Our new integration of Weather Cameras and Personal Weather Stations requires an Application Programming Interface (API) key. I would like to take a few minutes to explain what is happening and how to continue using Weather Cameras and Personal Weather Stations in our applications as an integration.
What is an Integration?
An Integration is an application feature that does not provide a subscription service, but supports other subscription services to be included within the application. When you pay or get a free subscription from a service you can integrate it into our application (not all subscriptions supported) and our application will try to read and parse the feed into our application using your subscription.
Why can’t teamWeather provide a subscription to the Integration for us?
There is a high volume cost to managing a global subscription for all our applications. Currently with the prices being low for our applications we are trying to maintain the cost of our applications while keeping users happy. We are allowing users to use subscription services such as Weather Underground’s API to place Weather Cameras and Personal Weather Stations into their application.
How much does the Weather Cameras and Personal Weather Stations data cost per month?
If teamWeather would integrate weather cameras and personal weather stations into their applications globally it would cost us 300 USD per month which is not feasible at this time. Since Weather Cameras and Personal Weather Stations are provided as a subset of the data we recommend for users to sign up for either a free plan (500 requests per day) or the $20/month plan to continue using our application in addition to other applications they might develop or use in the future.
What happens when the Weather Cameras and Personal Weather Stations start requiring an Application Key or Subscription?
Our next application update will include a message saying you need an “Application Key” and to visit the “About” screen for more information. On Weather Camera Map the information is already included under the “About” button. Weather Plus products will have more under the “More” and “About” tabs.
I am not happy with this integration, can you refund my money?
We currently have put in the Application Stores that our applications will require an API key in order to integrate weather cameras and personal weather stations. This was put here for users that are expecting to use these features in our application that they need to spend a few extra minutes in order to access this data. We can not refund a user’s money directly.
Okay, how can I get the application key for integration in these products?
Please read the provided “About” screens in each product for more information on how to get a free key for integrating these applications with an API key or subscription. Please note the data is for personal, non-commercial use only.
Is there something we can do to help make a more accessible database?
teamWeather is currently investigating the ability to make a free, more accessible camera database. This database will link to various weather cameras, traffic cameras, and other cameras that observe outdoor conditions (road or sky) into applications and other people’s applications. More details are soon to come.
teamWeather would like to make the following announcements this week:
TrapScore 1.3.3 was released to address new features and fixes
TrapScore 1.3.3 was released to the iTunes Application Store and is a free update for current users. It is highly recommended that you download this latest update to ensure the highest reliability on your device.
Weather API Integration Reminder
To ensure the highest reliability and to make sure your weather camera and personal weather station information stays on your applications please make sure you have done the necessary changes to the Settings (either in Settings or on the Integration screen (iOS / Mac)) to continue using these services.
I have submitted an update to TrapScore (version 1.3.3) to Apple to address several bugs and a feature request. Please allow up to 1-2 weeks for Apple to review this application and stay tuned to teamWeather for more information.
The Release Notes are as follows:
* Please update to the latest version to fix an issue with crashing on a new shoot with no scores *
* Bug Fixes *
- Fixed bug where table view didn’t update after updating or saving shoot information
- Fixed a crash where if a shoot had no scores and then was clicked on, a crash would occur
* Features *
- Automatically adds date to any new shoot.
In the next few days there will be updates to Weather Plus for the United States (both for the iPhone and iPad) as well as Zipcode Lookup. These updates address the following items:
Locations Database (Weather Plus for the United States, Zipcode Lookup):
- Updated the Zip Code and Place Name database to the latest for 2012 Quarter 1
- Updated Weather Zones to the latest provided by the National Weather Service Database / Location files
ZCTA Boundaries 2000, 2010 (Zipcode Lookup):
- Zipcode Lookup for iPad and Mac OS X was experiencing a slight issue where places with ZCTA 2000 boundaries not drawing on a map when the 2010 boundaries were unavailable. The issue should be resolved with the next updates (Mac 1.5, iPad 1.1)
Additional Application Updates
User Interface (Weather Camera Map):
- My application has always supported automatic map updates on a certain scale and zoom of the map and using the “Auto On” mode of the application. I have updated Weather Camera Map to fix some of the User Interface wording to make the Map update feature more visible to the user.
- Weather Camera Map’s additional information about it’s data sources is provided under the “About” screen. The data for weather cameras and weather stations come from Weather Underground and are provided for non-commercial, individual, informational purposes only. You are encouraged to sign up for an API key to continue the use of the application. More information can be found under the “About” screen. Costs of the program go strictly to support the development of the display and feed aggregator.
Thank you for supporting teamWeather and I hope everyone enjoys the latest updates!
Zipcode Lookup Mobile, our mobile iPad version of Zipcode Lookup for Mac, is now available for any iPad device. You can download this great application for the price of $4.99 for a limited time only!
Zipcode Lookup Mobile features almost every feature you can find in the Mac version, but now made for the iPad. With over a gigabyte of information, ZCTA Zip Code Boundaries, and other geographic location information you can’t go wrong for the price.
We have also tested this with Bluetooth Keyboards with Portfolios and it works great. It runs in landscape mode to give you the best maps and experience possible.
To download this application today please visit the iTunes Application Store by clicking here.
Zipcode Lookup 1.3 for Mac
Now introducing Zipcode Lookup 1.3 for Mac now available with the latest database updates, ZCTA 2010 boundaries (Census 2010 Zip Code Tabulation Areas) for popular place names and zip codes, and much more. Weighing in at only 245 Megabytes to download it contains over a gigabyte of location information with both Internet and non-Internet connected features.
Zipcode Lookup 1.3 is now available for $5.99 for a limited time:
Click here to download your copy today!
Today I was asked a real good question from Kevin in the United Kingdom. It is a question response I believe I should share with everyone because I never really clarified the battery life and rapid updates well enough in the application description of GPSLogger. I am going to try and do it here in this post. I would like to thank Kevin for asking this question so I can post a response for everyone to better understand GPSLogger because I am sure there are many more asking this.
In the Settings application of your device once you install GPSLogger you can setup the following information on the GPSLogger application:
- Frequency of Update
- Rapid Updates
Let me explain each one of these settings and how they effect battery life overall.
Rapid Updates - If this setting is ON then you are using the GPS integrated into your iPhone device. If this setting is OFF then the updates will be based on your cellular phone’s tower data (triangulation of your cellular device, which tends to be more inaccurate).
Frequency of Update – This is the number of seconds for the device to wait in between trying to get the latest update of location. If you have enabled rapid updates then it will use the device’s GPS hardware. If you haven’t enabled rapid updates then it tries to triangulate you based on cellular towers, but may provide a more inaccurate position.
Battery Life – Depending on the task you are performing such as geo tagging photographs from a camera or just getting a general heading such as APRS you will notice a difference in battery life with the rapid updates setting and the frequency of updates (the seconds between each try of getting the latest coordinates). The battery life will decrease slightly faster with any GPS logging program or program that uses location services extensively. If you need more battery power as your device primarily will be logging in the background we recommend purchasing a battery pack for your iPhone such as a Mophie Juice Pack or iGO Battery Pack with USB or Dock connector charging capabilities.
Multitasking – Our application has supported background mode/multitasking since Apple first introduced it. We currently support iOS 5.0 for multitasking, which is the latest version of the operating system for the iPhone.
I hope that cleared everything up for everyone. Sorry for the confusion I might have caused in the product description. Thank you for your continued support.
Thanks,
Christopher Zenzel
Here has been what has been going on at teamWeather as of January 12th, 2012!
Successful Release of Zipcode Lookup 1.2 in the Mac App Store
I have successfully launched Zipcode Lookup 1.2 in the Mac App Store that contains internal bug fixes, a new version of the postal code database, Internet-connected features such as Mapping, and also the Internet-connected ZIP+4 Postal Code lookup.
Updates to Applications with Bug Fixes and API Integration
I have updated several applications that take advantage of personal weather stations and weather cameras to include API integration in case users choose to use their own API key for weather information. These applications also include internal bug fixes that help make them more stable.
Several Recognition and Reviews
teamWeather and Christopher Zenzel have received several great reviews and recognition from not only the iTunes and Mac App Stores, but from other web sites on the Internet about the proactive support and application development taken place at teamWeather and Zenzel Technologies. We have proven that our support is fast and responsive.
Crash Report Free Zone
After close review of all of our applications through the Apple iTunes and Mac App Stores I have received no crash reports with the latest versions of all the applications provided in the App Stores. All applications are running 100% as expected.
Hello everyone! Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and a Happy 2012 to everyone! Have a great new year holiday and be safe!
Hello everyone. Just wanted to make a quick post and wish everyone a happy and safe Christmas holiday. I hope you enjoy your Christmas day and have a great time with your loved ones and family.