MeteoCom

The MeteoServer

Current nautical and meteorological information and weather forecasts for the marina

General Conzept

• The MeteoServer is a data service for nautical and meteorological information, current weather conditions and forecast for the leisure and commercial shipping.

• Data reception over the Internet, per shortwave, satellite (offshore) or wireless connections.

• Direct access via Internet browser or data download software with minimized cost for mobile / wireless connections.

• Display of state-of-the art animated and interactive graphics and charts.

• The data contain current measurements, which are converted into forecasts.

• The DeveloperService allow marine software developers to integrate their own maritime programs, e.g. digital nautical chart software or to show marine weather on their own websites.

Data set

The Data Set contains special information, which
 the national weather service usually not uses.
 

• Meteorological forecasts of´cloud cover, precipitation, temperature, pressure,
  wind and wave height

• Near real-time wind vectors
  (speed, height, direction)
  from satellite data

• Forecasts and synoptic currents

• Current weather and cloud report

• Near real-time sea-surface temperature
  and water clarity from satellite data.

• SYNOP – current data

Who does what

In a project called MeteoServer from bonito in a period from 2002-2005 the conditions were made that the old shortwave transmitters of the weather services were replaced by technically better ones.

The project had the architecture to use all existing possibilities the that an optimal low cost way could be found that the interested public could be supplied with nautical and meteorological data. Further conditions were:

• Supplying Marine-Weather-Information for a computer or PDA using the normal Internet-Browser.

• To make it possible to use the modern wireless communication at a low cost.

• Efficient use of mathematical computing within the used software and the use of the multimedia possibilities of today’s computers.

• Using the newest method for the visualising of the data and using the newest display forms to show dangerous situations.

• Making it possible to integrate the software for the manufacturers of other marine software.

The data service is partly free or you have to pay a fee. During the test phase everything is free, from 2006 the test phase should be ended. If you are using the data on a ship, then it is actually meant that a program loads the data they are then correspondently prepared and then everything can be displayed as you wish. This is a lot more comfortable than surfing the web and is a lot quicker and cheaper. The program can arrange the needed data fields quicker than the time needed for the download per internet. It is usually a data package with the last 3 days as statistic and the next 3 days as a forecast, and at the end are normally not larger than 500-MByte or up to 1-GByte. Although the actual data transfer size is only between 100-250 Kbytes. If you for example only select data for certain region in which you will be for the next 3 days instead of the whole of Europe then the costs for the data reception will be in the region off a normal conversation with the mobile phone but if you choose the data for the whole off Europe the cost will be for a longer conversation.

The concept of the data compression used by MeteoServer is quit simply explained:

A provider becomes the raw data from his server, prepares these in a special mathematical and meteorological method and can then deliver every wanted resolution. The providers are paid by the amount off data, the higher the amount off data the higher is the financial gain. That is why the provider does not want to think off ways to compress the data because his financial gain would be less. Bonito had to think of these things because Bonito´s concept is:

- cheaper and better-
 

Therefore Bonito uses the same mathematical and meteorological method that the providers use. Everybody can now construct there own wanted data resolution that he at the moment needs. Through this the costs for the data are reduced considerably. To be cheaper and better has never been difficult for Bonito. But if you do not believe it then in the future keep an eye on the resolution of the coordinate grid as you change the size of the map under the weather symbols you will see that the coordinate grid will get wider or closer. With Bonito you will always have a fixed grid on the screen the geometry underneath you can enlarge or make smaller. 

This advantage other producers of marine software can now use by inspecting the developer platform of the MeteoServer.net and implement the free necessities. At this point it must be remarked that no grib files will be exported (but imported) that is to say we will not produce any grib files for older marine programs out of competition grounds Bonito will not support these but there are already diverse marine programs that use the MeteoServer.

The Developer of the MeteoServer Project.

www.bonito.net



 

Bonito developed 5 special applications: