MML Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
From WeatherWiki
I just bought MML from a reseller and have a coupon code. What do I do next?
First, read the MesoMap Live Quick Start Setup.
The only difference is that in step (5) at the bottom of the sign-up screen there is a field to enter a coupon number. Enter the coupon number supplied by the reseller and select the 'Free' payment option. Your MML licence and first year data feed subscription will be activated within 15 minutes.
How can I get data from my weather station displayed on my MesoMap?
You can only currently display data from your own weather station if you are using the Weather Display software package to capture data from it. If you are running Weather Display, here's what you need to do:
1) If you're not already doing so, configure Weather Display to upload the clientraw.txt file to your web server on a regular basis. See how to do this here Setup Clientraw upload. If you're only uploading the files for use with MML, then a 5 minute upload frequency is fast enough. Weather Display Live users probably already upload their files more frequently than this.
2) Go to the MML Management Centre . If you aren't already a user, click on the Sign-up link and subscribe as a 'Clientraw Data Provider'. If you are already registered as a user, log in and then add a subscription to 'Clientraw Data Provider'. This type of subscription is free and existing users shouldn't have to go through a (non-)payment process to use this option.
3) Click on the "Setup Clientraw.txt collection" option (if you're not taken there automagically) and complete the details on this page. Hover your mouse over each field to see what you should enter into it. It's important to make sure that the details on this page are entered accurately, otherwise the server will not be able to collect data from your station, or your station details may display incorrectly on maps. The Station ID for your weather station is displayed here. Look out for this value when you add stations to your MML list.
4) Make sure your Station Status is set to 'Live' and click Submit. The server will then download weather data from your clientraw.txt file approximately every 15 minutes. The data will then be available for you and other MML users to display on your map. Just add your station like you would add any other station to a map.
Users of some other weather station software packages are experimenting with creating files in the same format as clientraw.txt to allow the server to collect data from their software. If any of these methods are published we'll try to include details here of how to set things up.
How can I ask a question about MML or report a bug?
If you want to ask a question about how to setup or make best use of MML, please join the Weather-Watch.com Forum and post your question in the MesoMap Live board. The Weather-Watch forum is a friendly and helpful place and one of the developers, or other knowledgeable users, will do their best to answer your question as quickly as possible.
Please report bugs or problems you're experiencing with MML in the MML Bug Tracking System. The Bug Tracker uses the same accounts as the Weather-Watch.com Forum, so you'll need to register for a Forum account before reporting a problem/bug. The Bug Tracking System will keep you updated by email with any fixes or workarounds for the problem/bug.
What kind of map should I use with MML?
You must use a Mercator Projection map for the stations to be positioned correctly. Other types of map projection are not supported. The map must also be in JPG format (but not progressive JPG).
The map image will be automatically re-sized to fit the MML display, but don't make your maps too large otherwise they will take a long time for users to download. It's also better, but not essential, to create your map with the same number of horizontal and vertical pixels, i.e. as a square image.
Where can I find a Mercator JPG map image to use with MML on my site?
You can create a basic (two colour) map via MML Management Centre. You can also buy a licence for the Customised MML Maps option to allow you to make different colours/styles of maps, including topographical maps. These maps are great for larger areas (countries), but are not detailed enough to cover small areas, i.e. probably anything less than 150*150 miles, or areas with few features, e.g. land/sea interfaces, mountains, etc.
You can also create a free Mercator projection map at this site http://www.aquarius.geomar.de/make_map.html. When you've created the map, you'll need to capture the map image from your browser into a file on your hard disk. Then very carefully crop the borders off it to create the map image for use with MML.
If anyone knows of any other good sources of free Mercator maps please email 'mapsATweather-watchDOTcom' and we'll add the information to this FAQ. (Replace the AT and DOT with @ and . to form the full email address).
There are a couple of ways of creating Mercator maps using commercial applications from other suppliers. For example:
1) For satellite maps you could try GeoSatSignal at www.satsignal.net which appears to have an option for converting the standard downloadable sat images into Mercator format.
2) For weather maps, you could use Digital Atmosphere http://www.weathergraphics.com/da/ which can now produce Mercator maps.
I use both of these applications and find them very useful pieces of weather software.
What stations can I put on my MML map?
You're thinking of buying MML, but don't know what stations are available for maps of your area. How can you find out what is available for display?
As of November 2005 the MML service has data available from approximately 8000 stations worldwide. There are greater concentrations of stations in Europe and North America, but there are still many other stations in other parts of the world. If you would like to find out which stations are available in your area use this page http://wxd.weather-watch.com/mml_sys/map_stations.php.
Note: stations may be listed as available on this page that won't display on your map. Stations listed here have provided data in the last 3 months, but data is only displayed on a map when it is less than 3 hours old.
I just registered MML, but haven't been sent a serial number. Is there a problem?
If you want to use MML on a web page, you don't need a serial number. As long as you use MML from the host+domain name you registered then MML will sort itself out. You only need a serial number if you want to use the desktop version of MML. The desktop serial number can be obtained from the MML Management Centre. Never include the serial number in your web based MML config file because other people can use it in their own desktop version and they will then use your data subscription quota.
