MetGIS FAQ
Questions and answers about weather, APIs, weather alerts and MetGIS Pro+.
MetGIS FAQ Weather services
The FAQ section of MetGIS is constantly being updated and expanded and we try to answer all your questions in this section.
However, if you still have a question, please contact us at any time.
We look forward to hearing from you and are happy to help.
General questions about MetGIS
What does MetGIS stand for?
“Met” stands for meteorology and “GIS” is the abbreviation for Geographic Information System.
How is a forecast created?
MetGIS is an extremely precise mathematical-physical model for global weather forecasting that works on the basis of exact location data.
In years of international development work with project partners from the USA to Switzerland and Japan, MetGIS GmbH has developed a forecasting model which, in contrast to conventional forecasts, incorporates extremely detailed terrain data into the forecasting process and is therefore particularly suitable for applications in mountainous areas.
Further information can be found at: https://metgis.com/en/scientific-background/Â
How often are the MetGIS forecasts and analyses updated?
Depending on the product, between every 5 minutes and once a day. Our standard point forecasts, for example, are updated four times a day. The MetGIS historical weather database is updated daily with the latest data. Precipitation radar data is updated every 5 minutes and weather warnings every 6 minutes.
What is the forecast quality of MetGIS?
MetGIS is particularly characterized by a high forecast accuracy in complex terrain. All weather parameters that are strongly dependent on altitude are particularly accurate, such as temperature, fresh snow and wind. Verification studies are carried out on an ongoing basis and, building on this, data quality is improved.
Are there on-site training courses for MetGIS users?
This depends on the product acquired. Our MetGIS experts are happy to train the respective users if required, also on site. Please contact us for further information.
Which products are offered?
The MetGIS product range includes: MetGIS APIs. These programming interfaces can be used to quickly and easily integrate current weather forecasts, analyses and historical weather data, snow cover information, precipitation radar data and weather warnings into external websites, apps and information systems. MetGIS Pro+ forecast maps. Provide detailed and very small-scale weather information in the form of interactive forecast maps. Weather PDFs by e-mail and SMS forecasts to your satellite phone. MetGIS reports and consulting services. We are happy to support you with your individual questions and contribute our expertise as an engineering office for meteorology.
In which languages are MetGIS products available?
Most products are availabe in German, English and Spanish. The interactive weather dashboard MetGIS Pro+ is also offered in French and Italian.
Where is MetGIS used?
MetGIS has customers worldwide. Latin-american MetGIS customers can be found in Chile, Peru and Argentina. In Europa one focus is on the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), but there are also users in Spain, France, Italy, the Benelux countries and the Balkans. In Asia customers come primarily from the mountainous regions of India, Pakistan, Bhutan and Kyrgyzstan.
Where can I find MetGIS brochures and advertising material?
You can find MetGIS documents under Downloads.
Is there MetGIS support if I have questions or need help?
You can reach us on weekdays during our regular office hours by calling +43-(0)1-89 09 032. Alternatively, for technical emergencies outside these hours, please contact us by e-mail at support@metgis.com.
We will take the best possible care of your request!
What do the weather forecasts cost?
This depends very much on the specific services that are ordered. Some of the prices can be found on our website or in the MetGIS Webshop or in the price overview.
Who are the target groups?
Our weather information are used by private customers (hikers, mountain sports enthusiasts, etc.) as well as by state institutions and companies.
For example, we supply the energy sector, traffic control centers, mines, avalanche warning services, expedition and trekking tour operators, ski resorts, cable car companies and even national weather services. The forecasts are also suitable for the tourism industry, event organizers, agricultural businesses, insurance companies and the film industry .
What are the latest developments at MetGIS?
You can find information about our latest developments on our blog.
Are forecasts for locations higher than the Earth’s surface possible?
Yes, that is possible. MetGIS not only generates forecasts for points close to the earth’s surface. Forecasts are also possible for air layers several thousand meters above the earth’s surface, which are interesting for aviation, among other things.
Where was the product developed?
The product was developed in Vienna (spin-off of the University of Vienna).
Where do you get the data from?
The input data for the MetGIS calculations come fromn different numerical weather forecast models like GFS (Global Forecast System) by the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) run by the United States’ National Weather Service (NWS) and ICON-NWP (Icosahedral Non-hydrostatic, numerical weather prediction) by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (German national weather service). These models use in turn the most important global weather stations and observation data from satellites, weather balloons (radiosondes), ships, buoys, airplanes etc.
Do you work directly with station data?
MetGIS uses the data from weather stations for the development and testing of its algorithms, as well as for the verification of the generated weather forecasts. For the our day-to-day operations numerical weather prediction models from external providers are used, which among other things are based on observation data.Â
Overview questions about our weather APIs
What does API stand for?
API is the abbreviation for “Application Programming Interface”. The MetGIS weather APIs provide weather data in standardized formats that can be used automatically by applications such as plug-ins or websites.
What does it mean that weather data can be integrated into customer websites and apps via MetGIS Weather APIs?
Websites and apps can use HTTP-requests to retrieve weather data from MetGIS servers that are integrated into their own infrastructure. This means that the design of your homepage remains the same and you can easily incorporate MetGIS data.
What kind of data can be queried via MetGIS APIs?
1) Weather forecasts for arbitrary points, defined by longitude and latitude (“Point API”)
2) Weather data that can be displayed in the form of maps (“Maps API”)
3) Historical weather data for any points (“Hist API”)
What does API Key Management mean?
The API Key Management Tool can be used to retrieve all information associated with the API keys, such as monthly access figures.
MetGIS Point API – FAQ
For which locations can forecasts be queried?
The forecast can be queried worldwide, not only for the earth’s surface, but also for several kilometers above it (important for aviation). You simply enter the coordinates and the altitude and then you receive your weather parameters with a resolution of up to 30 meters via the API.
Which variables and data do I receive via the Point API?
You receive numerical data. Parameters, forecast period, time resolution (e.g. hourly weather, daily values), short forecast texts –Â chosen by you. The data is available to you via a JSON file output.Â
How can you be reached personally?
The MetGIS team can be reached on weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on +43 1 890 90 32.
Calls outside these hours, video conferences or personal meetings at our office in Vienna or at your premises are no problem, provided you let us know in advance.Â
Can I test your weather data in advance?
Of course. You are welcome to test our weather API without obligation and convince yourself of the simple integration and our reliable weather data.
To obtain a Developer API Key, please follow these steps or contact us.
What is your weather data based on?
MetGIS has developed its own, multi-verified weather algorithms that combine precise terrain data with millions of measurements from ground-based weather stations, radar, satellites, weather balloons, weather buoys and airplanes. This enables ultra-precise weather analyses and forecasts.
What exactly is an API call?
An API call is a data retrieval from our API. This takes place via an https request. The MetGIS Server returns a JSON file. For easy data handling our JSON files contain all requested weather data for one or more locations. Individual queries for different time periods or parameters are not necessary.Â
UTC and time zones: How does it work?
The MetGIS Point API makes time zones a no-brainer. While time information usually has to be converted from UTC to local time (including summer/winter time), we convert your data automatically. All time information in the JSON files refers to the local time of the location for which the weather data was requested and transmitted.
What weather parameters are available?
We offer a large number of standard parameters (see MetGIS POINT API data packages) as well as numerous special parameters for specific sectors (e.g. wet bulb temperature, global radiation).
The current prices can be found in the price overview.
Do you also offer weather icons?
Weather symbols are used to graphically describe the weather (combination of snowfall/rain/clouds/sun, etc.).
MetGIS will be happy to provide paying customers with a weather symbol dataset at no additional cost.Â
How do I keep control of my API accesses?
With ourAPI monitoring tool (access with your customer login) you can see your packages and statistics at a glance.
You will also receive alerts by e-mail before you have used up your ordered API calls.
How do I get a customer account and what are its benefits?
You set up a customer account if you order a free API key for developers, but at the latest when you make your first purchase in the webshop. Your customer account simplifies subsequent purchases, helps you to manage your orders, allows you to reset your password and display retrieval statistics.
May I cache the weather data?
Data caching is only permitted in certain data packages, and even then only with the express consent of MetGIS.
If data caching is unavoidable for your planned application, please contact us– we will find a solution together.
MetGIS Maps API – FAQ
What does TMS stand for?
The MetGIS Tile Map service is a web service, to display digital maps of meteorological data based on “tiles” (“rectangular” sections of maps). Forecasts are presented in excellent form and great detail (less than 100 m resolution) in the form of zoomable forecast maps.Â
Can I test your weather layers in advance?
For sure!
You are welcome to test our API without obligation and convince yourself of the simple integration and impressive presentation of our weather data. To obtain a Developer API Key, please follow these steps or get in touch with us.
Â
What weather parameters do you offer?
For the weather layer we currently offer the following parameters: Temperature, precipitation, new snow (also total amount within the next 24, 48 and 72 hours), sunshine duration, wind, cloud cover and snow cover information. If you require further parameters, please contact us at any time.
What are tiles and what is an API call?
An API call enables access to a “weather tile“. This corresponds to a 256×256 pixel segment of the weather map for a specific point in time.
Depending on the device, a map on the screen consists of approx. 15-20 Tiles.
What forecast periods do you offer?
Our weather layer are currently calculated for the next 72 hours with a time resolution of 3 hours.Â
This meets the requirements of most customers.Â
We are also happy to calculate longer forecast periods for you.
How do I retrieve data for individual locations?
If you use Point API prediction data for specific points/coordinates, the MetGIS Point API is ideal for you. Historical weather data can be accessed via the Hist API.
How do I get a customer account and what use is it to me?
You set up a customer account if you order a free API key for developers, but at the latest when you make your first purchase in the webshop.
Your customer account simplifies subsequent purchases, helps you to manage your orders, allows you to reset your password and display retrieval statistics.
How do I keep control of my API accesses?
With our API Monitoring Tool (access with your customer login) you can see your packages and statistics at a glance.
You will also receive alerts by e-mail before you have used up your ordered API calls.
MetGIS Hist API – FAQ
What weather parameters do you offer?
Temperature, precipitation, fresh snow, wind direction and strength, relative humidity, cloud cover, sunshine duration and global radiation. Further parameters are available on request.
What are the costs of historical weather data?
The cost of the weather data depends, among other things, on the temporal resolution of the data and the number of weather parameters and data years required.
For details on the costs, please refer to our price overview.
How does the historical weather data from MetGIS differ from free data?
Many free APIs interpolate using very coarse grids (as an example 100km resolution). With MetGIS, the data is processed with special downscaling methods This means that historical weather with a resolution of 1 km is possible. The data is therefore much more detailed and provides a solid basis.
How far back do you offer weather data?
MetGIS currently offers weather data for up to 10 years in the past. Due to climate change, the use of older weather data makes little sense for many applications (AI training, mean and extreme value formation). However, we can supply older data if required. You can find a detailed overview on the MetGIS Hist API page.
How can you be reached personally?
The MetGIS team can be reached on weekdays from 9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on +43 1 890 90 32.
Calls outside these hours, video call conferences or personal meetings at our office in Vienna or at your premises are also no problem, provided you let us know in time.
What is your weather data based on?
MetGIS has its own, repeatedly verified weather algorithms which combine precise terrain data with millions of measurements from ground-based weather stations, radar, satellites, weather balloons, weather buoys and aircraft. This enables ultra-precise simulations.
What exactly is an API call?
An API call is a data retrieval from our API. This takes place via an https request. The MetGIS Server returns a JSON file. For easy data handling our JSON files contain all requested weather data for one or more locations. Individual queries for different time periods or parameters are not necessary.Â
How do I get a customer account and what use is it to me?
A customer account is created for you when you make your first purchase in the webshop.
Your customer account simplifies subsequent purchases, helps you to manage your orders, allows you to reset your password and view retrieval statistics.
How do I keep control of my API accesses?
With ourAPI Monitoring Tool (access with your customer login), you can see your packages and statistics at a glance for regular query packages.
You will also receive alerts by e-mail before you have used up your ordered API calls.
MetGIS Weather PDF Reports – FAQ
Can I also request the relevant weather information by e-mail or SMS to stay mobile?
Yes. MetGIS will send you the requested weather data by email or SMS.
For more information on this topic, please contact us at: office@metgis.com
What is the difference between the PDF weather report and the Ski Cockpit?
The difference are special parameters for ski resorts, otherwise it is identical to the PDF weather reports. We have developed the Ski Cockpit especially for ski resort operators: It includes a general weather overview, detailed data on wind and precipitation as well as precise wet-bulb temperature forecasts. This means that decisions about snow making and slope preparation can be made on a professional basis. The advantages are manifold: from more efficient use of electricity and water (costs and the environment), to better snow quality and better planning of the team’s work when preparing the slopes.
Is it possible to request the Ski Cockpit and the PDF weather reports for specific regions or locations?
The weather forecasts are not general for a region, but for exact locations/coordinates (e.g. mountain station, middle station, slopes with snow-making facilities…). The calculation is based on your desired locations. There is then a PDF page with precise forecasts for each location
MetGIS Pro+ Weather Dashboard – FAQ
What is MetGIS Pro+?
MetGIS Pro+ combines numerous advantages in one user-friendly application. No programming skills? No problem! Simply connect APIs without technical expertise. All information is presented graphically, allowing you to leverage MetGIS’ extensive expertise and experience in an intuitive GUI interface. MetGIS Pro+ is your turnkey solution for weather data – simple, efficient and effective. Try it out directly on the MetGIS Pro+ page and see for yourself.
Is it possible to order a specific section?
The MetGIS experts create graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for individually requested areas.
For more information on this topic, please send us an e-mail: office@metgis.com.
How quickly is a customized project available?
The basic product (maps in relatively coarse resolution worldwide) is relatively available quickly.
If customization is required (if higher resolution or detailed geographical background maps are required) it may take several weeks before the product is available.
MetGIS weather services for expeditions – FAQ
Can the packages described be supplemented/modified?
Our packages are based on the requirements and experience of numerous international expeditions. Should you wish to extend the services included or the time period, we will be happy to meet your needs at an additional charge.
How long before my expedition should I order the weather services?
We want to give you the best possible service and therefore reserve time for personal consultations.
We therefore recommend booking several weeks in advance. If this is not possible, we will do our best to find a suitable solution for you, even at very short notice.
At what times are you available for consultations?
We prefer to offer consultations between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. CET. Other time slots are possible by arrangement. To ensure the best possible quality of advice, we recommend arranging an appointment 24 hours in advance.
For which regions do you offer your weather services and forecast maps?
Internet reception and weather services - What do I need to bear in mind?
Internet connections are rare or cost-intensive in remote regions. All our online services are therefore optimized for this purpose. Please understand that we cannot accept responsibility for any kind of technical failure.
Why are your packages for expeditions so inexpensive?
In our experience, personal advice is often offered, booked (and paid for!) on a daily basis for the entire duration of the expedition, but is then only partially utilized. This is why we give priority to personal advice in important and critical phases of the expedition. We are happy to pass this cost advantage on to you.
I regularly take part in expeditions. Do you offer special conditions?
We offer discounts when booking weather services for several expeditions per year. Travel agencies also have the option of all-inclusive annual packages. Please contact us in this regard.
In which regions have you already supervised expeditions?
MetGIS weather services have already proven themselves many times internationally: On expeditions from the Himalayas to Greenland to Patagonia.
MetGIS reports and consulting – FAQ
What services do you offer in this area?
As consulting and the preparation of expert opinions are very individual, there are no predefined products.
Simply send us your request and we will provide you with an individual offer tailored to your needs.
We meet all the requirements to operate as an engineering company on the market and offer you our entire expertise in the field of weather.
Contact us
The fastest way to more information
Do you have questions about our services or any other questions, simply fill out the contact form or send us an e-mail.
We also look forward to your call.
