MET display for Club
 

What I would like to do is have an automated display of the Aviation F214 from the MetOffice in our club cabin, has anyone got a simple technical solution to this? We currently have a Mac connected to the internet which we can use, so are wondering if we can just have a script display this

Thanks

Isn't that an IT question rather than an aviation question? Myself a free-lance IT'er I could perhaps offer some insight; but seeing the recently re-introduced splendid isolation I prefer to keep my distance.

I'm not familiar with how this 'F214' data is delivered (being a good few thousand miles from you), however in general it's usually possible - and often relatively simple - to automate data collection and display. This could be as easy as using a little Python code for example, or just setting your browser to refresh every x seconds (with Firefox there are add-ons to do this, probably for other browsers as well). If you research 'data scraping' it'll give you an idea of various ways to do this.

Whether it's a good idea, or even legally permissible, is another matter. The service provider may specifically prohibit the use of their data in this way, and then there's the issue of ensuring that what someone sees on the screen is actually correct - what happens if the local system locks up without anyone knowing and supplies out-of-date data? There are ways to deal with this, and the supplied data could assist if it's timestamped or sequenced etc, but it's something you should be aware of if you go down this track.

Additionally I guess with a system that requires one to log in and specifically request locational data the provider can track that and determine what person x has looked at. Some people might be uncomfortable with this, and it may only be useful after an event perhaps, but others might view it as a plus. Just for the record I've read Eric Blair, Aldous Huxley and JS Mill, and I'm very wary of supplying any more information than is absolutely necessary :suspect:

Otherwise carry on with your Mac, or perhaps if it's getting old you could use a RPi4 which would probably use less power and may be easier to write scripts for etc, if you wanted to do that.

FP.

We use large flat screens in each of our main rooms to display such info (they are both connected to internet PCs) but we always start with the 215, then the 214, then the relevant TAFs and Metars and, for those not yet familiar with the former, the GAMET. Since the 214 is only released 4 times per day and each is on a separate page of the website (that may not be the correct terminology) I think you'll struggle to automate that. Furthermore, unless you're flying really early or really late in the day, you'll only need two of them so I fail to see the value of just displaying the 214. For students or PPLs who are planning, we just print one off.

The met office site is free
​​​​​​https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/service...rvice-guidance

.........that and the fact that it's the official source, is why I insist on continuing to use it.

Thank you all for your input, a correct brief is one of the actions that one must take prior to takeoff and is essential to flight which is why I felt it reasonable to ask the question here. You are all right in that we need to brief from an authoritative source, however it is also true by streaming the correct data we can enable people to brief properly. The trick is to stream the data in such a way that it can be trusted.

Thanks again

You would be better off getting access to MOMIDS - it displays the colour states of UK airfields, precipitation in almost real time, sat pics of cloud cover, instant access to METARS and TAFs, surface pressure maps etc etc etc. So much better for real time planning, especially the rainfall radar.

You can have this running all the time and it automatically updates - I wouldn't get airborne without using it.

The military use it rather than the 214 because it is good.

Pray tell us how to get that, which sounds so much better than wot us mere civvies are allowed?

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/service...rvice-guidance

It's the free 'lite' version but you can pay for the premium service.

I think this would be pretty easy for anyone with any programming experience at all using a macro add on for the browser. Still tough for someone allergic to IT.

I used one years ago to automate logons to the internet cafe next door while I got my broadband sorted out. I can't now remember the name of it but could dig it out.

You can record actions and then edit the program to do stuff like insert delays where you want them. Cycling round a few web pages, changing say every 30 seconds would be very straightforward.

Quite possibly iMacros.