awosWX
AwosWX gives quick dial access to current local weather conditions. It does so by calling the closest AWOS/ASOS ('Automated Weather Observing System'/'Automated Surface Observing System') station. These stations are operated by the Federal Aviation Administration, or state and local government. When the station is dialed the listener hears an automated report of the current weather. The report is terse and some of the information is aviation specific. The database of stations in this application contains over 2000 entries and is extracted from National Flight Data Center publications and other government web sites.
AwosWX has three views, the first uses iPhone location services to determine your current location so make sure 'Location Services' is set 'ON' in the iPhone 'General Settings'. The application's database is searched to find the phone number of the weather observation station nearest your current location. The station is dialed after displaying the city name associated with the site for two seconds. This function does not require an Internet connection to work. Note, about 200 of the entries in the database do not have locations associated with them, so these can only be accessed using the application's second view, or the direct FAA code query.
The second view displays a list of all the stations in the database grouped by state and sorted by city name. The list is indexed on the right by the state's abbreviation code so one may go directly to a desired state. Once a desired city is found in the list, tap the entry to dial the station. The list also displays the three letter FAA code and the frequency to access the station by radio if available. NOTE, this view takes a few seconds to load.
The application's third view contains use information (mostly duplicated here) and a button to access the FAA's web site at http://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/weather/asos/. Tapping this button will end awosWX and start Safari.
***NOTE***
My support Web page (see below) now has a link to a list of the FAA Codes contained in the database.
Version 1.1 changes:
With this release the AutoDial tab also allows one to search for and if found, dial a station by its 3 character FAA code. Simply tap the field in the upper left corner of the view, enter the code, and tap 'Search'. The station will be dialed immediately if it is in the database.
Access to the station list under the ListByState tab has been streamlined.
Version 1.1.1 changes:
When entering a FAA code the keyboard is set to caps lock because a code entered in lower case will not be found in the database. However, it has been discovered that this does not work if a user has Settings>General>Keyboard>Auto-Capitalization set OFF (ON is the default). This update forces the entered FAA code to uppercase regardless of the Auto-Capitalization setting.
Version 1.1.2 changes:
The internal database is updated to include some previously omitted FAA codes, correct truncated radio frequencies, and incorporate changes from the NFDC. There are no changes in the application logic.
Version 1.1.3 changes:
Recompiled for compatibility with iPhone OS 3.0. There are no application changes.
Version 1.1.4 changes:
Applied station changes from NFDC which updated several phone numbers and added 34 stations.
Corrected FAA's URL on Info tab.
Revised documentation on Info tab.
WHATS NEW IN THIS VERSION:
A tab to manage favorite FAA sites has been added and the documentation under the Info tab changed. Fifteen new sites were added to the database.
| | Released Date | 2008-12-10 | Size | 0.4 MB |
|---|
| Seller | BUD HUFF | Language | English |
|---|
| Ratings | Rated 4+ | Requitements | |
|---|
| Price | $1.99 | Compatible with iPhone.
Requires iPhone OS 2.2 or later. |
|---|
| Version | 1.2 (iPhone OS 3.0 Tested) |
|---|
|
