Weather Data for Agriculture

Meteomatics detailed weather forecasts are helping more agriculture businesses improve operational efficiencies and mitigate adverse weather impacts.

Meteomatics’ API provides access to a rich database of weather and hydrological forecasts covering the globe! The API is already consumed and trusted by organizations across the agricultural industry, including chemical producers, food processing companies and growers from various sectors.

Key Benefits

• Access accurate weather data by taking into account the detail of the topography (down to 90 meters for any lat / long & providing nowcasts in 5 minute timesteps.
• We source high-quality weather & satellite data from leading centers around the globe, adding our own scientific techniques & post processing methods to create highly accurate forecasts.
• Receive the most accurate and up to date weather data possible. Weather forecast requests are calculated ‘on the fly’, using the latest observations.
• Understand past events using historical data (back to 1979) to solve business challenges and compare performance.
• Minimize risk by defining risk windows and likelihood of extreme weather events.
• Consume weather data when and where you need it, by making route queries or data requests for a polygon.
• Quickly integrate our data into your own systems, by selecting from a range of data formats and open source data connectors, such as ArcGIS, C++, Excel , Google Maps, Power BI and many more.

Meteomatics API

Meteomatics RESTful API can be used to retrieve historic, current, and forecast weather data. This includes model data and observational data in time series and areal formats. Areal formats are also offered through a WMS2/WFS3-compatible interface. Geographic and time series data can be combined in certain file formats, such as NetCDF.

In addition to the standard weather parameters available in our API, we have created a number of derived parameters for agriculture use cases:

1) Precipitation in millimeters (API query precip_:mm)

Available intervals: 5min, 10min, 15min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

Gives the amount of precipitation in millimeters that has fallen during the indicated interval.
Note: Precipitation interval parameters are right-aligned

2) Maximum size of hailstone (API query: hail_:cm)

A hail parameter describing the maximum size of the hailstones.

Available intervals: 10min, 20min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

3) Maximum size of hailstone (API query: hail_:cm)

A hail parameter describing the maximum size of the hailstones.

Available intervals: 10min, 20min, 30min, 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

4) Instantaneous temperature AGL (API query: t_:)

Gives the instantaneous temperature at the indicated level above ground in the corresponding unit.

Available levels (global): -150cm, -50cm, -15cm, -5cm, 0m, 2m - 10000m (continuously)
1000hPa, 950hPa, 925hPa, 900hPa, 850hPa, 800hPa, 700hPa, 500hPa, 300hPa, 250hPa, 200hPa, 150hPa, 100hPa, 70hPa, 50hPa, 10hPa

Available units: C, K, F

5) Frost depth (API query: frost_depth:cm)

Gives the frost depth in centimeters.

6) Soil frost (API query: soil_frost:p)

This parameter provides the probability in percent for the occurrence of soil frost based on surface and ground temperatures.

7) The soil moisture index (API query: soil_moisture_index_:idx)

The soil moisture index indicates the wetness of the soil. This index is computed using the permanent wilting point and the field capacity, which both depend on the geographical location (soil type). The index is 0 if the permanent wilting point is reached and 1 at field capacity. Note that the index can exceed 1 after rainfall events. The soil moisture index is available for 4 depth levels.

Available depths: -5cm, -15cm, -50cm, -150cm

8) Soil moisture deficit (API query: soil_moisture_deficit:mm)

This parameter computes the difference between the actual water content of the soil and the possible water content that the soil can hold in mm. The amount of water that can be hold is called field capacity. The calculation of the SMD is mainly based on soil water information in several depths as well as other meteorological parameters. The SMD is a useful tool in order to assess prevailing soil conditions like droughts. The SMD also depends on the soil type

9) Evapotranspiration (API query: evapotranspiration_:mm)

Evapotranspiration in millimeters accumulated for 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, or 24h. Evapotranspiration (ET) is the sum of evaporation and plant transpiration from the Earth’s land and ocean surface to the atmosphere. Evaporation accounts for the movement of water to the air from sources such as the soil, canopy interception, and bodies of water. Transpiration accounts for the movement of water within a plant and the subsequent loss of water as vapor through stomata in its leaves. Evapotranspiration is an important part of the water cycle.

Available intervals: 1h, 3h, 6h, 12h, 24h

10) Growing degree days (API query: growing_degree_days_accumulated:gdd)

Growing degree days (GDD), also called growing degree units (GDUs), are a heuristic tool in phenology. GDD are a measure of heat accumulation used by horticulturists, gardeners, and farmers to predict plant and animal development rates such as the date that a flower will bloom, an insect will emerge from dormancy, or a crop will reach maturity.

11) Grass land temperature (API query: grass_land_temperature_sum:C)

This is a special form of the GDD (Growing degree days). It is used for the date determination for the start of field work after the winter. Accumulation of the mean day temperatures starts on the first of January of the indicated year.

12) Leaf wetness (API query: leaf_wetness:idx)

Leaf wetness describes the amount of dew and precipitation left on surfaces. It is used for detection of fog and dew conditions and early detection of rainfall. The output is binary where 1 indicates wetness.

13) Phytophthora negative prognosis index (API query: phytophthora_negative:idx)

The Phytophthora negative prognosis is an index for the necessity of safety measures against potato blight. No safety measures against Phytophthora infestans are necessary up to a value of 150.

14) Most similar year (API query: most_similar_year:y)

The year in which conditions on a particular date were most similar to those on the queried year.

Technical Documentation

Please visit the technical documentation.