[aprssig] "The New" WXSVR and Canada

[Pete Loveall AE5PL Lists]

If there is a data source for the Canadian information (I would guess there is), the alerts might be possible.  I use the word "might" because I do not know the availability of the source or the format of the data.

As far as the object shapes, the US NWS issues the warning area outline as part of their warnings.  Because warnings quite often cover a subarea of a county or province, I don't think it would be good to extrapolate from the text what true area is being described.  This is best left to the issuing agency to generate.  As far as zone/county/province painting, this should be discernable from the issuing agency's text and your software (UI-View, Xastir, etc.) can make use of shape files to do area shading.  This has been implemented by the Aussies for their WXSVR-AU.  It might be that your weather service has shape files available (that is where we get ours).

I would like to see someone in Canada take ownership of the project for Canadian alerts much the same as the Aussies took ownership of their weather server.  I would be willing to assist in any way I can and I am sure those that worked on the project in Australia could provide some guidance as well.  If anyone in Canada wants to take ownership of this project, contact me directly (not via the list) and we can get you headed in the right direction.

73,

Pete Loveall AE5PL
pete at ae5pl dot net

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Brad [VE3BSM]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 3:51 PM
> 
> Previously, Dale's server provided warnings (but not shapes) for some
> or all of Canada. I know because I was gating warnings for Ontario
> (WTOSVR) out to RF. I recall Dale & I exchanging e-mail on his work to
> being able to send out the Canadian warnings (and the near-
> impossibility of doing shapefiles for Canada thanks to the Canadian
> government).
> 
> My question: Is it feasible, or possible, for the new AE5PL-WX server
> to *also* add Canadian warnings? Of course, I have no idea *how* dale
> did what he did, or where he got the data from, or even where the
> "county" callsigns came from. I just know they're gone, and we miss
> them. :-(