Weather Software

**IntellaWorks** · 05-21-2005, 11:01 PM

Hey all, I've been working slowly but surely here on my own front end and I'm going to post some images of the front ends "Weather Center". Hopefully to gain enough interest in the poeple/programmers to get some ideas flowing and maybe get an app designed to add to our list of great FREE apps for the car.

So far, with front ends we can listen to music in any compressed audio format as well as uncompressed and we can play movies and have access to some great GPS apps. I think the next step for front ends is to truely utilize Wifi networks.

I think one of the next things everyone would enjoy in thier car is weather imagery software. I think that it can be very helpful in the car.

For programmers who are reading this, weather.com has a dedicated image server with static image URLS that update images every 5 or so minutes.
The images are split up into catagories including: Infarred satellite images, Storm warnings, precipitation amounts (snow/rain) earth quake warnings & mud slide warnings (for those of you in cali), current temperature, visible satellite (what you would see if you were in space looking down to earth) Severe weather alerts (seperated by county).

There are more detailed maps but essentially I have 81 of the static URL's, each pointing to an image/region all stored in an access database. All you'd have to do is write code to go out and grab the image from the web (if a web connection is available)

It's a fairly easy app to write and I'm sure someone could glorify the app with TTS and all that jazzy stuff.

Here's a model of what I have, I doubt I'll ever release it to the public because honestly I just dont have the patients to support the software I write.

**GizmoQ** · 05-22-2005, 12:53 AM

Great idea, I currently run embedded external apps in Road Runner that do basically the same thing. I just load each map as a separate app so the bottom half of my Apps list is all the different Weather maps. I also am a registered user of Weather Exchange. Their software ties together all the weather sat and radar imagery (including animated imagery), easy access to current local weather and 5 day forecast of any city, and automated weather advisory alarms together in a nice tight package.

Another site I like is http://www.wunderground.com/ where I borrowed most of my individual maps from. Somehow I was able to get web addresses for just the maps so all the surrounding webpage is removed on my carpc. Looks like the map is just another page of the front-end, very professional looking.

I never thought of it before, but I think I may contact the Weather Exchange folks with some sugestions for a CarPC version that gets coordinates from the GPS and automatically shows the nearest weather station data. This would be great for weather alerts too. If its pulling GPS Coordinates from the CarPC, when traveling cross country the weather alerts would track with the vehicle... hhhmmmmm (scratching head) this could be useful. Skinnable with bigger buttons would be nice too. I think I need to make a call on Monday.

Oh, and good luck with your idea, too

**MC_Stoo** · 05-22-2005, 05:42 AM

Oooooh, I'd like to see this progress

**IntellaWorks** · 05-22-2005, 07:29 AM

Well, I'm not planning on releasing any of my work as I said before I just dont want to support the software. However I'm hoping to give inspiration to someone more motivated than I.

**Marvin Hlavac** · 05-22-2005, 07:47 AM

It is nice to see that some GPS navigation software developers are starting to think of incorporating weather forecast into their applications as well. Check the newest iGuidance 2.1, for example. View the black picture on the bottom of the page, click here:

**IntellaWorks** · 05-30-2005, 03:01 PM

Alright, i actually might release an add on to all front ends... I've just currently finished the major coding in my front end's weather center...

However it would require framework 1.1 (mainly because of its threading support)

what does everyone think ??