Forecast and observation layer tutorial
Basic tutorials showing how the forecast and observation layer map overlays data feeds can be used to retrieve data.
Introduction
The forecast and observations layer data feeds provide access to layers for various points in the future and the recent past, covering the UK and surrounding area, as PNG images.
Tutorials
You would like to retrieve a forecast layer for a particular timestep
- Call the forecast layer web service to check whether the data has been updated since it was last requested and to check which timesteps are available
- If so, build the URL corresponding to the timestep for which you would like a forecast by taking the content of the BaseUrl element in the data returned by the forecast layer capabilities web service and replacing the elements enclosed within curly brackets as described in the Map overlay forecast imagery detailed documentation.
You would like to retrieve an observation layer for a particular timestep
- Call the current weather map layers capabilities web service to check whether the data has been updated since it was last requested and to check which timesteps are available
- If so, build the URL corresponding to the timestep for which you would like an observation by taking the content of the BaseUrl element in the data returned by the current weather map layers capabilities web service and replacing the elements enclosed within curly brackets as described in the Map overlay observation imagery detailed documentation.