Solution: Visualization of live weather data

arivis WebView und arivis Image Core

Web browser application for the visualization of live weather

Application

WetterOnline is one of Germany's largest providers for weather information. Expanding its services, WetterOnline developed a concept for the visualization of live weather data and handed it over to arivis. The implemented solution particularly satisfies the needs of subscription clients. It provides topographical material for weather data throughout Europe, which is available in different resolutions.
The user application works in a common web browser and does not require any additional software or plugins.
The user can also show or hide different information about the density of clouds, rain or lightning, or watch a weather animation.

Fully automated from the measuring station into user hands

The application shows weather data of the previous 48 hours in a fifteen minutes time raster. The user is able to move through the weather chart temporally, spatially and by zooming. With a maximum resolution of about 250 meters/pixel, detailed regional weather information is available and individual short term forecasts can be created.
An update is done as soon as new weather data is available. After capturing the latest radar, satellite and lightning information at measuring stations around Europe, the data is digitized, processed, and passed on. If the real-time mode is enabled, the data is visualized after ten to fifteen minutes on the user's monitor.

Using arivis software modules to create specialized applications

arivis can look back on a successful experience in handling large image data and its real-time visualization. The image tiles are delivered by the arivis ImageCore that is integrated into an Apache Webserver module. This symbiosis makes it possible to attain a high amount of transparency and performance when dealing with user requests. In order to make the application even more scalable, authorized persons can customize those settings that control the basic function of the application. The ultimate goal is to react to exceptional situations due to weather changes, where often a high number of requests have to be handled. In those cases, the high amount of weather data (topography, lightning, clouds, rain) is reduced by combining the information layers on the server before transferring them to the client.

The browser application was implemented by using arivis technology: The arivis Webview provides the basics for visualizing graphic weather data and utilizes the arivis ImageCore that is embedded into a server

Conclusion

Once more, the know how and the technology of arivis could prove its strengths in a very user-specific solution: Real-time imaging of live weather data on the internet.

The very specific demands of WetterOnline could be effectuated successfully on the basis of the modular structure of our products.
The WetterOnline project means for arivis to cooperate with one of the leading German weather information providers. The basic requirements could be met on the basis of a large company portfolio consisting of reusable arivis software modules. Specific challenges regarding process automatization as well as performance analysis were met.