Historical Weather Patterns Visualizer

This project is a web application that visualizes historical weather patterns using data from the NOAA Climate Data Online (CDO) API. It allows users to select weather stations on a map, choose a date range, and view temperature trends over time.

Features

• Interactive map interface for selecting weather stations
• Detailed station information display with available date ranges
• Custom date range selection for data retrieval
• Temperature trend visualization using line charts
• Zoom functionality for detailed data exploration
• Automatic date range adjustment based on data availability
• Clear error messaging and data availability alerts
• Backend API for efficient data retrieval from NOAA Climate Data Online (CDO)
• Responsive design for various device sizes

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have met the following requirements:

• Python 3.7+
• pip (Python package manager)
• A NOAA Climate Data Online (CDO) API key

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/esoltys/weather-patterns-visualizer.git
   cd weather-patterns-visualizer
   

2. Create a virtual environment and activate it:

   python -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate  # On Windows, use `venv\Scripts\activate`
   

3. Install the required packages:

   pip install -r requirements.txt
   

4. Set up your NOAA API key:

   • Request a key from https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/token
   • Add your NOAA CDO API key to the .env file:

     NOAA_API_TOKEN=your_actual_api_token_here
     

Usage

1. Start the FastAPI server:

   cd backend
   uvicorn main:app --reload
   

2. Open a web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000

3. Use the application:

   • Select a weather station on the map
   • Choose a start and end date
   • Click "Fetch Weather Data" to view the temperature trend

Architecture

graph TB
    User((User))

    subgraph "Weather Visualizer Application"
        FrontendApp["Frontend Application<br/>(JavaScript)"]
        BackendServer["Backend Server<br/>(FastAPI)"]
        StaticFileServer["Static File Server<br/>(FastAPI StaticFiles)"]
    end

    subgraph "External Services"
        NOAAAPI["NOAA Climate Data Online API<br/>(External)"]
    end

    User --> FrontendApp
    FrontendApp --> BackendServer
    FrontendApp --> StaticFileServer
    BackendServer --> NOAAAPI

    classDef frontend fill:#1168bd,stroke:#0b4884,color:#ffffff
    classDef backend fill:#2694ab,stroke:#1a6d7d,color:#ffffff
    classDef external fill:#999999,stroke:#666666,color:#ffffff

    class FrontendApp frontend
    class BackendServer,StaticFileServer backend
    class NOAAAPI external

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• NOAA for providing the Climate Data Online API
• ArcGIS for their JavaScript API
• Chart.js for data visualization