Wind.Ninja Roadmap

High Level Roadmap

  1. More upgrades to weather backend - better historical data,
  2. UI improvements to forecast - graphs, better colors, etc.
  3. Map Improvements - show more airport info, fly vs. drive, etc.
  4. Misc - UI fixes, colors, optimization

UI Improvements

  • add a graph for each parameter that displays when you mouse over the parameter name on hourly / daily

    • how can we hide the table and then show only our graph element?
    • we will want nice gradient to match our existing color scheme - generate it dynamically

  • look at options for presenting the statistics a bit better?

  • update color gradient for pressure + temp

  • re-investigate scoring of conditions. some variables:

    • kiteable == >=13kts?
      • Is it possible to make this a completely user configurable parameter based on filters / search?
    • kiteable hours per day (daily)
    • average kiteable hours/day (forecast and historical)

  • use user default filter for kiteable days display on historical page?

  • parameter on spot alert to set time when alert will be sent?

More Kite Spots

Prerequisites - move away from APIs

Map Improvements

  • load airport links on per-airport basis, load them when clicking on airport icon.
  • unwind airport stuff from spot search megasql query - use airport links in search.
  • Add 'my location' map selector to settings page
  • Add javascript location lookup on location settings page
  • Show "my location" on travel map
  • integrate windy api as a layer
  • Show travel time when highlighting route line
  • figure out how to integrate location + airport + flyable + driveable into single travel view.
  • figure out how to show wave stats - yin/yang idea?
  • Draw hops on /map page (location to spot, location to airport, airport to airport, airport to spot)
  • Add highlighting functionality to map (when highlight over link to airport, spot then highlight relevant marker)
  • remove airport_id and airport_code from spot

Spot Data

  • international date line handling: -180/180 (spot: 303) (in what part of site?)

User Stuff

  • add ignored spots
  • add ignored countries / regions
  • add spot ratings
  • add spot comments

True Time Calculation

  • added country_id to spots - flow to rest of site
  • refactor getKiteable to handle lookup and merging of spot stuff, not controller (maybe create a newer, higher level function)
  • add lookup of all major airports within 50km of current location for map page, not just one (on the session level...)
    • as part of lookup, find out travel time from current location to each airport (via google matrix api)
  • add list of spot links to airport page

UI / Site Upgrades +++

Framework / Optimization

  • start compressing all forecast data with gzcompress -9
  • optimize mysql configuration
  • optimize apache configuration
  • optimize memcached configuration
  • add optional memcache support for to collections object
  • add memcache support to airport / spot search collections
    • bust airport/spot searches when new forecasts are loaded, as well as when a spot is added/edited.
  • add proper page validation handling via PageException
  • update form class to conform to bootstrap 4 style - add elements by row / field / label

Searches

  • is it worth removing filters completely and just having that functionality baked into searches only?
    • probably not, its nice to have filters that can be reused across different searches
    • might be interesting long term to have the filter data simply pulled in and then the modal shows the sliders that can then be changed.
    • user can then just either update the search, save the filter, or create a new filter.
    • gotta figure out how to not make that confusing. should probably be its own independent update.

Cool / Potential APIs

https://api.video https://openweathermap.org/current https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cdo-web/webservices/v2#datasets https://github.com/planetopendata/awesome-world Air Quality: http://aqicn.org/json-api/doc/ (key: d921c0adae82a6b2f48800b24d02d0dd53767a8c) GDP Per Capita on Country: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD

Documentation / GRIB

Changelog

21/4/21

  • Fixed error with GFS and WW3 download urls changing

12/2/20

  • Finally fixed a bug with angular interpolation

4/18/20

  • optimized the main search call and the forecasts display
  • added a recaptcha on register

4/17/20

  • feeling really good about the graphs
  • removed lines on tide
  • added automatic x range based on width of graph
  • forecast graph now loads via AJAX too
  • fixed bug with date columns on hourly display
  • reduced font size on mobile and fixed navbar bug when rotating
  • updated emoji headers for better display on mobile
  • resize graph height/width/range based on window size

4/16/20

  • added wind/wave arrows to graph
  • add source tooltips to each parameter in hourly/daily view
  • make hourly the default forecast view
  • forecast graphs now have fancy colors!

4/15/20

  • now loading tide via ajax - faster spot view page loads
  • first pass at a graph of weather parameters

4/14/20

  • a couple fixes to always show the full current day for the spot alerts
  • added ability to set alert time for spot alerts

4/13/20

  • massive overhaul to the weather backend, now pulling directly from the GFS, WW3, and RTOFS models
  • spot forecast statistics and daily statistics only consider daylight hours (timezone aware)
  • upgraded the hourly forecast boxes with color coded hours for day/night/dawn/dusk
  • night-time hours are hidden, except for midnight. clicking will reveal all hours
  • changed from a single field for wave info to combined wind/swell waves, primary swell, and secondary swell
  • pulling entire extended forecast from GFS - up to 18 days out!!
  • added a visual representation of the tides with day/night coloring and high/low callouts
  • added a bunch of astronomical data, including dawn, dusk, and golden hour times
  • updated the wind/wave graphs and wind/wave roses with latest version of graph library - look much better now
  • improved the spot and search alert emails, they will now include appropriate forecasts
  • spot alert forecasts can now be set with no filter, and will send every day at 6am localtime! dawn patrol. :)
  • updated site-wide color coding to dynamically change font color based on brightness of background color.

3/14/20

  • good start on building the GRIB parsing system.

3/13/20

  • created a sitemap.xml file and updated robots.txt

3/12/20

  • pushed search/spot alerts to production
  • made alert emails a bit nicer looking
  • cleaned up and added confirmations to various delete pages
  • fixed share search icon

3/11/20

  • wrote the spot alert cronjob script
  • warn on filter delete if it has alerts / searches / users

3/10/20

  • started work on spot alert system

3/9/20

  • search alert cronjob is mostly done
  • made email a bit nicer looking

3/5/20

  • fleshed out the search alert CRUD system

3/4/20

  • started work on the search alerts feature

2/12/20

  • a few minor tweaks to search system before launch
  • user interface is all working nicely together now
  • added user admin area to manage/delete searches

2/11/20

  • made big progress on building the search sharing functionality

2/10/20

  • added links on airport page to different info sites.

2/8/20

  • changed spot favorite UI to inline loading bubble ajax

2/7/20

  • added a link to meteoearth

2/2/20

  • finally cleaned up and moved historical scripts into cronjob
  • added link to iGetwind on spot view page
  • added favorite spot functionality

1/31/20

  • integrated min/max/stddev value params to search filters
  • make public Roadmap / Changelog page

1/30/20

  • show searched column on search results
  • allow sort order changing on column click
  • use default sort order on column click if changing order param
  • add std dev to historical stats page
  • move forecast stats to their own tab
  • move more parameter displays to using the new main::forecast_field view
  • removed old monthlybest and airport search pages
  • made individual color gradients and ranges for each std dev parameter nicer

1/29/20

  • Fixed forecast db entry creation so we dont have multiple old forecasts hanging around.
  • Added standard deviation to all averaged params.
  • Started on structure for selecting sort order

1/28/20

  • integrate new min/max stuff into historical data
  • fixed a small bug with the travel time search order

1/27/20

  • FIXED: min/max are not on an hour-by-hour basis
  • changed all camelCase weather params to under_score for consistency
  • integrate wave power into historical data
  • verify historical data params are all camel_case
  • show swell power when sorting by swell power
  • show swell power + swell period on historical pages

1/26/20

  • added swell power field to forecasts
  • add sorting on swell power and certain max parameters

1/25/20

  • get min/max forecast db values updating properly
  • show min/avg/mag on forecast page

1/23/20

  • added links to other weather services

11/21/19

  • figure out how to make historical-3-crunch-spot-data more efficient so it can be run as a cronjob.

11/12/19

  • add verified/unverified icon to spot maker infobox + load spot forecast by ajax
  • add verified/unverified filter to search + default user search params
  • hoekens filter - public

11/11/19

  • lat/lon picker is fixed
  • region/country/airport/spot map pages work nicely now
  • fixed bug where spot moderation emails get sent every edit

11/07/19

  • show hidden spots on detailed list like on hybrid
  • sort icons now work on both headers
  • show hidden spots on map as low opacity + info in box
  • re-enabled travel search and all other search params - hidden is now handled by controller
  • when changing filter/group/etc reset page to 1
  • standardize loading gif between map and search

11/06/19

  • fix "your airport" box to have better spacing on all pages
  • updated TODO a bit
  • changed precip coloring on hourly forecast
  • started framework for displaying 'hidden' spots

11/04/19

  • add ability to suggest a spot for non-admin users
  • add spot approve page
  • add spot delete page
  • send email to admins when new spot suggested
  • update hybrid view to reload table when scrolling

11/03/19

  • show a greyed out loading screen when updating spots map on move.
  • when adding new spot and no airport links found, look for closest airport
  • add links based on distance when no google distance found, show to the user too.

11/02/19

  • now will pull airports from the spot itself, added a flag to show airports or not.
  • make map reload work with filters / search params

10/31/19

  • load new spots on map move

10/30/19

  • refactored KiteMap to WindNinjaMap to make it easier and more standardized
  • upgraded all instances of KiteMap to WindNinjaMap
  • update spotpicker to use new WindNinjaMap js object
  • add ability to right-click on map to add a new spot

10/26/19

  • automatially set airport + country based on location
  • add verified boolean checkbox to spots
  • add verified location icon

10/25/19

  • add javascript lat/lon selector to spot edit
  • remove commute time from spot

10/24/19

  • make sure GeoIP stuff is working properly - yep, checks out!
  • combine spot create and spot edit controller logic

05/25/19

  • consolidated global files
  • attempted to fix the geoip lookup stuff
  • change forecast to 7 days instead of 5

12/12/18

  • fix airport pagination

12/08/18

  • added a stacked bar graph that shows BFT % by month (and waves too)
  • add region > country > airport to spots page
  • add region to country page
  • add region > country to airport page
  • add a "your location: Region > Country > Airport" on template header

9/15/18

  • added historical links to navbar and forecast page
  • fixed prate importing (hopefully)
  • a few small tweaks for mobile

9/14/18

  • have done a ton of work on getting historical data imported. almost done!
  • revamped the spot grouping setup to make searches more accurate
  • spot search now works with historical data!!!

9/6/18

  • a couple little tweaks here and there to clean up post-launch

9/1/18

  • added links to settings for search controls.
  • updated user login/registration to be a bit nicer.
  • clean up snippets of js in random spots.
  • Make sure new site works okay in mobile.
  • upgrade server software

8/31/18

  • added loading graphic on spot load ajax
  • hide spot display panel and add link in header to show it
  • update filter to have checkbox to enable each parameter, and use that when building search query

8/30/18

  • fixed country and airport pages back to how it was before.
  • travel map on airport page should default to that airport.
  • when travel filter is on, show travel time on hybrid/list
  • added travel filter defaults to location setting page.

8/29/18

  • worked a ton on the new AJAX UI - its working well.

8/26/18

  • changed spot view type to dropdown
  • move sort/group stuff from filters to user
  • default group by on country and airport view should be none

8/25/18

  • worked on filter controls UI
  • fixed airport / country display maps
  • Make airport incoming/outgoing flights a tabbed view
  • Add pagination to airport list on country page
  • Add pagination to airport incoming/outgoing flights list
  • add a 'sort/cluster' filter bar (cluster by country, airport)

8/23/18

  • Bonaire Saint Eustatius And Saba - whats up with that? Should probably be "Netherlands Antilles"
  • Fixed Sint Maarten / Saint Marten airport bug
  • Create a few good defaults like 'No Wetsuit Needed' or 'Strong Wind Only'
  • allow sorting by wind speed / wave height / air temp / sea temp by clicking on column headers
  • added tooltips to emojis for clarity
  • added tooltips to dates on forecast for clarity on day of week.

8/21/18

  • allow user to set 'no filter' and site defaults as default filter
  • allow user to set default page type on profile level, not filter

8/20/18

  • reworked filter controls to allow page change as well as filter selection.
  • remove 'site default filter'
  • default to no filter
  • travel map can now display spots in list, map, hybrid forms

8/19/18

  • refactor to use a common codebase for pulling in filter id, page, for the various pages that all use filters.
  • pagination works on all filter pages w/ lists.
  • we should default to no filter, and have a couple good defaults
  • Settings is now a dropdown to each individual settings tab

8/18/18

  • consolidate all filterable spot list views into the spots controller

8/17/18

8/13/18

  • Add pagination to filter view pages: list / hybrid
  • Update settings url linkage to allow linking straight to a tab
  • Working on filters UI element
  • Added filters + pagination to country, windiest, and waviest pages
  • Also got travel map working with filters.

8/11/18

  • Added filter info modal dialog to filter view page

8/10/18

  • Make travel map view actually work...
  • Move away from kitemap API call to travelmap / spotmap API calls.

8/9/18

  • Created filter list/map/hybrid/travel view pages

7/17/18

  • worked on filter edit page
  • added filter view page
  • Add CRUD functionality to manage filters

6/26/18

  • add settings page - what homepage, email, airport, location
  • tweaked map page to pull from user profile data

6/25/18

  • clean up the nav a bit.
  • add admin / logged in asserts to proper pages.

2/6/18

  • added spot / airport duration into formula when calculating spots based on distance
  • add google matrix lookup of all spots within (hours * 100 km) of current location / airport

2/5/18

  • transition to airport_id instead of iata / airport_code
  • add distance/time lookup between spot and airport

1/15/18

  • create reserved server on amazon ec2
  • create script to truncate huge forecasts table
  • create main site config.php
  • create main site virtualhost entry
  • created define to allow the site to be taken down
  • transitioned site to new ec2 server

1/14/18

  • fixes here and there for moving to the amazon ec2 server

1/12/18

  • make table of monthly historical links / data for spot history page
  • make historical forecast month detail page w/ links to individual historical forecasts

1/11/18

12/27/17

  • pull in tide information from WWO forecast
  • pull in moonrise/moonset information from WWO forecast
  • display sunrise/sunset on forecast
  • display moonrise/moonset/moon phase on forecast
  • display tide information on forecast
  • use emojis to display moon phase: 🌑 🌒 🌓 🌔 🌕 🌖 🌗 🌘 🌑
  • pull in all the rest of the variables from all forecast providers (pressure, etc)
  • add z-height on map spot markers based on wind speed
  • round the corners of map spot markers

12/26/17

  • fixed a bug with timezone parsing
  • double check sunrise/sunset stuff on TOS airport - yep, no sunrise/sunset!
  • fixed kite map display bug when zero spots and tweaked UI a bit.
  • fixed a bug on daily display when local time is near midnight

12/25/17

  • change hourly forecast to pull in all hours in the controller, check to make sure none are before now()
  • fixed some minor bugs with forecast display

12/23/17

  • Move to Forecast -> RawForecast system
  • Forecast is a single object with every potential data, parsed into a common format
  • Raw Forecast is a specific forecast from an individual forecast provider (eg. DarkSky, WWO, PlanetOS, etc)
  • Then Forecast will loop through each one and generate the metaforecast
  • forecast detail page now shows an hourly forecast and is actually useful now
  • tidied up scripts directory
  • fixed some bugs in forecasts, now pulling in hourly wave forecasts too

12/22/17

  • refactored map js to be a bit more universal
  • add line between spot and airport on map view
  • add wave spots mode to kite map
  • show top spots on kite map

12/21/17

12/12/17

  • is_unkiteable airports should have a greyed out icon
  • add nearby airports (and spots) to airport view page
  • a couple more tweaks to route view page

12/11/17

  • revamped route page to be more concise + better links + more info
  • optimize spot map ajax loading to not recreate teh entire map, lol
  • refactored map javascript to be object oriented and cleaner
  • show top spots for each continent on continent view page
  • add map view to continent view page

12/10/17

  • db backups now happening daily!
  • mobile views of spots now with emojis and better lookign color. :)

12/09/17

  • on kite map page, an enter key press on airport should trigger teh ajax call
  • show description text on spot detail page (now with Markdown support!)

12/08/17

  • add geoip support to guess where the user is from
  • guess closest airport to the user based on lat/lon
  • add in a link to airport page from map on country detail page
  • moved all maps to use new map code
  • fix zoom on country map page
  • fix quote escape bug on map pages
  • move main map controls to map UI
  • convert main map page to be AJAX/JSON and dynamic

12/07/17

  • crushed out the first iteration of the mega map!
  • get megaerror functionality working
  • add continent to search parameters
  • add continent view page - list of countries
  • add link to country from airport page

12/05/17

  • lots of little site tweaks/updates
  • spot search now using parameterized search.

11/21/17

11/20/17

  • add airport listing to country view page
  • add unkiteable field to airport
  • fixed kite forecast loading on add/edit due to whitespace in lat/lon fields

11/18/17

  • update route derivation to not add intermediate flights and only add nonstop flights.
  • added kiteable page for airports
  • changed homepage to top 25 spots worldwide

11/17/17

  • add lat/lon min/max for map lookups
  • support multiple source airports in search
  • fixed premade airport searches

11/16/17

  • tweaked airport map page to not be super zoomed
  • removed dead data from forecast display
  • added route detail page w/ info on segments
  • added ordering on flight distance, added display of flight distance.

11/15/17

  • add ability to search airports by # of flights, altitude, and country
  • add ability to search airports by duration/hops from an airport
  • add incoming/outgoing flight count to airport search form

11/13/17

  • added favicon

11/12/17

11/11/17

  • update score field globally when pulling in spot forecasts
  • change all spot pages to use ranking on search

11/09/17

  • add in custom airport query pages: rainiest, snowiest, hottest, coldest, kiteable, nice weather, etc.
  • add cloud cover to global airport search
  • add google analytics code for tracking
  • re-add footer to main template
  • add about page that explains whats up