share a message with PWS owners, please use the following message below.

Changes to the Earth Networks PWS Program

Dear personal weather station owner,

Effective at the end of May 2018, Earth Networks will be changing the way we receive data from your personal weather station. We are discontinuing the Earth Networks PWS program but will continue to integrate your data via the NWS CWOP network. This change will make it easier for personal weather station owners to provide their data to Earth Networks, as well as services that utilize Earth Networks weather data.

CWOP stands for ?Citizens Weather Observer Program?. It is a network of personal weather stations managed by the National Weather Service as a method of providing citizens a simple avenue for sharing their personal weather station data with both the National Weather Service and the world. There are over 800 organizations who utilize data from the NWS CWOP network. The NWS CWOP program is also known as the ?APRS WXNET? program.

Earth Networks ingests date from NWS CWOP data through the NOAA MADIS service (data from NWS CWOP stations automatically flows into the NOAA MADIS service), which allows all NWS CWOP stations to automatically undergo a quality-control check to ensure quality weather station data on our network.

More information about the NWS CWOP program can be found by going to http://wxqa.com.  Frequently asked questions about the NWS CWOP program are available at http://www.wxqa.com/faq.html. The steps to connect to NWS CWOP are also included below.

If you are already sending data from your personal weather station to NWS CWOP, you are already set in the transition, and data from your personal weather station will automatically flow into the Earth Networks weather station network. You will only need to disable ?WeatherBug? publishing from your personal weather station publishing application to ensure your personal weather station is no longer transmitting data to the Earth Networks PWS system (which will be shut down at the end of May 2018).


Steps to connect your personal weather station to NWS CWOP:

   ? 1.   Visit http://wxqa.com/SIGN-UP.html

   ? 2.   Register for a NWS CWOP station ID by going to http://www.findu.com/citizenweather/cw_form.html. You will receive a station ID with two capital letters (the second letter will be ?W?) and four numbers (for example CW1527).

3) You?ll also need to use a PWS publishing app or PWS publishing hardware appliance to send data to NWS CWOP. The PWS publishing app or PWS publishing hardware appliance you?ve been using to send data to the Backyard Network likely supports NWS CWOP. Here is a link to other publishing app and appliances:
http://wxqa.com/cwop_info.htm.

4) Select the ?CWOP?, ?Citizens Weather Observer Program?, or ?APRS WXNET? option in your PWS publishing app or PWS publishing hardware appliance

5) Enable publishing and enter in your NWS CWOP station ID.

6) Select the upload interval and you?ll be all set in sending your data to NWS CWOP.


Viewing your weather station on NWS CWOP to ensure your data is flowing into the NWS CWOP network is simple. Simply go to http://wx.findu.com/YOURNWSCWOPID. For illustrative purposes, here is a sample NWS CWOP station page for station ID CW1527:

http://wx.findu.com/CW1527 (sample url)

You?ll easily be able to see your station?s raw data, as well as graphs of your weather station?s data, plus a map of your weather station. If you live in the US, you?ll also see a radar image with your weather station?s location on the map.

Thank you for being a part of the Earth Networks PWS program and for ensuring that your data continues to flow to us through NWS CWOP. During the transition, you can continue to email pws@earthnetworks.com with any questions.


Thanks
Earth Networks PWS Support

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Additional FAQ on the Earth Networks PWS Transition to NWS CWOP

What is happening to the Earth Networks PWS program?
Earth Networks is transitioning members of the Backyard program and Earth Networks PWS (Personal Weather Stations) program so that their data comes to Earth Networks from the NWS CWOP through the NOAA MADIS program. This will make it easier for PWS owners to submit data to the Earth Networks weather station network, as well as include the benefits of automatic quality-checking of weather station data.

Will I need to register an account with Earth Networks to manage my PWS?
You will not need to register an account with Earth Networks to manage your PWS on NWS CWOP. You will only need to register for a NWS CWOP station ID by going to http://www.findu.com/citizenweather/cw_form.html and insert your NWS CWOP station ID into your PWS publishing app or PWS publishing hardware appliance. Your Earth Networks PWS ID will no longer be available after the transition to NWS CWOP is complete.

Will Earth Networks provide me with a tool to determine if my PWS is successfully transmitting weather station data to the Earth Networks weather station network?
Earth Networks will not be providing a tool to determine if your PWS is successfully transmitting weather station data to the Earth Networks weather station network. Instead, you will want to use the NWS CWOP station data page at http://wx.findu.com/YOURNWSCWOPID (an example for NWS CWOP ID CW1527 is http://wx.findu.com/CW1527). If your weather station is successfully displaying on the NWS CWOP station data page and passes the NOAA MADIS quality check, your weather station data will automatically flow into the Earth Networks weather station network.

Will Earth Networks continue to offer support for personal weather stations?
During the transition, PWS owners who have questions may continue to contact pws@earthnetworks.com for support and questions concerning the transition. After the transition, PWS owners will need to send future support questions to NWS CWOP support at cwop-support@noaa.gov. Earth Networks PWS support is now only answering questions concerning the transition to NWS CWOP and will no longer offer troubleshooting on the old Backyard and Earth Networks PWS program due to the program being phased out after the transition to NWS CWOP is complete.

Will Earth Networks be offering any perks or benefits to PWS owners who send data to Earth Networks using NWS CWOP?
Earth Networks is only integrating in PWS data into the Earth Networks weather station network from NWS CWOP through the NOAA MADIS service. It will not be directly managing the NWS CWOP weather station network. With the exception that the data from your PWS will be available from weather websites and apps that utilize Earth Networks weather station data, Earth Networks will not be offering any perks or benefits to PWS owners who send data to Earth Networks using NWS CWOP.

I own an international (non-US) weather station. Am I able to transition to NWS CWOP?
NWS CWOP does accept international (non-US) weather stations on their network, so if you own an international (non-US) weather station, you are welcome to transition to NWS CWOP to continue sending weather station data to Earth Networks. The process is even easier than it was under the Backyard network.

Earth Networks also partners with other international government agencies and weather programs, so there might be another alternative for providing your weather station data to Earth Networks through one of our international partnerships. Please email us at pws@earthnetworks.com with your Backyard/Earth Networks PWS station ID and your location so we can determine the best transition path forward for you.

I own a webcam. Can I share images from my webcam with the Earth Networks weather network?
At this time, Earth Networks is only utilizing images from weather cameras that we personally sale and support to professional organizations. If you are a professional organization and are interested in purchasing one of our weather cameras, please contact info@earthnetworks.com for more information.

If you own a webcam and your webcam images are accessible from a URL, WeatherTogether.net, a non-profit weather community blog is linking to select webcams on their website for bloggers and contributors who join their website and frequently contribute weather blogs and reports to their website.

I am a PWS publishing partner. How am I affected by this transition?
PWS publishing partners will need to ensure their PWS publishing app or PWS publishing hardware appliance supports NWS CWOP, as well as remove support for ?WeatherBug? publishing from their PWS publishing app or PWS publishing hardware appliance. We will be sending out a separate communication to our PWS publishing partners regarding the transition.
Nathan Parker

Visit my blog at: http://weathertogether.net

Felix

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Re: Changes to the WeatherBug Backyard/Earth Networks PWS Program
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2018, 07:47:16 PM »
I turned off the WeatherBug uploads back when the first message was published. Like I'm sure most everyone else here, I was already uploading to CWOP so nothing additional was required.

elagache

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Better now than too late! (Re: Changes to the WeatherBug Backyard)
« Reply #2 on: April 26, 2018, 01:12:11 AM »
Dear Nathan, Felix, and WeatherCat "just in time" types,

I turned off the WeatherBug uploads back when the first message was published.

Yes, I did get the email from WeatherBug and I even forwarded it to the gang here on the WeatherCat forum.  However, did I shutdown my upload?  Of course not, I had until May sometime! . . .  ;D

Okay, okay, there is no time like the present I so - now - I have turned off my uploads to WeatherBug . . . .  :-[

Cheers, Edouard  [cheers1]

xairbusdriver

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Re: Changes to the WeatherBug Backyard/Earth Networks PWS Program
« Reply #3 on: April 26, 2018, 03:45:44 AM »
I think I had it set up in WC2, but I didn't bother when I upgraded to 3. I'm not sure I'd need more than a hand full of fingers to count the number of times I opened either WeatherBug app on my iPhone in the last 365 days...
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF COUNTRIES
Those that use metric = #1 Measurement system
And the United States = The Banana system