Frequenly Asked Questions
Who is Outside Connection? Outside Connection was created by Jim Gallant in Seattle, Washington in the winter of 1999-2001. The logo and site design were provided by Michelle Drewein of F5 Studios. Topographical maps were generated by Ray Sterner of the Johns Hopkins University in Laurel, MD.
The earliest version of Outside Connection was born out of the desire to see weather across Washington state "at a glance". This early version retrieved only the Hourly Roundup weather data for Washington state, and was eventually merged with an informal online classified ads site for Northwest Wind Talk. Site guides for outdoor activities and email weather alarms were added along with a credit system for members. In the fall of 2001 the OC server was stricken with the NIMDA virus and various SQL Server data was lost. OC was reborn in late November of 2001 with less geographical scope, but more complete weather data. The site guides, classified ads and email weather alarms were also dropped.
How often is the weather data updated?
Data is retrieved every hour at 12 minutes after the hour. Most stations list the date and time that the data was recorded. Note that this is different than the time it's retrieved by Outside Connection. Click a station's icon for trend data over time. Some trend data windows include links to the source data site for more real-time or more detailed readings.
Where does the weather data come from?
Many places, including NOAA, the Coast Guard and the National Buoy Data Center. If YOU know of a web URL that has great time-sensitive data that you'd like to see on Outside Connection. Please email me the URL.
I really like Outside Connection, how can I show my appreciation? :-)
Tell your friends! Drop me a line if the sprit moves you.
Do you have any other cool websites?
You bet! Click here!