Do You Need a Weather API?

Never before has weather data been more accessible than today. For businesses and industries sensitive to the impacts of severe weather, forecasting and weather data is available for many with a simple tap on a smart phone, not to mention countless media sites from public and private weather companies and other enterprise technologies.

How you harness weather and forecast insights largely depends on the use cases from specific industries or users. Two common ways are through traditional channels as described above, or, for more specific needs, a weather API (Application Programming Interface).

 

Weather Forecast

Weather forecasts are predictions of future conditions based on meteorological data and models. They include quantitative information like temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and other conditions for a specific period across a specific area.

Advances in machine-learning and AI are empowering weather forecast systems to generate higher-resolution and more precise forecasts for a specific location.

Some enterprise solutions, like DTN WeatherSentry^®, provide additional weather insights such lightning detection, storm corridors, wet-bulb globe temperatures, pavement forecasts, and flood levels with delivery for web and mobile.

Further advancements in machine-learning and artificial intelligence (AI) are empowering forecast systems to generate higher-resolution, more precise forecasts for hyper-specific locations. Consider this: The DTN global forecast engine leverages multiple weather models, satellites, ground-based sensors, and more than 20,000 distributed weather stations to generate a forecast at twice the industry average.

 

Weather API

Weather APIs enable developers to access and integrate raw, comprehensive weather information into various applications and legacy systems, enhancing user experience and providing valuable insights for decision-making processes.

An API constantly pulls updated information from the endpoint configured by the vendor. It is scalable and easy to integrate within existing systems.

But APIs are different from standard data feeds, which must be stored and manipulated manually. APIs constantly pull updated information from the endpoint, as configured by the user. They are scalable and easy to integrate into legacy systems enabling businesses to layer different data points, such as assets or work schedules.

For example, a logistics firm may integrate a weather API to avoid delays and hazards by enabling dynamic route planning that adapts to weather conditions. Several utility companies are using weather APIs to not only plan and prepare for weather events, but also to train machine learning models on historical weather data to uncover potential impacts to their grid and service areas.

 

Is a Weather API Right for You?

Traditional forecasts and weather APIs both deliver valuable insights. The biggest difference is based on the end user’s needs.

Weather forecasts and weather APIs both deliver valuable weather insights. The difference is what the business or user needs from the information.

For event organizers, weather-related safety concerns can be sufficiently delivered through traditional meteorological forecasts to help build a risk plan and respond with appropriate actions if bad weather occurs.

Conversely, a renewable energy company may be more likely better served with an API that integrates weather data into their existing data streams. This not only provides more granular information related to power generation and asset protection, but also historical events and insights for site selection and energy management.

Given the increasing frequency and intensity of weather events during the past few decades, accessing the right data at the right time has never been more critical.

Talk to a weather expert and find out if the DTN Weather API is right for your business.