Observation Schema

WOW defines observations as a dictionary of string keys and object values. Its properties are the keys, which its schema can be dynamically changed by WOW administrators. Users can send choose which values they want to report and include them in their observation report.

Each observation can have as many parameters as it can. These parameters go through a strict validation check at the time of creation, so any parameter with mismatching type or range is discarded. You can check the "Observation Parameters" section below to find out which parameters are required and needs to be sent and which are optional.

Apart from endpoints like GeoJson and other specific data format endpoints, this observation schema is used everywhere in WOW. You can use this format to parse incoming observation information or post a new one.

Each observation parameter is stored based on its base unit but the original unit value is also kept. For example, if a site is sending temperature data in Celsius, only the Celsius value is kept because it's the base unit. If the site is sending in Fahrenheit, both Celsius and Fahrenheit is kept because Celsius is the base unit and the Fahrenheit is the original one.

Here is a sample observation with value comments:

{
  "siteId": "957966001", // Site Id that contains this observation
  "reportStartDateTime": "2016-12-19T13:45:00+00:00", // Observation start time
  "reportEndDateTime": "2016-12-19T13:45:00+00:00", // Observation end time
  "observationType": 1, // Type of the observation
  "collectionName": 1, // Collection name
  "softwareType": "Cumulus v3.0.0", // Software used to submit this observation
  "windDirection": 10, // Wind Direction value in degrees. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "windGust_MilePerHour": 4, // Wind gust in mph. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "windGust_MetrePerSecond": 1.7881570359508971, // Wind gust in metres per second. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "windSpeed_MilePerHour": 2, // Wind speed in mph. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "windSpeed_MetrePerSecond": 0.8940785179754486, // Wind speed in metres per second. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "relativeHumidity": 96, // Relative humidity in percentage. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "dewPointTemperature_Fahrenheit": 43.3, // Dew point temperature in fahrenheit. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "dewPointTemperature_Celsius": 6.277777777777776, // Dew point temperature in celsius. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "rainfallAmount_Inch": 0.02, // Rainfall amount in inches. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "rainfallAmount_Millimetre": 0.508, // Rainfall amount in mm. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "dryBulbTemperature_Fahrenheit": 44.4, // Dry bulb temperature in fahrenheit. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "dryBulbTemperature_Celsius": 6.8888888888888875, // Dry bulb temperature in celsius. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "airPressure_InchOfMercury": 30.264, // Station level pressure in inches of mercury. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details. 
  "airPressure_Hectopascal": 1024.85676696, // Station level pressure in hpa. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "rainfallRate_InchPerHour": 0.02, // Rainfall rate in inches per hour. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "rainfallRate_MillimetrePerHour": 0.508, // Rainfall rate in mm/hr. Check "Observation Parameters" section for details.
  "isPublic": true, // If the observation is public
  "isOfficial": false, // If the observation is official
  "longitude": -0.529982308459466, // Longitude of the coordinate
  "latitude": 51.5066988925248, // Latitude of the coordinate
  "height": 27, // Height / Elevation of the coordinate
  "id": "20161219ksfryx6f6re6pfyyyyb96sc87w", // Id of the observation
  "externalSiteId": 957966001, // External system id of the site
  "version": 1, // Revision number (starts from 1)
  "isLatestVersion": true, // Check if this is the latest version
  "externalId": 10091179520 // External system id of the observation
}

Observation Parameters

Name	Core	Req.	Type	Description	Min	Max
AccessGroup	Yes	No	String	Access group
AirIntakeTemperature_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Air Intake Temperature primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
AirPressure_Hectopascal	Yes	No	Number	Air Pressure (AKA Pressure at station height) primary unit: hectopascal
AirPressure_InchOfMercury	Yes	No	Number	Air Pressure (AKA Pressure at station height) alternate unit: inch of mercury
AirPressure_Millibar	Yes	No	Number	Air Pressure (AKA Pressure at station height) alternate unit: millibar
AirTemperatureMax_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Max Air Temperature (AKA Max Temperature) primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
AirTemperatureMax_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Max Air Temperature (AKA Max Temperature) alternate unit: ‎°F	-58	122
AirTemperatureMax_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Max Air Temperature (AKA Max Temperature) alternate unit: ‎°K
AirTemperatureMin_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Min Air Temperature primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
AirTemperatureMin_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Min Air Temperature alternate unit: ‎°F	-58	122
AirTemperatureMin_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Min Air Temperature alternate unit: ‎°K
CollectionName	Yes	No	Number	(Amateur observation, Synop, METAR, Five day forecast)
ConcreteTemperatureMin_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Concrete Min Temperature alternate unit: ‎°C	-50	50
ConcreteTemperatureMin_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Concrete Min Temperature alternate unit: ‎°F)	-58	122
ConcreteTemperatureMin_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Concrete Min Temperature alternate unit: ‎°K
CreatedDateTime	Yes	No	DateTime	Observation submission time and date
DataPointWeatherType	Yes	No	Number	Weather Type (DataPoint)	0	30
DayOfFog	Yes	No	Number	Previous day's fog report
DayOfGale	Yes	No	Number	Previous day's gale report
DayOfHail	Yes	No	Number	Previous day's hail report
DayOfSnow	Yes	No	Number	Previous day's snow/sleet report
DayOfThunder	Yes	No	Number	Previous day's thunder report
DewPointTemperature_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Dew Point Temperature primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
DewPointTemperature_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Dew Point Temperature primary unit: ‎°F	-58	122
DewPointTemperature_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Dew Point Temperature primary unit: ‎°K
DryBulbTemperature_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Dry Bulb Temperature (AKA Air Temperature) primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
DryBulbTemperature_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Dry Bulb Temperature (AKA Air Temperature) alternate unit: ‎°F	-58	122
DryBulbTemperature_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Dry Bulb Temperature (AKA Air Temperature) alternate unit: ‎°K
ExternalId	Yes	No	Number	External Id
ExternalSiteId	Yes	No	Number	External Site Id
GrassTemperatureMin_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Grass Min Temperature primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
GrassTemperatureMin_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Grass Min Temperature alternate unit: ‎°F	-58	122
GrassTemperatureMin_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Grass Min Temperature alternate unit: ‎°K
GroundState	Yes	No	Number	State of Ground
Height	Yes	No	Number	Elevation
HighestWind_Direction	Yes	No	String	Highest Wind Direction	0	360
HighestWindSpeed_KilometrePerHour	Yes	No	String	Highest WindSpeed alternate unit: km/h
HighestWindSpeed_Knot	Yes	No	String	Highest WindSpeed alternate unit: knot
HighestWindSpeed_MetrePerSecond	Yes	No	String	Highest WindSpeed primary unit: m/s
HighestWindSpeed_MilePerHour	Yes	No	String	Highest WindSpeed alternate unit: mph
Id	Yes	No	String	Unique Id
ImageBlobPath	Yes	No	String	Image Blob Path
ImpactId	Yes	No	String	Specifies the attached weather impact
IsDcnnReport	Yes	No	Boolean	Is DCNN report?
IsFlagged	Yes	No	Boolean	Has this report been flagged as low quality?
IsLatestVersion	Yes	No	Boolean	Specifies if this is the latest version of observation
IsOfficial	Yes	No	Boolean	Is this report official?
IsPublic	Yes	No	Boolean	Is this report public?
IsTraceRainfallAmount	Yes	No	Boolean	If rainfall amount is trace (too little, e.g. under 0.2 mm) then this should be true
IsTraceSnowDepth	Yes	No	Boolean	This is true when snow depth is too little
Latitude	Yes	Yes	Number	Latitude	-90	90
Longitude	Yes	Yes	Number	Longitude	-180	180
MeanSeaLevelPressure_Hectopascal	Yes	No	Number	Mean Sea Level Pressure (AKA MSLP) primary unit: hectopascal
MeanSeaLevelPressure_InchOfMercury	Yes	No	Number	Mean Sea Level Pressure (AKA MSLP) alternate unit: inch of mercury
MeanSeaLevelPressure_Millibar	Yes	No	Number	Mean Sea Level Pressure (AKA MSLP) alternate unit: millibar
MobileSiteSpeed_KilometrePerHour	Yes	No	Number	Mobile Site Speed primary unit: km/h
ModifiedDateTime	Yes	No	DateTime	Observation last edit time and date
NextVersionExternalId	Yes	No	Number	External Id of the next version of observation
NextVersionId	Yes	No	String	Unique Id of the next version of observation
ObservationType	Yes	No	Number	The type of observation, e.g. Forecast, Observed, Estimate
PresentWeatherCode	Yes	No	Number	Local weather summary (Quick observation)	0	99
PresentWeatherCodeSimple	Yes	No	Number	Local weather summary (Detailed observation)
PreviousVersionExternalId	Yes	No	Number	External Id of the previous version of observation
PreviousVersionId	Yes	No	String	Unique Id of the previous version of observation
RainfallAmount_Inch	Yes	No	Number	Rainfall Amount (AKA Rainfall Accumulation in last 24 hours) alternate unit: inch
RainfallAmount_Millimetre	Yes	No	Number	Rainfall Amount (AKA Rainfall Accumulation in last 24 hours) primary unit: mm
RainfallRate_InchPerHour	Yes	No	Number	Rainfall Rate alternate unit: inch/hour
RainfallRate_MillimetrePerHour	Yes	No	Number	Rainfall Rate primary unit: mm/hour
RelativeHumidity	Yes	No	Number	Relative Humidity (%)
ReportEndDateTime	Yes	Yes	DateTime	Observation end time and date
ReportStartDateTime	Yes	Yes	DateTime	Observation start time and date
RiverLevel_Metre	Yes	No	Number	River Level primary unit: metres
SiteId	Yes	No	String	Site Id
SnowDepth_Centimetre	Yes	No	Number	Snow Depth primary unit: cm
SnowDepth_Inch	Yes	No	Number	Snow Depth alternate unit: inch
SoftwareType	Yes	No	String	The type of submitting software, e.g. Cumulus v1.9.4
SoilMoisture_Centibar	Yes	No	Number	Soil Moisture alternate unit: centibar
SoilMoisture_Percent	Yes	No	Number	Soil Moisture primary unit: %
SoilTemperature100cm_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 100cm primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
SoilTemperature100cm_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 100cm primary unit: ‎°F	-58	122
SoilTemperature100cm_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 100cm primary unit: ‎°K
SoilTemperature10cm_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 10cm primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
SoilTemperature10cm_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 10cm alternate unit: ‎°F	-58	122
SoilTemperature10cm_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 10cm alternate unit: ‎°K
SoilTemperature20cm_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 20cm primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
SoilTemperature20cm_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 20cm alternate unit: ‎°F	-58	122
SoilTemperature20cm_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 20cm alternate unit: ‎°K
SoilTemperature30cm_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 30cm primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
SoilTemperature30cm_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 30cm primary unit: ‎°F	-58	122
SoilTemperature30cm_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 30cm primary unit: ‎°K
SoilTemperature50cm_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 50cm primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
SoilTemperature50cm_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 50cm alternate unit: ‎°F	-58	122
SoilTemperature50cm_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Soil Temperature 50cm alternate unit: ‎°K
SubmissionType	Yes	No	String	How the observation was submitted, e.g. Detailed, Quick, Automatic, Upload
Sunshine_Hour	Yes	No	Number	Sunshine during previous day: hour
TotalCloudCover	Yes	No	Number	Total Cloud Cover
UserId	Yes	No	String	User Id
Version	Yes	No	Number	Version
VideoBlobPath	Yes	No	String	Video Blob Path
VisibilityCode	Yes	No	String	Visibility code
WeatherDiary	Yes	No	String	Free text field for weather related comments		500
WetBulbTemperature_Celsius	Yes	No	Number	Wet Bulb Temperature primary unit: ‎°C	-50	50
WetBulbTemperature_Fahrenheit	Yes	No	Number	Wet Bulb Temperature alternate unit: ‎°F	-58	122
WetBulbTemperature_Kelvin	Yes	No	Number	Wet Bulb Temperature alternate unit: ‎°K
WindDirection	Yes	No	Number	Wind Direction	0	360
WindGust_KilometrePerHour	Yes	No	Number	Wind Gust alternate unit: km/h
WindGust_Knot	Yes	No	Number	WindGust alternate unit: knot
WindGust_MetrePerSecond	Yes	No	Number	WindGust primary unit: m/s
WindGust_MilePerHour	Yes	No	Number	Wind Gust alternate unit: mph
WindGustDirection	Yes	No	Number	Wind gust direction: degrees	0	360
WindRun_Kilometre	Yes	No	String	Wind run primary unit: km
WindRun_Metre	Yes	No	String	Wind run alternate unit: m
WindRun_Mile	Yes	No	String	Wind run alternate unit: mile
WindSpeed_KilometrePerHour	Yes	No	Number	WindSpeed alternate unit: km/h
WindSpeed_Knot	Yes	No	Number	WindSpeed alternate unit: knot
WindSpeed_MetrePerSecond	Yes	No	Number	WindSpeed primary unit: m/s
WindSpeed_MilePerHour	Yes	No	Number	WindSpeed alternate unit: mph

* You can also access this list dynamically via /observationparameters endpoint.