Weather datasource

Weather datasources allow you to fetch and display real-time weather data including current conditions, forecasts, and weather alerts from meteorological services. The system automatically processes weather data and makes it available to your widgets and templates for digital signage displays.

Prerequisites

Before creating a Weather datasource, ensure you have:

• Valid location information (city name, ZIP code, coordinates, or country code)
• Understanding of your preferred units (metric/imperial)
• Network access to weather service APIs
• Knowledge of your display refresh requirements
• Consideration for timezone differences if displaying in multiple locations

Create datasource

Go to Settings > Datasources and open the External Datasources tab. Click Add external datasource, then on the Choose a datasource type screen select Weather.

Basic Configuration

1. Location Configuration Configure the weather location using one of two methods:

Add by city

City Name:

• Enter city name: New York, London, Tokyo
• Include state/region for clarity: Springfield, Illinois, Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Use international names: São Paulo, München, 北京

ZIP Code/Postal Code:

• US ZIP codes: 10001, 90210, 33101
• Canadian postal codes: M5V 3A1, V6B 1A1
• UK postal codes: SW1A 1AA, M1 1AA

Country Code:

• ISO country codes: US, CA, GB, DE, JP
• Useful for country-wide general conditions

Add by geo position:

• Latitude/Longitude: 40.7128,-74.0060 (New York)
• Format: latitude,longitude (decimal degrees)
• Most precise location method for specific venues

Location Selection Best Practices

• Use specific city names or ZIP codes for local displays
• Consider using coordinates for precise locations (airports, venues)
• Test location accuracy with preview before deployment
• Use local language city names when appropriate for international displays

Advanced Configuration Options

2. Advanced settings The caching options are explained in Refresh and caching. Active, Continue refreshing despite errors, Connection settings and shuffling lists (Process and filter data) are explained in Advanced datasource settings.

3. Update Schedule Set how often the datasource updates under Refresh settings: a Simple interval or an Advanced schedule (cron). Learn more: Refresh and caching

Weather Update Frequency

Weather services typically update every 15-60 minutes. More frequent updates may not provide new data and could impact API rate limits. Consider your audience needs - lobby displays may need hourly updates, while outdoor event displays might need 15-minute intervals.

Weather Service Integration

Most weather datasources work with standard weather APIs. Check your weather service provider's documentation for specific authentication requirements and rate limits.

4. Save Configuration After configuring location, units, and update frequency, click Save to create the datasource.

Weather Datasource Testing

After saving, verify the weather data preview shows correct location and expected data structure. Test during different weather conditions to ensure proper data handling.

Returned Weather Codes

Here's a reference table of possible weather conditions returned by the data source.

Code	Condition	Code	Condition
0	Tornado	24	Windy
1	Tropical storm	25	Cold
2	Hurricane	26	Cloudy
3	Severe thunderstorms	27	Mostly cloudy (night)
4	Thunderstorms	28	Mostly cloudy (day)
5	Mixed rain and snow	29	Partly cloudy (night)
6	Mixed rain and sleet	30	Partly cloudy (day)
7	Mixed snow and sleet	31	Clear
8	Freezing drizzle	32	Sunny
9	Drizzle	33	Fair (night)
10	Freezing rain	34	Fair (day)
11	Showers	35	Mixed rain and hail
12	Rain	36	Hot
13	Snow flurries	37	Isolated thunderstorms
14	Light snow showers	38	Scattered thunderstorms
15	Blowing snow	39	Scattered showers
16	Snow	40	Heavy rain
17	Hail	41	Scattered snow showers
18	Sleet	42	Heavy snow
19	Dust	43	Blizzard
20	Foggy	44	Not available
21	Haze	45	Scattered showers
22	Smoky	46	Scattered snow showers
23	Blustery	47	Scattered thundershowers

tip

You can also load these into an internal data source for quick lookup during configuration — JSON below.

{
    "Weather Codes": {
      "header": {
        "Code": "number",
        "Condition": "string"
      },
      "rows": [
        { "Code": 0, "Condition": "Tornado" },
        { "Code": 1, "Condition": "Tropical storm" },
        { "Code": 2, "Condition": "Hurricane" },
        { "Code": 3, "Condition": "Severe thunderstorms" },
        { "Code": 4, "Condition": "Thunderstorms" },
        { "Code": 5, "Condition": "Mixed rain and snow" },
        { "Code": 6, "Condition": "Mixed rain and sleet" },
        { "Code": 7, "Condition": "Mixed snow and sleet" },
        { "Code": 8, "Condition": "Freezing drizzle" },
        { "Code": 9, "Condition": "Drizzle" },
        { "Code": 10, "Condition": "Freezing rain" },
        { "Code": 11, "Condition": "Showers" },
        { "Code": 12, "Condition": "Rain" },
        { "Code": 13, "Condition": "Snow flurries" },
        { "Code": 14, "Condition": "Light snow showers" },
        { "Code": 15, "Condition": "Blowing snow" },
        { "Code": 16, "Condition": "Snow" },
        { "Code": 17, "Condition": "Hail" },
        { "Code": 18, "Condition": "Sleet" },
        { "Code": 19, "Condition": "Dust" },
        { "Code": 20, "Condition": "Foggy" },
        { "Code": 21, "Condition": "Haze" },
        { "Code": 22, "Condition": "Smoky" },
        { "Code": 23, "Condition": "Blustery" },
        { "Code": 24, "Condition": "Windy" },
        { "Code": 25, "Condition": "Cold" },
        { "Code": 26, "Condition": "Cloudy" },
        { "Code": 27, "Condition": "Mostly cloudy" },
        { "Code": 28, "Condition": "Mostly cloudy" },
        { "Code": 29, "Condition": "Partly cloudy" },
        { "Code": 30, "Condition": "Partly cloudy" },
        { "Code": 31, "Condition": "Clear" },
        { "Code": 32, "Condition": "Sunny" },
        { "Code": 33, "Condition": "Fair" },
        { "Code": 34, "Condition": "Fair" },
        { "Code": 35, "Condition": "Mixed rain and hail" },
        { "Code": 36, "Condition": "Hot" },
        { "Code": 37, "Condition": "Isolated thunderstorms" },
        { "Code": 38, "Condition": "Scattered thunderstorms" },
        { "Code": 39, "Condition": "Scattered showers" },
        { "Code": 40, "Condition": "Heavy rain" },
        { "Code": 41, "Condition": "Scattered snow showers" },
        { "Code": 42, "Condition": "Heavy snow" },
        { "Code": 43, "Condition": "Blizzard" },
        { "Code": 44, "Condition": "Not available" },
        { "Code": 45, "Condition": "Scattered showers" },
        { "Code": 46, "Condition": "Scattered snow showers" },
        { "Code": 47, "Condition": "Scattered thundershowers" }
      ],
      "connectors": {}
    }
  }

Related guides

• How to Create a Content with a Playlist Zone
• How to Setup Meeting Room Solution Using Meeting Room App
• How to Create a Content That Shows the Current Weather
• How to Show Weather-Based Recommendations