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<h1>Centretown Observatory:</h1>
<h2>Weather Station Information</h2>
<b><font color="Teal" size="-1">Times in <@OTZF> (<@OTZS> = GMT<@OTZO>)</b><br><br/>
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<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="weather.html"><#Spc2>Current Weather<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="index.html"><#Spc2>CTO Home<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
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<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-records.html"><#Spc2>Records<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
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<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-temp.html"><#Spc2>Temps<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-press.html"><#Spc2>Baro+RH<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-winds.html"><#Spc2>Winds<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
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<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-yesterday.html"><#Spc2><@YDW:TF><#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
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<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-thismonth.html"><#Spc2>This Month<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
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<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-thisyear.html"><#Spc2>This Year<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-lastyear.html"><#Spc2><@PDY><#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
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<td><table class="mlcell"><tr><td><mltxt><#Spc2>CTO<#Spc2></td></tr></table></td>
<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="YOW/weather.html"><#Spc2>Airport<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
<td><table class="mcell"><tr><td><a class="mtxt" href="w-regional.html"><#Spc2>Regional<#Spc2></a></td></tr></table></td>
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<tr class="groupheading"><td colspan="3"><p class="groupheading"><#Spc2> ABOUT THIS WEBSITE:</td></tr>
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<img src="Graphics/CTO/cto_logo_480x640.jpg" width="480" height="640" align="right" valign="top">
<font color="black">This website is generated by custom software, written in FPC/Lazarus, with judicious amounts of JavaScript. Data are captured
locally (OCR) and from Internet sources (Environment Canada). Statistics are maintained
and the pages and graphics regenerated from templates, every 5-10 minutes. A sophisticated set of data-output tags (including loops and constants)
actually gets the data onto the pages.<br/>
<br/>
The system is anchored by a self-contained server program (keeping track of its own statistics), plus seven different support programs
(for input, data-capture, sky-recognition, etc.), and a few shell scripts.
(That's right, it's a GNU/Linux system.) This is a true server system--the weather server software runs 24/7 without fail. The
software is scheduled to be open-sourced in future. The server codebase alone is comprised of over 20,000 lines of sourcecode, plus
seven auxiliary programs to feed it data (WxOCR - the local-data-capture part, WxHTML - the remote-data-capture part, WxRec, WxWarn - two more
remote-data-capture programs, WxSky - the sky-recognizer, and WxQueries and WxUpdates, the CGI-monitor programs).<br/>
<br/>
Local readings are reliable only in a general sense but do convey that
temperatures in Centretown are usually a touch warmer than at the Airport, due to the urban heat-island effect. That said, the wind sensor
has several times frozen up exactly as the temperature has reached -0.1C, which has to tell you something. We're usually within 1.8 degrees of
the airport, except often in early morning, when they can be up to five degrees apart, and again in the afternoon if it's sunny.<br/>
<br/>
The original purpose of this site was a simple byproduct of my life-long interest in meteorology; I wanted it to record data from my home
weather station; to capture publicly-accessible data from the Interet for statistical and comparitive use; to generate stats,
extremes and all-time records data, and to display it all comprehensively,
if not aesthetically. It evolved into an automated, 24/7 system with a sophisticated language to plug the data into page templates.
As I feed it historical data, I can teach it to do some rudimentary climate-change analyses.
At present, it also serves to highlight my modest programming, organizational, self-direction and web-development abilities while I seek employment.
<font color="#5F0000"><b><i>Hint:</i></b> If <i>you're</i> an employer, I'm bright, capable, experienced, a fast learner, and available.</font><br/>
<br/>
Apart from the data, please don't take this site too seriously. A big inside joke here is that observing from the CTO is almost impossible,
due to urban light pollution, neighbourhood glare, obstructions, and overgrown trees. I can't reliably measure winds or precipitation due
to buildings and trees. These days, I seldom use the telescope. But I do enjoy tinkering, programming and improvising; this whole setup
runs on ancient hardware and uses two laptops' worth of electricity--and I'm enjoying the hell out of the results.<br/>
<br/>
In my spare time, I produce a community-radio <a href="http://www.remoteplanet.ca"><font color="blue"><b>sketch-comedy show</b></font></a>,
which I do encourage you to explore, enjoy, listen to and point out to any expendable friends. While admiring the handiwork of the
unnamed website maintainer, whose handiwork and emphasis on neat-and-straightforward information (if not actually font colours) may strike you familiarly, and whose itinerance you
may blame on a volunteer schedule, you should consider hiring him for your office. I have experience as a Developer, and Admin Assistant and a Writer.<br/>
<br/>
<b><i>Please Note:</i></b> This site runs on a home server and is not meant for public use. Please don't pass it around. Thanks!
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<tr class="groupheading"><td colspan="3"><p class="groupheading"><#Spc2> PHYSICAL LOCATION:</td></tr>
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<td><#Spc2> <a class="subheading" title="Look up this term" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latitude">Latitude:</a></td>
<td><datumw><b>N 45° 24' 42"</b></font></td>
<td rowspan="3"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0"><tr><td><iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m14!1m12!1m3!1d5601.766574001432!2d-75.69931770894517!3d45.41169307574165!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sca!4v1483102678900" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" style="border:0" allowfullscreen></iframe></td></tr></table><!-- Do not change code! -->
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<td><#Spc2> <a class="subheading" title="Look up this term" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude">Longitude:</a></td>
<td><datumw><b>W 75° 42' 10"</b></font></td>
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<td><p class="subheading"><#Spc2> Civil:</td>
<td><datumw>South side MacLaren St. near Percy St., <a class="hl" title="Look up this place" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa,_ontario">Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.</a></td>
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<tr class="groupheading"><td colspan="3"><p class="groupheading"><#Spc2> STATION CONVENTIONS:</td></tr>
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<td><p class="subheading"><#Spc2> Operating Since:</td>
<td colspan="2"><b><datumw>August 1, 2009</font></td></tr>
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<td><p class="subheading"><#Spc2> Clock Style:</td>
<td colspan="2"><b><a class="hl" title="Look up this time format" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_hour_clock">24-hour clock</a> (00:00 - 23:59)</td>
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<td><#Spc2> <b><a class="subheading" title="Learn about time zones" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zone">Local Time Zone:</a></td>
<td colspan="2"><b><@OTZF> (GMT<@OTZO>)</td>
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<td><p class="subheading"><#Spc2> Statistical Day:</td>
<td colspan="2"><b>Begins/ends at <a class="hl" title="Look up this term" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight">Midnight (00:00) STANDARD TIME (01:00 Daylight)</a></td>
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<td><p class="subheading"><#Spc2> Numeric Date Style:</td>
<td colspan="2"><b><a class="hl" title="Learn about this date format" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_8601#Calendar_dates">YYYY-MM-DD</a> (ISO 8601)</td>
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<td><p class="subheading"><#Spc2> Measurement System:<#Spc2><#Spc2><#Spc2></td>
<td colspan="2"><b><a class="hl" title="Learn about this measurement system" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S.I.">S.I. (metric)</a> <i>except for
<a class="hl" title="Look up this term" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometric_pressure">barometric pressure</a> in
<a class="hl" title="Look up this term" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millibar">millibars</a></i>.</td>
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<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr class="groupheading"><td colspan="3"><p class="groupheading"><#Spc2> SETTING:</td></tr>
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<td><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Geographical:</td>
<td colspan="2"><b>Central urban location in the lower <a class="hl" title="Look up this place" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa_River">Ottawa River</a> valley, approx. 1km south of the river.</td>
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<td><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Local:</td>
<td colspan="2"><b>Tree-shaded second-floor back balcony.</font></td>
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<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr class="groupheading"><td colspan="3"><p class="groupheading"><#Spc2> EQUIPMENT:</td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Hardware:</td>
<td colspan="2"><b>Dr.Tech WA1070T indoor-outdoor wireless 'professional-grade' home weather station</td>
</tr>
<tr class="body"><td> </td><td colspan="2"><b>Cheap consumer-grade (Nexxtech) webcams for local data capture, local webcam, security cam</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td> </td><td colspan="2"><b>Toshiba Tegra 8000 laptop running Debian 7 and custom software for local data capture</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td> </td><td colspan="2"><b>Acer Aspire laptop running server software and support programs on Ubuntu Server 14.10</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td> </td><td colspan="2"><b>Raspberry Pi runnning Raspbian; security cam server</td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Instruments:</td>
<td colspan="2"><b>Indoor Thermometer and Hygrometer; Outdoor Thermometer, Hygrometer, Barometer, Precip, Wind Bearing and Speed</td>
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<tr class="body"><td> </td><td colspan="2"><b>Dew Point, Humidex and Wind Chill values calculated by data-capture software; stats and all records
for 29 locations maintained internally (independently) by the server.</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr class="groupheading"><td colspan="3"><p class="groupheading"><#Spc2> PHOTOS:</td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Exterior Weather Sensor:</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="970" height="576" src="Graphics/CTO/extsensor_970x546.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Upper Astronomy Aperture:</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="970" height="576" src="Graphics/CTO/upper_aper_970x546.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Data-Capture Theatre<br/>
Note improvised cat-deterrent devices in extreme foreground.</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="970" height="576" src="Graphics/CTO/dc_webcam_970x546.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Custom Data-Capture Software:</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="970" height="576" src="Graphics/CTO/ocr_software5_970x546.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> CTO Weather Webcam:</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="970" height="576" src="Graphics/CTO/wx_webcam_970x576.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> CTO Weather Server:</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="970" height="546" align="center" src="Graphics/CTO/lt_server2_970x546.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Teeka<br/>
<subheading>Security<br/>
(sphynx cat)</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="867" height="1083" src="Graphics/CTO/teeks_867x1083.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> Elroy<br/>
<subheading>Greeter</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="970" height="546" src="Graphics/CTO/Elroy_970x546.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3"> </td></tr>
<tr valign="top" class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><p class="heading"><#Spc2> A Visitor on Public Observing Night<br/>
<subheading>Sadly, this is a gypsy moth caterpillar and an unwelcome guest.</td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3" align="center"><img width="970" height="576" src="Graphics/CTO/gypsymothcat_970x576.jpg"><br/></td></tr>
<tr class="body"><td colspan="3">(To view this page's template code, <a href="w-about-src.html">Click Here</a>.)</td></tr>
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