Canadian Weather Community Forums

Right, here go folks. This datacentre talk has been going on for long enough, now it`s time to finally set some objectives and announce how this is going to work.

The front end and demo page is completed for the datacentre. Approx 50% of theGempak script have been written, simply put these are the meat and potatoes of what provides the charts and imagery.

Costs have been a big factor. Most of you know, this website gets zero in revenue. A very small percentage comes from the google ads scattered around the website, it pays a small portion of the server fees.

To help allay the fees for running this datacentre, those who would like access would pay a small, one time fee. Something like 20 or 30 bucks and that`s it. I`m thinking the latter, however I`m trying to juggle the data stream fees, hardware costs so that this can be finalised.

For the membership fee you will get unlimited access to the datacentre via a dedicated username and password. You will also be automatically registerd to the forums and be able to see the datacentre forum/category (private to non DC members). You would be given a pro-member title under your username. Those who are already forums members will simply be upgraded after paying the datacentre member fee.

So, in effect the datacentre is still free. However, this one time membership fee will go into the kitty to pay toward the hefty server/data fees, not to make a quick buck!

I would like to stress in a "terms of service" to be created, there will be no refunds for this. I can just see it now, folks signing up, beating the service to death then cancelling after 29 days and I will be out of pocket.

There will be a number of demos so people can see what they are registering for, it is an entirely "at your own risk" service.

Also, the datacentre will be a project that will be constantly in development. Initially folks will sign up and see a limited number of products, but I will stress that more is on the way as products/scripts continue to be developed and released.

No one is forced to use this, but I would like to think the products being released will be very unique and worth the membership fee. Publically available weather data is rather limited in Canada, hopefully this will go some way to plugging that hole.

We`re hoping to have something online in the next two - three weeks, maybe a little sooner.

Great idea Bob. I hope it works out alright :)

The archive link won't work for me, perhaps I am not doing something right.

The above post has been updated :)

That sounds like a reasonable amount to sign up for the Datacenter.
As you suggest
"I would like to think the products being released will be very unique and worth the membership fee. Publically available weather data is rather limited in Canada, hopefully this will go some way to plugging that hole".
So let me know when I can sign up.
I haven't been on for awhile due to my outdoor work, things are starting to slow down now though. I just had a look at the new and improved site, WOW!! what a ton of work you have put into this, I for one really appreciate all your work, and wish you every success in getting this baby running the way you envisage.

Working on a support and billing script this weekend, should be completed and running by Sunday. This will enable you to sign up, automatically be given your username and password. With this you will then get your unlimited access to the password protected datacentre.

The support desk is exclusive to the datacentre members or those interested in it. Chiefly it`s where we can announce new products, scheduled downtime, but also you can ask questions relating to the products, suggestions and such things. There will also be a FAQs section too.

During the signup process, there will be a terms of agreement to check before proceeding to registering and payment. Once completed you will be emailed a receipt followed by your account information, the latter of which will be manually processed.

The plan is, surface and upper analysis data will be online first. This entails, plots, isobars, fronts, mandatory upper level contours, upper plots and more.

A few weeks later, once the more complex scripts are finished, the forcast model imagery will be online, possibly proceeded with the hi-res satellite images.

As I explained previously, it will not come online all at once. It will continue to be developed, with new features being announced as and when they are completed.

Will there also be a cost to use the forums, or will they continue to be free?

Forums will always be free :)

Support and datcentre information desk is now open
http://www.canadianweather.org/datacentre/support/

Just a matter of finishing up the datacentre portal and the registration/purchase interface, then we`ll be good to go.

I`m putting together a detailed features list of exactly what you`ll be getting and what will be to come. Hoping to have this done tonight. The features list will be in a state of continual growth as and when more products are developed and released.

Just an update. This project has not been abandoned but rather it has been postponed for the time being. We`ve had quite a lot of emails from folks thinking it had been forgotten.

Unfortunately I`ve been swamped with one thing after another and I just haven`t been able to find the time to continue working on it. However, I`m anticipating more available free time this fall, I`ll turn that free time into spending some hours on the datacentre.

To be quite honest, there really isn`t too much left to finish but what is remaining is time consuming. Now that summer has almost wound down for most, we`ll concentrate on developing winter products first to be released in the datacentre.