Overview
WeatherSentry® Web Feature Service (WFS) is a version 1.0.0 and 1.1.0 OGC WFS. WFS has three primary functions:
- GetCapabilities: Returns an XML document cataloging available weather content. The catalog provides a Title and Abstract to describe each feature type (analogous to layer in WMS) in more detail. GetCapabilities contains only the feature types available for the package(s) you’ve purchased.
- DescribeFeatureType: Returns an XML document describing the attributes of a feature type. In addition, every feature type is described in the next section of this document, followed by a description of its attributes.
- GetFeature: Returns an XML or GeoJSON file containing data for the feature type or feature types you’ve requested.
Release Management
As features and enhancements are added, new revisions will become available. If the change causes a reverse compatibility issue, we will release it under a new major revision. An example of this would be a layer name change or removal.
Major revisions are part of the url. e.g. http://weather-services.dtn.com/digest/wfs_v{X} where {X} is the major revision number. (e.g. http://weather-services.dtn.com/digest/wfs_v1) Only the two latest major revisions are supported at any given time. Therefore, when we release a major revision, we will remove the link to the oldest major revision, which we will no longer support.
For example: If version 1 and 2 currently exist, at the release of version 3 we will remove all the links to version 1 and will no longer support that version.
Authentication
Using our WFS requires an account. If you don’t have an account, contact your sales representative or our customer support at [email protected] .
Currently HTTP Basic over SSL, HTTP Digest, and OAuth1 are supported. Other authentication protocols will be coming in subsequent releases.
Base URL
A WFS request consists of a base URL, followed by request parameters.
Base WFS URL:
For HTTP Basic: https://weather-services.dtn.com/basic/wfs_v1/wfs.wsgi?
For HTTP Digest: http://weather-services.dtn.com/digest/wfs_v1/wfs.wsgi?
For OAuth 1.0a: http://weather-services.dtn.com/oauth/wfs_v1/wfs.wsgi?
Accessing the Capabilities Document
Once you have a login to the service you can make a request for GetCapabilities.
The GetCapabilities request provides an XML catalog file of all the layers and inforamtion available through the service – including feature specific data availability information.
Visit the GetCapabilities link at:
http://weather-services.dtn.com/digest/wfs_v1/wfs.wsgi?REQUEST=GetCapabilities&VERSION=1.0.0
DescribeFeatureType Request
You can get attribute and data type information about a feature type by making a DescribeFeatureType request. A DescribeFeatureType request consists of a base URL, followed by request parameters.
Example DescribeFeatureType request for XML returns:
Example DescribeFeatureType request for GeoJSON returns:
| Parameter | Description | Required/Optional | Valid Values | Default Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE=WFS | The name of the service. In this case, Web Feature Service. | Required | WFS | |
| REQUEST=DescribeFeatureType | Type of WFS request. | Required | GetFeature | |
| VERSION=version | The version of the requested WFS service. | Optional | 1.0.0 or 1.1.0 | 1.0.0 |
| TYPENAME=featuretype_list | Comma-separated list of feature types. | Required | Individually listed in the capabilities file. |
Table 1: DescribeFeatureType Request Parameters
GetFeature Request
You can get features within a geographic and/or temporal area by using the GetFeature request. A GetFeature request consists of a base URL, followed by request parameters.
Example GetFeature request:
| Parameter | Description | Required/Optional | Valid Values | Default Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE=WFS | The name of the service. In this case, Web Feature Service. | Required | WFS | |
| REQUEST=GetFeature | Type of WFS request. | Required | GetFeature | |
| VERSION=version | The version of the requested WFS service. | Optional | 1.0.0 or 1.1.0 | 1.0.0 |
| TYPENAME=featuretype_list | Comma-separated list of feature types. | Required | Individually listed in the capabilities file. | |
| BBOX=minx,miny,maxx,maxy,csruri | Bounding box corners (lower left, upper right) in units specified by csruri. | Optional | Four comma-delimited numeric values, plus optional CRS URI. | |
| FILTER=value | XML filter describing set of features to operate on. | Optional | See Filter Encoding Specification. | Feature type specific. |
| EXCEPTIONS=XML | The format in which exceptions are reported. | Optional | XML | XML |
| STARTINDEX=N | This parameter indicates the index within the result set from which the server shall begin presenting results in the response. | Optional | Integer | 1 |
| MAXFEATURES=N | A positive integer indicating the maximum number of features that the WFS should return in response to a query. If no value is specified then only 10,000 features will be returned. | Optional | Integer | 10000 |
Table 2: GetFeature Request Parameters
Exceptions and Errors
When a request experiences errors, an error message will indicate what happened according to the format of the Exceptions type.