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In order to effectively model the various processes that will affect a house once built, it is essential to have historical climatic data. These data allow us to simulate different designs and seek adjustments that maximize advantages and minimize potential problems.
In this case, we will work with the openweathermap.org website to explain how the information is obtained and what format it comes in. Furthermore, this allows us to adapt the format to other sources of information, which can be of interest because accessing the data from the mentioned website incurs a cost.
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Data origin
Description
In this case, we are using the data that can be downloaded from openweathermap.org. However, it is also possible to work with other websites, although it may be necessary to adapt the data as indicated later on.
If you access the openweathermap.org website, you will see the main page (for July 2023):
To understand the format of the downloadable information, you can find an orange bar halfway down the page.
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Selection of historical data
Description
At the middle of the page, there is an orange bar with five icons. The last one refers to historical data:
By clicking on that logo, a page will open detailing the downloadable data.
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Explanation of historical data
Description
Upon opening the historical data page, we come across the API formats, which are not relevant to us. Therefore, we need to continue with the link "History Bulk":
Following the link takes us to a page where we can access the area to define and download data (yellow arrow). Before that, we can scroll down to the "Weather fields in History Bulk" section:
In the "Weather fields in History Bulk" section, we can see the main fields of the downloadable files:
To facilitate working with the different fields, the detailed format for each field is defined below. Based on this data from other sources, it is also possible to manually create a compatible CSV file format.
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Historical data format
Description
The format of the historical data is summarized in the following table:
| # | X | Codes | Meaning | Example |
| 1 | X | dt | timestamp | 1199145600 |
| 2 | dt_iso | date | 2008-01-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTC | |
| 3 | timezone | time zone | -10800 | |
| 4 | city_name | city name | Custom location | |
| 5 | lat | latitude | -39.928795 | |
| 6 | lon | longitude | -73.555106 | |
| 7 | X | temp | temperature | 287.49 |
| 8 | visibility | visibility | ||
| 9 | dew_point | dew point | 286.7 | |
| 10 | feels_like | feels like temperature && 287.46 | ||
| 11 | temp_min | minimum temperature | 286.9 | |
| 12 | temp_max | maximum temperature | 288.4 | |
| 13 | X | pressure | pressure | 1016 |
| 14 | sea_level | sea level | ||
| 15 | grnd_level | ground level | ||
| 16 | X | humidity | humidity | 95 |
| 17 | X | wind_speed | wind speed | 2.63 |
| 18 | X | wind_deg | wind direction | 220 |
| 19 | wind_gust | wind gust | ||
| 20 | X | rain_1h | rainfall in one hour | |
| 21 | rain_3h | rainfall in three hours | ||
| 22 | snow_1h | snowfall in one hour | ||
| 23 | snow_3h | snowfall in three hours | ||
| 24 | X | clouds_all | cloud coverage | 9 |
| 25 | weather_id | weather id | 800 | |
| 26 | weather_main | weather type | Clear | |
| 27 | weather_description | weather description | sky is clear | |
| 28 | weather_icon | weather icon | 01d |
To generate a file manually, you can work with an Excel spreadsheet that can eventually be saved as a CSV file. It is important to note:
The CSV file should use commas as separators, not tabs.
The first line should consist of the codes mentioned in the previous format definition.
When there is no data or it is not required, the field is left empty. The necessary data is marked with an X.
Numbers should be written in American format, using a period instead of a comma, and thousands separators should not be used.
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Create an account and login
Description
To obtain the data, you first need to sign up on the website by accessing the "Sign In" option and then the registration dialog labeled "Create an Account":
In the dialog that appears, you should enter all the required information and pay attention to the included services:
After creating the account, you can proceed with the login:
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Specify and download data
Description
Upon entering, you will arrive at the main menu of the different services:
After selecting "Historical weather for any location" and clicking on "Go to purchase", it offers the following services:
In this case, we are using "History Bulk" with a cost of £7 (July 2023) by clicking on "Place Order." This takes us to the login page, where on the left side, we click on the line that says "Search":
This allows us to choose by location, coordinates, or import. If we choose location, we need to enter the latitude, longitude, start and end dates. Finally, we must press "Place Order" to complete the process, including entering valid credit card information.
It is important to keep in mind that:
The location should be precise to provide representative climatic data. This is particularly important, for example, in a coastal area where conditions can change significantly within a few kilometers.
To simplify the process, complete years are taken, starting from January 1st of the earliest year and ending on December 31st of the latest possible year. This avoids date weighting issues.
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