Weather where you need it.
meteoReach is an app that allows you to convert short text messages into beautiful graphical weather forecasts. The messages are so small that they can be received via a satellite network (for example with an inReach). This makes it possible to always have a very accurate weather report available, even in the most remote locations.
To make the right decisions in remote locations, you often need an accurate weather forecast. But without a network connection, it's not that easy to get one. Often the only way to communicate is via satellite. There are commercial providers who you can call or who can give you information about the weather via text messages. However, these are expensive and it is often difficult to get an accurate picture of the weather on your own. That's why meteoReach was developed. It allows you to convert specially coded text messages into beautiful graphical weather reports. The app is very simple and focusses on the essentials. You receive information about the temperature, wind, gusts, wind direction, precipitation, a weather pictogram and the accuracy of the forecast for the next 7 days with a resolution of 3 hours in just 3 text messages [1].
[1] The actual information and size that is sent can vary depending on where the weather forecast comes from.
Pictures say more than 1000 words. The pictures show step by step how the process works from receiving the text messages to the finished weather report. If anything is still unclear, check out the FAQ below.
You receive the weather report via satellite (eg. inReach®). Use for example the Earthmate®, Messenger™ or Explore™ app from Garmin or the app from your satellite phone. Every weather report starts with the same character. This allows you to easily identify the reports from different providers/locations/days. Copy the messages to your clipboard. The order does not matter.
When you open the meteoReach app for the first time, there are no weather reports available. You can add new ones using the plus button at the bottom right of the app.
Copy all received messages from your clipboard into the text field. The order does not matter. All messages are checked for completeness and integrity so that no errors occur. If everything is correct, the "Add Forecast" button appears and the report can be saved.
As soon as a weather forecast has been added, you will see the location (e.g. the mountain) in the overview and can select it. All data is stored in a local database and is permanent.
All weather reports for the selected location are visible in the calendar view. Each point next to a day corresponds to a weather report that was created on that day. If you click on the day, all available reports are listed. Click on the report from the respective provider to access the weather report.
The detailed view shows all information at a glance. You can see all the data for the next 7 days at 3-hour intervals. The coloured bar corresponds to the forecast probability (0-100%). In addition, all weather parameters such as temperature, wind, gusts, wind direction, humidity and a weather pictogram are displayed.
All numerical values are visualised in plots. These show the trend and can be zoomed. A tooltip shows the current values and any additional information, such as the wind direction.
This covers hopefully most of your questions. If not, do not hesitate to contact me.
The concept actually consists of two parts:
Server Part:
Queries the weather data via a Web RestAPI, extracts the necessary data from the JSON and prepares the data. Messages are generated with a length of 160 characters and these are then sent via the inReach web interface. In addition to the data, each message also contains a header (e.g. for the order of the messages, as this is not guaranteed by the iridium network) and a CRC to check the integrity of the data.
The meteoReach App
Converts the text messages into the weather report.
You receive text messages normally via inReach. You have to copy these into the meteoReach app. There the text messages are converted into a weather report.
It is targeted for people who are in very remote locations and have no internet access to find information about the weather. I originally developed the app for myself in order to have an accurate weather report when mountaineering at high altitude. If you only ever travel in regions where you have an internet connection, you certainly don't need this app.
The messages are not human readable. They are alphanumeric characters that look very arbitrary. The forecast only becomes readable for humans in the app. A message can start like this, for example:
"I04W3/2L03l0FHs0U812M0o3s8Hs0T51XN03..."
For now, the code to encode the messages is not open source. That's why I'm currently the only one who can send you weather forecasts. Eventually I will make the code open source so that everyone can create their own forecasts. I will probably also offer this as a service. I also have an idea that you can fill out a form and then a report will be created with the respective values. In other words, a manual input mask that anyone can use. At the moment, however, everything is still open.
I am currently working primarily with the API from meteoblue. I have had very good experiences with the weather reports and developers are very well supported with free access for testing. However, I have also successfully integrated MetGIS into the app, for example, but currently don't have a valid API key to test this intensively. In principle, I can integrate any weather provider into the app as long as they offer a REST API. Please drop me a line if you are interested in a specific provider or know a good provider.
The app will most likely be for free. Unfortunately, the effort and costs for an iOS app are significantly higher than for Android. It is therefore possible that the app will end up costing a few bucks. But that is not yet certain.
Unfortunately, I can't offer the weather reports themselves for free. The REST API access to most - not to say all - good weather providers is subject to a charge. However, the price varies greatly depending on the provider. I plan to pass on the actual costs and probably round them up a little to cover my operating costs. A report will probably cost a few dollars.
The app is currently still in the test phase and is not yet officially available. Please drop me a line if you would like to help test the app.
meteoReach will be available for Android and iOS.
That's great! Just get in touch with me.
Do you have any questions, ideas, suggestions or would you simply like to tell me something? I look forward to hearing from you.