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Aeris Interactive 1.5 Released with Google Maps API V3 Support

by lhuffman on May 13, 2013

We have upgraded Aeris Interactive to version 1.5. This upgrade adds support for Google Maps API V3, as Google will be shutting down their gmaps API V2 later this month.

Enabling Google Maps V3 and Obtaining an API Key
To ensure your maps will continue to work, you will need to enable your websites & hosted sites to use Google Maps API v3. Since you are currently using the maps with API v2, enabling Google maps API v3 (if not already enabled) is fairly simple, per the following steps (your IT group may need make the change).

1. Browse to https://code.google.com/apis/console/ and enter information to login.
2. Once logged in, click "Services" on the left side.
3. Scroll down to "Google Maps API v3" and click the toggle to "ON".
4. Verify that you have a Google Maps API key. If you do not yet have a key, you will need to follow Google's instructions on registering for a key.

Update your Google Maps Script Tag:
The final element of your upgrade will be too switch out your google maps <script> tag with the following:

<script type="text/javascript" src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?sensor=false&libraries=geometry&key=APIKEY"></script>

Replace APIKEY with your API key obtained in step 4 above.

Additional Support
If you have trouble with your interactive maps after perfoming the steps above, please submit a support ticket and team can assist further.

Aeris iOS Weather Framework 1.1.6 Released

by nshipes on Dec 10, 2012

We pushed out a minor update to our Aeris iOS Weather framework today that fixes a few bugs with the interactive map and auto-rotation as well as improving the way the core account initialization is performed when launching your custom app. Refer to the complete 1.1.6 change log for more details as to the fixes and changes included in this release.

Better Initialization at App Launch
With this 1.1.6 update, we've improved the way in which the SDK is initialized at app launch, allowing your app to respond when the SDK has properly initialized with your account settings. This is especially critical if you are using our interactive weather map as the root view that appears once the app has launched and using the built-in AFWeatherMapOptionsViewController to display the map overlay options. This options view only displays map overlays that your active account has access to, so you would want to wait until the SDK had finished loading your account information before trying to display this options view or adding weather-specific overlays to the map. For this, we utilize NSNotificationCenter to broadcast to all observers when the SDK is fully ready with the key kAFEngineReady.

For example, your custom app displays the interactive map with the radar overlay at app launch. But the SDK verifies that your account has access to this overlay before displaying it. So your app would want to wait to display the overlay until the SDK receives your account information and settings by listening for the proper event from NSNotificationCenter:

// CustomViewController.m (subclass of AFWeatherMapViewController)

- (void)viewDidAppear:(BOOL)animated {
	[super viewDidAppear:animated];
	
	if (![[AerisEngine currentEngine] isEngineReady]) {
		[[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] addObserver:self selector:@selector(initializeMap) name:kAFEngineReady object:nil];
	}
	else {
		[self initializeMap];
	}
}

- (void)initializeMap {
	[self.weatherMap showOverlayForType:AFOverlayTypeRadar];
}

The SDK will cache your account information for an extended amount of time, so they will not need to be loaded every time your app is launched.

Aeris API + HW3 = Better Weather for Your Site

by nshipes on Dec 03, 2012

The following article was contributed by Joe Torsitano from WeatherForYou.com

Anyone who has used the HAMweather scripts on their website for more than a few months knows much of its power lies in its flexibility. The introduction of the Aeris Weather API means almost any existing HW3 installation can display the data which has always been included with higher speed and availability. It also allows other weather related information to be added. And it can be done with some easy changes to the templates provided with HW3 or that have already been customized.

HW2 and HW3 have been key components in WeatherForYou.com (WFY) since 1999. While Aeris could have been a replacement for our HW system, I found it was very simple to modify existing templates so the API could provide all the improved benefits of Aeris while significantly reducing development time.

There are many benefits to Aeris data compared to other sources which have been traditionally used by HW3. Aeris utilizes the latest cloud-based services and content delivery networks which is very fast and reliable. It's able to quickly respond to rapidly changing demands and loads when you really need weather data such as during significant weather events. The API enables the retrieval of a wide range of weather data and related information using JavaScript Object Notation, or JSON. If you're interested in knowing more about JSON visit http://www.json.org/ For t.his tutorial it'll suffice to say it makes it really easy to read and write data.

In order to access the API an account is needed. Account types are based on how many times and what data is going to be retrieved. A free Developer account allows up to 750 requests per day to the types of information a standard HW3 installation uses plus more. You can sign up for a Developer account and transition can occur without the worry of charges piling up during the development time and a small non-commercial HW3 site can have the Aeris advantage at no cost. All that is necessary is giving credit to HAMweather on any page that uses the Aeris data in accordance with the credit policy at http://www.hamweather.com/support/documentation/aeris/credit-policy/

Once you have your account, login at http://www.hamweather.com/account/member after which you'll need to register your website at the Aeris API - Application/Website Registration link from your account. This will issue you a unique identifier for your account and key for each application, which is used to access the API.

Now that you have a login, ID and secret you can begin having your HW3 installation make Aeris requests. The key here is HW3's ability to include regular php code. To include something like:

<?php echo ("HW3 and Aeris is a great combination"); ?>

you would put this into an HW3 template:

%%CODE echo ("HW3 and Aeris is a great combination"); CODE%%

If you need multiple lines to insert your php code you use double underlines after each line, like:

%%CODE __
	echo ("HW3 and Aeris is a great combination"); __
CODE%%

There must not be any blank lines otherwise the inserted code will not work.

So are you ready for Aeris API to appear in your HW3 installation? I'm going to start with a simple replacement for the current conditions. Now I'm sure most have customized their installations to better match their site's look and feel (and their own personal preferences) so the examples given are based on the templates that come with HW3. But it should give you a good starting place.
First step backup your templates! This is especially important if you're using a live site. But even if you have the bonus of developing on an internal, non-public system it's always good to have where you started from to come back to. So if you haven't backed up your templates, do it now! You will be glad you did.

Sets of data from the API are called endpoints. In this case we'll be using the observations endpoint. Within the endpoints are the individual pieces of data like temperature, humidity, etc., which are called query elements.
To start with we need to show when the observations were made. This is in the templates/zandh.html template. In the template find the item:

Updated: %%hforecastdate%%

Replace it with this, filling in your CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET where indicated:

%%CODE __
	$response = file_get_contents("http://api.aerisapi.com/observations/closest?p=%%zipcode%%&client_id=CLIENT_ID&client_secret=CLIENT_SECRET"); __
	$json = json_decode($response); __
	if ($json->success == true) { __
		$cond = $json->response[0]->ob; __
		echo ("Updated: " . gmdate('g:i A D M j Y', strtotime($cond->dateTimeISO) + '%%tzdif%%' * 3600)); __
	} __
CODE%%

Now upload the modified zandh.html to your server. Next you'll be modifying the templates/include/current.html file. You'll be replacing a lot more code here. In the default templates you'll be replacing lines 14 through 53 (starting right under the first <table border="0"> statement and going until the line right above the next to the last </table> statement). Replace all that with the following, filling in your CLIENT_ID and CLIENT_SECRET where indicated:

Once you upload the modified current.html to your server, give it a test. Get a forecast for your town. The current conditions you see will be coming from the Aeris API!

In this example we just dropped Aeris API replacements into the default templates. This created two requests to the API, one for the time and one for the actual conditions. Since access to the API is metered you will probably want to modify your templates to gather all the information from one request to maximize the number of reports you can get.

In my next installment I'll give you the sun and the moon, Aeris API style.

We Have New Flexible Aeris Pricing, Thanks to Your Feedback!

by callar on Nov 05, 2012

We recently sent out a newsletter to existing Aeris API Developer subscribers about our new pricing options for our API, along with some other information on finding help on getting started with your API account. We are also providing current users signed up for the free Developer plan 25% off of their first month when they subscribe to a paid plan for providing their feedback on using our Aeris API so far. 

Be sure to check out our latest newsletter for more information.

Aeris iOS Weather Framework 1.1.5 Released

by nshipes on Oct 26, 2012

An update to our iOS weather framework is now available that includes several bug fixes and a few new features. As always, review the 1.1.5 complete release notes for more detailed information on the latest changes and fixes.

Dynamic Opacity and Speed
The biggest addition to the framework comes in the interactive map feature. We’ve had several requests to add support for dynamically adjusting an image overlay’s opacity and animation speed at runtime. Well, we listened to your feedback, and it’s finally here! 

To take advantage of this new feature immediately, we have already added default controls for map overlay opacity and animation speed under the map options (as pictured above). This is built into AFWeatherMapOptionsViewController, so you don’t have to do anything if your applications are already using this class to display the map’s overlay options.

If you aren’t using our included AFWeatherMapOptionsViewController in your own custom applications, but want to use this new feature, adding support for it is simple. In the case above, we are using two instances of UIKit’s UISlider component and hooking them up to action handlers to adjust the opacity/speed when the slider values change:

// hook up the action handlers to the UIControlEventValueChanged event
...
[alphaSlider addTarget:self action:@selector(alphaSliderAction:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventValueChanged];
[animationSlider addTarget:self action:@selector(animationSliderAction:) forControlEvents:UIControlEventValueChanged];
...

// adjust opacity and speed on AFWeatherMap when UISlider values change
- (void)alphaSliderAction:(UIControl *)control {
	CGFloat val = ((UISlider *)control).value;
	val = roundf(val * 10) / 10;
	self.weatherMap.overlayAlpha = val;
}

- (void)animationSliderAction:(UIControl *)control {
	CGFloat val = ((UISlider *)control).value;
	val = roundf(val * 10) / 10;
	// need to reverse value back since a lower number is faster
	self.weatherMap.animationSpeed = 1.1 - val;
}

Another thing to take note of with this addition is that we have removed the opacity setting for each individual image overlay in favor of a single global default opacity value. This value is used as the initial opacity for all image overlays displayed on the map before any adjustments are made using the new opacity and animation speed settings above. You can find these settings in your AerisMapConfig.plist file within the AerisMap.embeddedframework/Resources directory. Refer to the complete description of each map setting for more information.

Customizing Point and Polygon Overlays
You now have more control over what type of data is displayed for all point and polygon data overlays. We have added an additional property, OptionsString, for each of these overlays in your AerisMapConfig.plist file that allows you to provide your own Aeris API options to use for each of the data requests for that overlay. The value for this setting is just a normal API query string you would use when making the API calls from the browser or another script.

We are building our iOS roadmap in more detail for our upcoming bigger 1.2 release which we will provide details on in an upcoming blog entry and are definitely excited about. If you would like to see certain features in a future update to our iOS framework, feel free to let us know via Twitter (@hwaeris or our contact form.

Aeris Users Speak Up - Crushed Box Software Weather Apps Impress with Aeris API

by callar on Oct 09, 2012

We spoke with Christopher Coudriet from CrushedBoxSoftware.com about how he is using the Aeris weather API. He loves it! Thanks Chris, we can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Why did you decide to add weather into your offerings?

We’ve been developing weather related apps for the last couple of years. And during this time we were searching for the game changing weather data provider to implement into our future weather apps.

Aeris iOS Weather Framework 1.1.4 Released

by nshipes on Sep 17, 2012

Today we released an update to our iOS weather framework that primarily serves as a bug fix release, but also introduces methods for accessing some of the newer features in the core API not yet supported by the framework.

The primary addition has been adding support for accessing data from the observations/recent and observations/archive API endpoints. To do so, you will use the iOS framework’s AFObservationsLoader object, its requestRecentObservationsForPlace:total:options: method for requesting recent observations, and requestObservationsForPlace:fromDate:toDate:options: method for requesting observations for a range in our archive. Review the AFObservationsLoader class documentation for additional details on using these new methods.

Make sure to review the full release notes for 1.1.4 for complete details to bug fixes and changes.

Aeris iOS and Xcode 4.5
Last week Apple seeded iOS 6 GM to developers in preparation for the public release of iOS 6. With this update, they also updated Xcode 4.5 to include the new armv7s architecture used by the new iPhone 5, but also removes support for the armv6 architecture used by iPhone 3G and iPod 2 devices and older. Therefore, our iOS framework will continue to support the armv6 architecture until version 1.2 is released, after which only armv7 and armv7s will be supported to take advantage of the new architecture and features of Xcode 4.5 and later.

We have had a few users of the iOS framework contact us regarding the following error they were receiving from our framework when building using Xcode 4.5:

ld: file is universal (3 slices) but does not contain a(n) armv7s slice: .../Aeris/Aeris.framework/Aeris for architecture armv7s

After some research and testing, we’ve determined that in order to use our library with Xcode 4.5 you will need to remove armv7s from the “Architectures” field in your project’s Build Settings. Many developers are reporting that the iPhone 5 can still use the armv7 architecture and armv7s is not required by Apple when submitting to the AppStore. We have to decided to not release a version of the framework built for armv7s until we are able to fully test on an actual device. However, we will follow any additional news regarding iPhone 5 and armv7s architecture support over the coming weeks and verify our framework continues to work without any issues. 

Aeris Users Speak Up - Day One Journaling App Expands Offerings with Aeris

by callar on Sep 06, 2012

Paul Mayne from Bloom Built, LLC, creator of Day One http://dayoneapp.com/ had some great things to say about how he uses the Aeris Weather API to increase the value of his journaling app:

We've been very happy with our choice to go with HAMweather. Adding this additional detail of weather is an important part of capturing the essence of a moment, event or place in time for a journal entry to better preserve our memories.

After much research and comparisons of all the available weather API services, we found that relying on any cheap or free service would not be reliable enough for our product. We determined that HAMweather offered a solid service and easy to use API with the added advantage of allowing us to retrieve a historical weather point from up to 3 days back.

Our users have been delighted with our integration of location and weather into the entries. We receive positive reviews mentioning this new feature every day.

Thank you Paul for sharing your thoughts!  We are very excited to see what you come up with next.  We LOVE what you have done with DAY ONE!  Congratulations on the success.

Developers Flock to sign up for HAMweather’s API after announcement of Weather Underground Sale

by callar on Aug 23, 2012

HAMweather shares the humble beginnings and grassroots following of Weather Underground, and will continue to remain focused on their new weather API and data enhancement.

No longer only a favorite of weather enthusiasts, HAMweather has risen quickly as the top choice of developers for weather APIs worldwide. Since the recent acquisition of Weather Underground by the Weather Channel, HAMweather has seen a newr 300% increase in usage as developers jump the corporate ship to a company holding strong to their weather roots.

With humble beginnings, similar to Weather Underground, HAMweather was founded by Lee Huffman in 1996. It quickly gained a strong following, originating with novice weather developers and hobbyists. HAMweather has since emerged as the most trusted weather content provider for major companies around the world such as Polaris Industries, Wells Fargo, Princess Cruise Lines, Carrier and many more.

As demand for weather data and information grew, HAMweather expanded on the weather-in-a-box days of the company's roots, to create the most powerful, flexible and user-friendly weather API on the market. Aeris, Huffman’s brainchild, is the force behind some of the most inventive weather apps and websites out there. “Aeris takes HAMweather to the next level. It is hyper-local, easier to use, more reliable and faster than anything else out there” says Huffman.

"Once we got our hands on the SDK and started building our future apps, we knew we had something great here. The Aeris API fit in perfectly and offers more data than anything we've ever seen or used. We knew we could do some great things with this powerful platform." said Christopher Coudriet, President/CEO of CrushedBoxSoftware.com.

Mobile weather that is focused and accurate is now a necessity, a fact that explains why HAMweather is growing at such a rapid pace. The forecast powered by the Aeris API goes well beyond the simple high-and-low outlook offered by most, and provides all of the details needed to tell the weather story. Aeris API is a data rich API supporting more than 2.6 million cities worldwide and over 7 million points of interest.

"No, it’s not your imagination – America is currently enduring the most extreme weather in our history, and the trends are troubling. Any tool that can save users time and money, help them get through their days with greater confidence, and keep families safer, will be well received in the marketplace. Today, adding personalized weather to a website or mobile app is a no-brainer." said senior meteorologist and Media Logic Group, LLC founder Paul Douglas.

With the recent changes in the industry, developers have been jumping at the chance to try the free Aeris API Developer accounts. Bloom Built, the maker of the Day One journaling App, recently pushed out an update that flaunts the talents of the Aeris API. They started with a free account, and just recently Day One was named App of the Week on Apple's App Store.

"Growth for a business is always the goal, but HAMweather could never forget where we come from. The goal will remain what it always has been -- to provide reliable and accurate weather information, for any platform, at any time." said Lee Huffman.

For a complete look at HAMweather's solutions, visit http://hamweather.com. HAMweather was founded in 1996 by Lee Huffman. In 2009, HAMweather happily merged with Media Logic Group, LLC, an independent company and provider of weather videos, emergency management communication, forecasting, expert briefings, and services for all things weather. HAMweather's suite of products has grown to include their Aeris API, Aeris Mobile, Aeris Weather Graphics, Aeris Web, Hosted Weather Websites, as well as Web and App Development/Design.

HAMweather, LLC a Media Logic Group Company
Minneapolis, MN http://www.hamweather.com
For more information call: 952-401-1005 or 1-888-98-AERIS

Aeris iOS Weather Framework 1.1.3 Released

by nshipes on Jul 13, 2012

We pushed out an update to our iOS weather framework today that includes several bug fixes and improvements. For details on the changes, review the complete change log.

Core Changes
This update includes improved tile and animation loading, which utilizes our completely new backend that is considerably faster and more reliable during periods of high demand. We have also improved the loading performance of API requests and rendering performance of a lot of data points on the interactive map, such as storm cells and storm reports.

Another important change to note with the 1.1.3 release is that we have deprecated the AFTileOverlayType, AFPointDataOverlayType and AFPolygonDataType enum types and combined them into a single AFOverlayType enumeration. While this release does offer backwards compatibility for the previous enum types, you may receive compiler warnings when using them in method calls to AFWeatherMap. We highly recommend updating your applications to use the new AFOverlayType enum types which we have updated within our interactive map documentation.

Additionally you will want to review the changes to AFWeatherMap as some methods are deprecated as of this 1.1.3 release, which means that although they can still be used, they will be removed in a future update to the framework. Take a look at the AFWeatherMap class reference doc for information on the deprecated methods.

Upcoming Features
We have many new features planned for future releases of our iOS weather framework. As for data sets, we will be offering tropical data and mapping functionality after that data is publicly released in our Aeris API. We will also be adding some additional customization support for the AerisMap framework, such as defining the total number of intervals in animations, dynamically adjusting overlay opacity and animation speed. Follow us on Twitter for the latest development updates and release dates.