weather-CurrentConditions

Each WeatherReport component has a Current Conditions child component that contains a number of read-only status properties for up-to-date weather statistics, as well as sunrise and sunset time.

NOTE: A WeatherReport’s “CurrentConditions” component includes an “Observed” property (in AX-3.7 and later), as a timestamp of when reported conditions were last observed (U.S. NWS providers only). If this time is more than two hours in the past, other Current data values are given status “stale”.

Figure 10. Current Conditions (property sheet)

An iconic summary is also available, on the parent WeatherReport’s default Current Weather View.

A child Advisories container provides management of received weather advisories, for use in the station’s alarming subsystem, and an air quality view is also available.

Name	Value	Description
Status	ok, alarm, fault, stale	Typically “ok” if a connection was made. Other possible statuses include: alarm — if a hazardous condition is imminent/detected in an NWS provider-issued advisory. If alarm, related information is also in properties Weather Summary and State. fault — if the weather provider references an invalid weather station. stale — if a weather update connection fails, or for a NwsWeatherProvider, if the reported observation time (Observation property) is more than 2 hours in the past. All other properties with status (Sundown, Temp, State, Humidity, and so on) also assume this stale status. The timeout for this “failed connection at update attempt” to a NWS provider is fixed at 15 seconds.
Last Update		Date/timestamp of the station’s last weather report update, in Baja AbsTime format.
Last Failed Write	read-only date and time	Reports the last failed write.
Observed		Date/timestamp of when the NWS reported the observed values in the last update, in Baja AbsTime format.
Sunrise		Timestamp for sunrise, in Baja Time format.
Sunset		Timestamp for sunset, in Baja Time format.
Sundown		`StatusBoolean` value that is `true` when the sun is down, else `false` when the sun is up. This dynamically updates whenever current time matches the Sunrise and Sunset times.
Temp		Current temperature as a StatusNumeric value.
Weather Summary		Text descriptor summarizing current weather conditions, as a StatusString value. This text string is evaluated and converted to a “State” enumerated value (next property). If CurrentConditions has an “alarm” status, this will describe the alarm condition.
State		StatusEnum value derived from the received “weather summary” text. Enumerations were added for hazardous conditions, such as received in provider-issued advisories.
User Base	domain components	Identifies the sub-tree of the LDAP server in which users who can access this station are found. At the very least it must contain the domain components of the server’s domain, for example: DC=domain, CD=net
Humidity		Current humidity as a StatusNumeric value.
Wind Direction		StatusEnum value derived from received text.
Wind Speed		Current wind speed value, as a StatusNumeric.
Wind Gust		Reported wind gust speed (if available), as a StatusNumeric. Possibly “null” if not available.
Wind Chill		This is calculated by Niagara using a NOAA formula, providing that the: temperature is between -50 and 50 degrees F, and wind speed is between 3 and 110 mph (and is specific to the NWS provider). Otherwise, this value is “null”. Note that humidity is also utilized. Currently, this formula is at: `http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/windchill/index.shtml`
Connection User	text	Defines the user name for the initial LDAP server connection. It may be required if users, who will be logging in, are in different sub-trees of the LDAP directory. If the LDAP server supports anonymous connections, leave this property empty (blank). When used, requires a valid user name in the LDAP server. The system uses this name to connect to the server for authentication.
Pressure		Current barometric pressure, as a StatusNumeric value.
Dew Point		Current dew point reading, as a StatusNumeric value.
Heat Index		This is calculated by Niagara using a NOAA formula, providing that the: temperature > 80 degrees F, and dew point > 60 degrees F, and humidity > 40% (and is specific to the NWS provider). Otherwise, this value is “null”. Currently, this formula is at: `http://www.nws.noaa.gov/jkl/?n=heat_index_calculator`
Visibility		Current visibility distance value, as a StatusNumeric value.
Ozone		Level of ozone in the air, in parts per million (ppm), as a StatusNumeric value.
Particulate Matter		Level of particulate matter in the air, in micrograms per cubic meter (ug/m^3), as a StatusNumeric value. NOTE: Related to these last two properties, the CurrentConditions component also has a Current Air Quality View. The WeatherService retrieves air quality metrics by connecting to a U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) server.

About weather State

The State value of CurrentConditions and any Forecast component is a status enumeration derived from received weather summary text, using a best effort approach.

NOTE: This summary text appears in the CurrentConditions property sheet as the “Weather Summary” value.

You can link from the State slot of CurrentConditions or a Forecast component to a StatusEnum type slot of a control point, if needed. Facets of a linked point should be set to the frozen range (EnumRange) of WeatherState in the weather module to capture all 28 possible states.

Figure 11. WeatherState enumerations seen in Facets, range Enum dialog

NOTE: Some enumerations were added for hazardous weather conditions, as received in provider-issued watches, warnings, and advisories—for example: tsunami, tornado, flood, and so on. These are reflected in the State property of CurrentConditions only if its Status is alarm.

About weather Wind Direction

The Wind Direction value of CurrentConditions is a status enumeration derived from received text. You can link from the Wind Direction slot to a StatusEnum type slot of a control point, if needed. Facets of a linked point should be set to the frozen range (EnumRange) of WindDirection in the weather module to capture all 8 possible states.

Figure 12. WindDirection enumerations seen in Facets, range Enum dialog