How can I receive NDBC observations via RSS?Don't have high bandwidth at sea, but you can access the Internet at slower speeds? You can obtain the latest observations in a condensed format via RSS! NDBC's RSS feeds are also useful to high bandwidth users of popular map services. What is RSS? Really Simple Syndication (RSS) is a family of web formats used to publish frequently updated digital content. It has commonly been used to update news articles and other content that changes quickly, making it useful for monitoring station observation changes. How do I use RSS to get buoy observations? Programs called feed 'readers' or 'aggregators' collect RSS XML formatted content and present it in a user friendly format. Newer versions of web browsers and email programs offer built in support for RSS feeds. The user 'subscribes' to a feed by entering the link of the RSS feed into their RSS feed reader; the RSS feed reader then checks the subscribed feeds to see if any have new content since the last time it checked, and if so, retrieves the new content and presents it to the user. To set it up, you'll need the URL to provide to the service when you subscribe. Go to your favorite station page, such as 42007, and look for the RSS icons. There are two pre-formatted RSS links: 1. the single station or 2. a search for stations within 100 nautical miles (our preset radius) of that station.
Paste the copied link into your favorite RSS reader or map service! Some services will give you an option to remember or subscribe to the URL. All stations shown on the NDBC web site can be obtained, except for drifting buoys. What measurements can I obtain from the RSS feeds? Here is a list of measurements you can obtain from the RSS feeds when available in the station: Where can I learn more about RSS?Go to NOAA's NWS RSS Library for other National Weather Service (NWS) products via RSS, and for more detailed information about the service. |