OpenWeather Map Plugin

Owned by Charlotte Dakin-Norris, created
Last updated: Jan 31, 2024 by Guy Avery
4 min read

Introduction

This page covers the configuration of the Open Weather Map plugin.

Contents

Overview

The OpenWeather Map plugin allows you to map different weather states to system profiles so that when the weather state changes it will automatically update the system profile based on the mapping within the Witness software by using an API request to OpenWeatherMap.org.

As the weather conditions change the plugin can be used to dynamically change the sensitivity of the system to maintain an optimal detection performance. This covers weather like high winds which cause a lot more movement in the radar's detection area that we need to ignore, or, there are extreme weather conditions like heavy rain which require different detection parameters.

Here is a link to the OpenWeather Map site: OpenWeather.

Here is a link to their API information: https://docs.openweather.co.uk/api/one-call-3.

Prerequisites

You will need to create an account with OpenWeather to obtain an API key to enable the plugin to work. https://home.openweathermap.org/users/sign_up

At the time of writing, a free account allows you 1000 requests per day for free. You can manage the Update Interval in the plugin settings to ensure this limit is not exceeded.

The default Update Interval setting of 1800 seconds (30 mins) is currently within the free 1000 requests per day limit.

Configuring the OpenWeather Map Plugin in Witness

To configure the OpenWeather Map Plugin:

  1. Select the OpenWeather Map Plugin from Integration Configurations:

     

  2. The plugin details will be displayed on the right hand side of the screen. Click Edit:

     

  3. You can now edit the plugin settings. Please refer to .

     

  4. Click the Plugin Enabled checkbox to enable it and enter your App Id. This can be found in your OpenWeather API keys page:

     

  5. Then you can start mapping Weather States to System Profiles by clicking the button:

     

  6. Select a Weather State from the drop down menu:

     

  7. Choose an appropriate System Profile for the Weather State:

     

  8. Repeat the process for other weather conditions and when you have completed the mapping click the Save button:

     

  9. Once the plugin has been configured and saved the system will also display the Latest Weather Response Info below:

     

  10. You will receive notifications when a change in the weather triggers a profile change:

Settings

Plugin Enabled: Click the check box to enable the plugin.

Name: The name of the plugin.

App Id: A unique API key which can be found on your account page for the OpenWeatherMap service: .

Note: If this is empty, no requests will be made.

Update Interval (s): The delay between the requests made to the OpenWeatherMap service. The default setting is every 30 minutes.

Weather Profile Map

This is a map of weather states to system profiles. A new one can be added using the button on the right, or removed by highlighting the setting and clicking the button on the right. There will be two drop-downs, one for the weather state and the other for available system profiles.

Weather State: These are the following options:

System Profile: Select the appropriate System Profile for the Weather State. More information regarding System Profiles can be found here: .

If the weather state changes but the system profile that is mapped is the same then no update will take place.
If no weather states match the new weather state exactly, it will pick the closest state (the states are in order so when mapping you can see which ones are closer to others). For example, if drizzle is mapped but the weather state is heavy drizzle, it will update to the system profile mapped to drizzle if no map exists for heavy drizzle.

Latest Weather Response Info

The latest weather conditions will be displayed once an update has arrived via the plugin. This will change after every update. It will display:

Weather State

Temperature (°C)

Wind Speed (m/s)

Wind Direction (°)

Date Updated

Safety is everything.