WeatherCat
3.0.4Weather station software.
Overview
WeatherCat is weather station software for Mac computers. WeatherCat is designed to work with hardware-based weather stations; as of this time, the following stations are supported:
- Davis Vantage, Vue, Envoy, Monitor and Wizard stations. WeatherCat also supports the WeatherLinkIP data-logger.
- La Crosse WS23xx range of stations.
- Oregon Scientific WMR 88, 928/968 and WMR200 stations.
- Fine Offset WH1080/2080/3080 stations
- WeatherHawk stations equipped with an IP server module.
- Instromet Metplus stations
- Netatmo stations
As data is gathered and stored in its database, WeatherCat allows you to view weather statistics such as the lowest temperature, or the highest wind speed over any time period stored in the database. In addition, WeatherCat can generate and upload simple Web pages which offer quick 'canned' solution to get your weather data on-line as quickly as possible, as well as template-driven 'custom' Web pages that can contain current conditions, graphs, gauges, statistics, webcam images, and time-lapse movies; these Web pages can be uploaded to your server by WeatherCat for display via a Web browser anywhere in the world. A live list of all possible 'tags' that can be used in your templates is available here.
WeatherCat can also send your weather data to the Weather Underground (Wunderground), the Citizens Weather Observer Program (C.W.O.P.), the Met-Office WOW program, PWSWeather, WeatherBug, OpenWeatherMap and WeatherCloud. In addition is provides close to real time Custom C.G.I. upload to a web-server for your own web-based applications along with the ability to send your data to a MySQL database opening up a world of applications in charting and analysis.
What's new in WeatherCat
Changes in this release include:
- Netatmo: Improved server connection failure handling and reconnection. Also improved token expiry handling to avoid latency when token expires.
- On station comms fail, we no longer show the message to check the USB connections if the station is IP based.
- Fixed some alignment issues with dock update time in preferences.
- WeatherLink IP and Vantage station drivers - we now check and correct the station clock at 03:05, previously it was at 00:05 (if option is enabled in Station Hardware Options).
- Custom web processing has been re-architected to increase the processing speed. The actual speed up seen over V3.0.3 will depend on the computer - a more powerful computer will show more of a speed up than a less powerful one when processing identical templates.
- Simple web processing speeded up as per custom web.
- Fixed some threading issues.
- Changed comms fail message so it doesn't show 'May need to restart computer' if station doesn't use a serial to USB driver.
- Tidied up the dock update time preferences for alignment.
- Custom scrolling graphs now have a maximum period of 56 days, previously 28.
- WeatherLink IP station driver now explicitly logs to WeatherCat's log window when it disconnects hourly to allow the logger to upload historical data (if allowed in the Station Hardware Options). In addition, the hourly disconnect period has been increased to the recommended 1 minute (up from 20 seconds).
- Latest Italian translation updates courtesy of Federico Paoletti.
WeatherCat Screenshots
Install with MacUpdate
10 WeatherCat Reviews
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Most helpful
I noticed one little thing I hope the developer will fix since I'd reported it on V 1 but still wasn't corrected in V 2 .... if users select 24-hour time format, the initial screen (WeatherCat) "Time of Data" incorrectly shows the time between midnight and 1 a.m. Example: If the sampling time is 15 minutes after midnight, the "Time of Data" shows up as 24:15 vice the correct 00:15.
And another thing I'd hoped we'd see was a pre-programmed script for heating and cooling degree days from a selectable base temp. Oh well, there's always V 2.1. :-)
I did think of one thing that might make the software better. Although, as complex as it is on the number of automated features, this is a pretty minor concern. I wish the gauges were not semi translucent. Displaying the gauges over a desktop image lets some of the image come through, which kills the illusion of real gauges. For that reason, I have to use a desktop image that is uniform throughout, like a single color grey. It's a small complaint, but as you said, "… there's always V 2.1. :-)" Stu is usually very responsive to these little issues.
That reminds me! I need to get my upgrade done. Better go do that now.
The other major upgrade is the ability to create "synthetic channels." These are snippets of AppleScript that manipulate real data from your weather station to create new data streams. These synthetic data streams can be graphed, displayed, or used just like any other WeatherCat data. Now what WeatherCat can do for you is only limited by your creativity. For example, you can subtract the outside air temperature from the inside air temperature and make for yourself a little alert to tell you when you should open up your windows to cool the house. The synthetic channel feature can be used to compute something much more complicated like the Blaney–Criddle estimate of evapotranspiration.
WeatherCat 1.0 was already outstanding, but WeatherCat 2.0 sets new standards for weather station software.