7Timer!
Weather, especially for Astroweather.
About 7Timer!
7Timer! is a numerical weather forecast service producing high-resolution forecasts for approximately 1.5 million geographic points worldwide, updated four times daily. The forecasts are derived from the NOAA/NCEP Global Forecast System (GFS) model. It is developed and supported by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, having originated in July 2005 under the National Astronomical Observatories of China.
The service offers a web interface built on the Google Maps API for browsing forecasts by location, along with an application programming interface that requires no registration or API key. The API is available in graphical form, returning PNG diagrams for embedding, and in machine-readable form, returning XML or JSON data. API calls take parameters for longitude, latitude, product type, and output format, with additional options for altitude correction, language, unit system, and timezone shift.
Four forecast products are offered for different user groups: CIVIL (general weather with an 8-day icon-based forecast covering cloud cover, temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation), CIVIL Light, ASTRO (targeted at astronomers, including seeing and atmospheric transparency data), and METEO (aimed at meteorologists, including cloud and wind profiles, pressure, and snow depth). A "Two-Week-Overview" product is also referenced. Each product returns a defined set of meteorological elements such as cloud cover, lifted index, 2m temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation type and amount, each coded to documented value scales.
Key features
- Global numerical weather forecast covering about 1.5 million geographic points, updated four times a day
- Free machine-readable API returning XML or JSON, no API key or registration required
- Specialized forecast products: CIVIL, CIVIL Light, ASTRO, METEO and Two-Week-Overview
- Meteorological elements include cloud cover, 2m temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation type/amount and lifted index
- Adjustable parameters for coordinates, altitude correction, language, units and timezone shift
Frequently asked questions
Is there a cost or API key required to use 7Timer!?
No, the API can be used directly without registering an API key, and no pricing is mentioned.
What output formats does the API support?
The machine-readable API returns data in either XML or JSON, and the graphical API returns a PNG image.
What kind of forecast products does 7Timer! offer?
It offers four main products - CIVIL, CIVIL Light, ASTRO, and METEO - plus a Two-Week-Overview, each aimed at different users like civil users, astronomers and meteorologists.
Who is 7Timer! intended for?
It serves civil users, astronomers, and meteorologists with tailored forecast products for each group.
What platforms does the web interface support?
The web interface works in Internet Explorer 7.0+, Firefox 3.0+, Safari 4+, Google Chrome and Android browsers, using the Google Maps API.
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