If you’re looking to dive into the world of meteorological data, specifically wind forecast information, the Wind-JS-Server is a great place to start! This simple demo REST service will enable you to expose GRIB2 wind forecast data as JSON, which is easy to consume in your projects. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the installation, running your server, and using its endpoints for data access.

What You Need

• Node.js: The server runs on Node.js, so make sure it is installed on your machine.
• NPM: The Node Package Manager (NPM) is essential for installing the necessary packages.

Installation and Running the Server

First, you’ll want to clone or download the Wind-JS-Server project to your local machine. Follow these steps:

bash
# Navigate to the project root directory
cd /path/to/wind-js-server

# Install the dependencies
npm install

# Start the server
npm start

Understanding the Endpoints

After starting the server, you have access to several endpoints that provide different functionalities. Here’s what you can use:

• /latest: Retrieves the most up-to-date JSON data available.
• /nearest: Provides JSON data closest to your requested time. You will need to pass the following parameters in your GET request:
  • timeIso: An ISO timestamp for your targeted temporal search.
  • searchLimit: The number of days you want the service to search beyond the specified ISO timestamp (it searches backwards first and forwards next).
• /alive: A health check endpoint that returns a simple message indicating the server is running.

How It Works: An Analogy

Imagine the Wind-JS-Server as a library that specializes in collecting and sharing stories about the wind. Each book in the library holds detailed accounts from various authors (in this case, various NOAA sources) about wind conditions at different times and places. When you request data using the endpoints, it’s like asking the librarian to fetch the latest entry in the book or to find the most relevant one based on the date you provide. The server neatly packages this information into a JSON format—easy to carry and simple to understand, just like taking home a book that fits perfectly on your shelf.

Troubleshooting

If you run into issues while setting up or accessing the Wind-JS-Server, here are some troubleshooting tips:

• Ensure that Node.js and NPM are correctly installed on your machine by running node -v and npm -v in your terminal.
• If you see errors during the npm install phase, they might be due to permission issues. Try running the command with sudo or adjusting your NPM prefix settings.
• Check that your server is running. You can verify this by accessing the /alive endpoint through your browser or a tool like Postman.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License, allowing you the freedom to modify and share it as per the terms of the license.

At fxis.ai, we believe that such advancements are crucial for the future of AI, as they enable more comprehensive and effective solutions. Our team is continually exploring new methodologies to push the envelope in artificial intelligence, ensuring that our clients benefit from the latest technological innovations.