Observation API API

Overview

DTN Point Observation API delivers high-quality weather observation data via https://point-observation.weather.mg. The API can be requested for weather stations, or relevant locations / cities.

Data sources used for the Point Observation API

A dense network of reliable weather condition measurements is crucial for the accurate reporting and forecasting of weather on a (hyper)local scale. This is especially important for short-term weather forecasts (the next few hours) and alerting when adverse weather is occurring or approaching. DTN therefore invests significantly to ensure a dense network of weather condition measurements is available. The available networks include:

The general World Meteorological Organization (WMO) data set for weather stations world-wide.
Specific data sets from WMO to ensure additional stations and a higher frequency of measurements are available.
Country-specific data sets for secondary professional weather station networks.
DTN own network of weather stations in Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxemburg.

Value proposition of the Point Observation API

The value proposition of the Point Observation API is as listed in the following table, which emphasizes where DTN adds value to core data.

Parameter	Value added
Coverage	Provides global coverage of observations with the densest network, including 20,000 stations. For locations, the API provides observations as reported by the most representative station.
Spatial resolution	Uses multiple station sources.
Completeness	Delivers a unique range of parameters. For a full list of supported parameters, see DTN Weather API parameters.
Frequency	Provides higher-frequency updates for specific locations.
Unique	Delivers data from DTN own weather stations in Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Luxemburg. Uses gap filling to ensure continuous availability of weather data. For details, see Fill gaps in observation data.
Reliability	Delivers quality-controlled data. Relies on its own Timezone database to ensure the right time zones are used, enabling both local time and UTC usage.

Request URL Builder

Parameters

The list of standard weather parameters for the point Observation API is included below while the potential parameters available are listed here.

Parameter listing	Basic	Standard	Industry	Gap filling industry package
Temperature parameters
airTemperatureInCelsius	3-h	1-h	1-h	Y
dewPointTemperatureInCelsius	3-h	1-h	1-h	Y
relativeHumidityInPercent	3-h	1-h	1-h	Y
airTemperatureNearGroundInCelsius	n/a	1-h	1-h	n/a
maxAirTemperatureInCelsius	12-h	12-h	12-h	n/a
minAirTemperatureInCelsius	12-h	12-h	12-h	n/a
feelsLikeTemperatureInCelsius	n/a	1-h	1-h	n/a
Wind parameters
windSpeedInMeterPerSecond	3-h	1-h	1-h	Y
windDirectionInDegree	3-h	1-h	1-h	Y
maxWindGustInMeterPerSecond	n/a	1-h	1-h	n/a
Precipitation and weather code parameters
weathercodeTraditional	3-h	1-h	1-h	n/a
pastWeatherCode	6-h	6-h	6-h	n/a
Weathercode/Icon-Mapping 12-h				n/a
freshSnowfallInCentimeter	n/a	24-h	24-h	n/a
snowDepthInCentimeter	n/a	12-h	12-h	n/a
precipitationAmountInMillimeter PTxH	12-h	1-h	1-h	n/a
Cloud, radiation and sunshine parameters
sunshineDurationInMinutes PTxH	24-h	24-h	24-h	n/a
totalCloudCoverInOcta	n/a	1-h	1-h	Y
effectiveCloudCoverInOcta PT0S	3-h	1-h	1-h	Y
globalRadiationInJoulePerSquareCentimeter	n/a	1-h	1-h	n/a
averageGlobalRadiationInWattPerSquareMeter	n/a	1-h	1-h	n/a
Daily sum global radiation	n/a	24-h	24-h	n/a
evaporationPenmanInMillimeter		24-h	24-h	n/a
Other parameters
visibilityInMeter	n/a	1-h	1-h	n/a
airPressureAtSeaLevelInHectoPascal	n/a	1-h	1-h	Y

Station Metadata

When requesting for observation using locatedAt, adding "meteoGroupStationId" in the "fields" parameter will include a stationId information together with observation data in the response

Sample Request:

        https://point-observation.weather.mg/observation/hourly?fields=airTemperatureInCelsius,meteoGroupStationId&locatedAt=6.669,53.58&observedPeriod=PT0S

Sample Response:

      {
        "observations": [
            {
                "locatedAt": [
                    6.669,
                    53.58
                ],
                "meteoGroupStationId": "6510110",
                "observedFrom": "2021-04-07T01:00:00+02:00",
                "observedUntil": "2021-04-07T01:00:00+02:00",
                "observedPeriod": "PT0S",
                "airTemperatureInCelsius": 2.6
            },
            {
                "locatedAt": [
                    6.669,
                    53.58
                ],
                "meteoGroupStationId": "6510110",
                "observedFrom": "2021-04-07T02:00:00+02:00",
                "observedUntil": "2021-04-07T02:00:00+02:00",
                "observedPeriod": "PT0S",
                "airTemperatureInCelsius": 2.9
            },
            {
                "locatedAt": [
                    6.669,
                    53.58
                ],
                "meteoGroupStationId": "6510110",
                "observedFrom": "2021-04-07T03:00:00+02:00",
                "observedUntil": "2021-04-07T03:00:00+02:00",
                "observedPeriod": "PT0S",
                "airTemperatureInCelsius": 2.8
            }
        ]
    }

Formatting

A sample request using the Point-Observation API looks like this:

https://point-observation.weather.mg/observation/hourly?fields=airTemperatureInCelsius&locatedAt=13.2,52.4&observedPeriod=PT0S

The above request will return current air temperature, in degrees Celsius, for the city of Berlin, Germany, starting 3 hours before the time the request was received. The returned data will be formatted in JSON, and will look like this:

    {
    "observations": [
        {
            "locatedAt": [
                13.2,
                52.4
            ],
            "observedFrom": "2019-04-24T13:00:00+02:00",
            "observedUntil": "2019-04-24T13:00:00+02:00",
            "observedPeriod": "PT0S",
            "airTemperatureInCelsius": 20.4
        },
        {
            "locatedAt": [
                13.2,
                52.4
            ],
            "observedFrom": "2019-04-24T14:00:00+02:00",
            "observedUntil": "2019-04-24T14:00:00+02:00",
            "observedPeriod": "PT0S",
            "airTemperatureInCelsius": 21.4
        },
        {
            "locatedAt": [
                13.2,
                52.4
            ],
            "observedFrom": "2019-04-24T15:00:00+02:00",
            "observedUntil": "2019-04-24T15:00:00+02:00",
            "observedPeriod": "PT0S",
            "airTemperatureInCelsius": 22.7
        }
    ]
}

Nitty-Gritty

For more detailed information on this API, check us out on Bitbucket.