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> Our API service for existing customers is not changing today, but we will no longer accept new signups. The API will continue to function through the end of 2
by geddy 7y ago
> Our API service for existing customers is not changing today, but we will no longer accept new signups. The API will continue to function through the end of 2021.
And yet another functional API shut down and privatized. This is the way of the web now, a few companies owning the data, and nothing cool left to mess around with.
I can't be the only one who has noticed this trend happening for years. You used to be able to scroll to the footer of practically any service and find an API link. No more.
- JumpCrisscross 7y ago> a few companies owning the data The data are public [1]. Dark Sky et al process and repackage those data, along with their own analytics and UI. [1] https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/webservices/v2 https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/webservices/v2
- huhtenberg 7y agoEt al - maybe, but Dark Sky built their own near-future "hyperlocal" forecasting engine and they were the first ones to do that. They basically invented the whole genre. Perhaps they expanded into repackaging NOAA data now, but that's not what Dark Sky is about.
- starpilot 7y agohttp://jackadam.github.io/2011/how-dark-sky-works/ http://jackadam.github.io/2011/how-dark-sky-works/ They used an ML/statistical approach to forecasting, rather than physical modeling. They had some secret sauce in doing fast ML on phones, before libraries like CoreML existed.
- fooey 7y agoHyperlocal forecasting, who just ejected most of the world from their data collection pool.
- thatcat 7y agoIIRC they built the models with user data, but stopped collecting from phones because so many different sensors are used for rH and temp in phones plus being in pockets, battery temp, etc meant the data had too much variance. Even though I hate that they did this bc it's my favourite weather app, it actually would make sense to just use iphones if they were going to start collecting that data again since all the hardware is the same.
- cryptoz 7y agoThe barometer data that comes from phones (both Android and iOS) is extremely resilient and there is a lot of value to be derived from it. Ongoing research by Cliff Mass and team (at UW) shows that machine learning can help bias-correct and error-correct barometric pressure data on the fly with very good results. That data can also be assimilated into WRF to make forecasts with higher accuracy. I work on a related app to do that barometer data on Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.allclearweather.android https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.allclearwe... (US only for now).
- rrix2 7y agoI feel obligated to point to Cliff's blog, it's a great resource especially if you live in the northwest https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/ https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/
- thatcat 7y agoThanks for the info and link, it looks like All Clear is positioned well to pick up dark sky android users. I'm going to give it a try.
- VectorLock 7y agoOh they were collecting data from phones? Sounds like a good excuse to delete the app before they spike it anyways.
- airstrike 7y ago> they were the first ones to do that. AccuWeather has been doing that for ages with MinuteCast. Dark Sky just looked more 21st century and was better marketed, probably
- huhtenberg 7y agoCareful there with unsubstantiated statements. DarkSky - Nov 2011 - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jackadam/dark-sky-hyperlocal-weather-prediction-and-visuali/posts/144333 https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jackadam/dark-sky-hyper... MinuteCast - Mar 2014 - https://www.accuweather.com/en/press/24293762 https://www.accuweather.com/en/press/24293762 That is, it's the exact opposite. MinuteCast is a rip of DarkSky.
- cryptoz 7y agoDark Sky claimed to do significant weather data collection themselves, via barometers in phones. I don't know if that data was ever used or available in their API, but definitely, the data Dark Sky had was all not public data.
- kevindong 7y agoAs someone that's tried using the weather.gov API, let me just say it's atrociously bad. I'm sure the data is accurate and all, but the API is actively hostile towards developers.
- ngngngng 7y agoIs that all of Dark Sky's value proposition? They take a beastly API and repackage it into something pleasant?
- rurp 7y agoYou've basically described all commercial weather apps. Dark Sky (and some others) do incorporate other local sources of info, but free govt data covers much/most of what they use.
- globular-toast 7y agoI thought weather underground was crowd sourced from user weather stations.
- applecrazy 7y agoIt's designed that way. AccuWeather and other weather companies actively lobby to make sure that people continue using them, and not the free government sources of weather data. See https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/14/politics/noaa-nominee-accuweather/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2017/10/14/politics/noaa-nominee-accuwea...
- aaronbrethorst 7y agoThankfully, Barry Lee Myers's nomination was finally withdrawn in December 2019, but he won't be the last nominee to pull this sort of thing.
- kube-system 7y agoAnd it's US only.
- fuzzy2 7y agoI’m not in the US though...? :)
- m-p-3 7y agoAt this point, APIs like these (weather, traffic, etc) should be standardized and nationalized. Make it free to use for individuals, and with a reasonable cost for commercial use.