NOAA Weather Data Visualization

A D3.js-based web application for visualizing NOAA weather data stored in Parquet files using DuckDB for efficient querying.

Data is sourced from NOAA via AWS S3. NOAA data disseminated through NODD is made available under the Creative Commons 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication (CC0-1.0) license, which is well-known and internationally recognized. There are no restrictions on the use of the data. The data are open to the public and can be used as desired.

Features

• Interactive Data Visualization: View weather data through line charts, bar charts, and heat maps
• Multiple Weather Elements: Supports Temperature (TMAX, TMIN, TAVG) and Precipitation (PRCP) data
• Year Selection: Choose from available years
• Parquet Querying: Uses DuckDB to query cached Parquet files, avoiding need to download entire data set ahead of time like with Evidence
• Responsive Design: Clean, modern interface that works on different screen sizes

Prerequisites

• AWS CLI - for downloading data from S3
• Node.js (v14 or higher)

Installation

1. Clone or download this project
2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Fetch dimensions and maps

   npm run fetch-all

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Alternatively: Run with Docker Compose

If you prefer to use Docker, you can get up and running with a single command:

docker-compose up

This will build the Docker image (if needed) and start the development server inside a container. The app will be available at http://localhost:3001.

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Usage

1. Start the server:

   npm run dev

2. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3001

3. Use the controls to:

   • Select a year
   • Choose a weather element (Temperature or Precipitation)
   • Pick a chart type (Line, Bar, or Heat Map)

Data Structure

The application downloads NOAA weather data as needed and stores it in data in the following directory structure:

data/by_year/
├── YEAR=2020/
│   ├── ELEMENT=TMAX/
│   ├── ELEMENT=TMIN/
│   ├── ELEMENT=PRCP/
│   └── ...
├── YEAR=2021/
└── ...

Chart Types

• Line Chart: Shows daily temperature/precipitation trends over time
• Bar Chart: Displays monthly averages
• Heat Map: Provides a calendar view showing values by day and month

Dependencies

• D3.js: Data visualization library
• DuckDB: Fast analytical database for querying Parquet files
• Express.js: Web server framework

API Endpoints

• GET /api/weather/:year/:element: Returns weather data for the specified year and element

Development

To run in development mode:

npm run dev

The server will start on port 3000 and serve the static files.