Re: [backstage] Weather Feeds: these are NOT covered under the backstage terms, please do NOT use them.
: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Original Send Date: 27/07/2006 - 20:47:50 -- dotBen (aka Ben Metcalfe) | e: mashup AT dotben.co.uk PLEASE NOTE: I no longer work on the backstage.bbc.co.uk project or for the BBC. Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you would like to contact the new project team directly. - Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. Unofficial list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk/
Re: [backstage] Weather Feeds: these are NOT covered under the backstage terms, please do NOT use them.
yes, sorry. they SHOULDN'T be used outside the BBC. On 28/07/06, Kim Plowright [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Kim's right, these feeds should be used outside the BBC's site and from that perspective, Freudian slip, Ben? :-) -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of dotBen (aka Ben Metcalfe) Sent: 28 July 2006 10:58 To: backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk Subject: Re: [backstage] Weather Feeds: these are NOT covered under the backstage terms, please do NOT use them. Hello all, Kim's right, these feeds should be used outside the BBC's site and from that perspective, in the morning after the night before, I realise I probably shouldn't have posted my previous email. I would point out that all I did was pull the urls out of the javascript on the BBC News Website - which no doubt someone else would have done instead if I hadn't... ...but I did indeed know that the data wasn't licensed (which is the different to someone else doing it ) and so in the cold light of day I realise it was a little irresponsible for me to encourage you to put the data on your site. Please be patient whilst the BBC continues to work out an 'official' weather offering with the Met Office. Cheers Ben On 27/07/06, Kim Plowright [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Yeah! That was quick work, and fab, thanks, but Next time eh? Sorry! -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Phil Winstanley Sent: Thu 27/07/2006 20:47 To: backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk Subject: RE: [backstage] Weather Feeds: these are NOT covered under the backstage terms, please do NOT use them. Ah - ignore my lat mail then. J From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Kim Plowright Sent: 27 July 2006 20:18 To: backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk Subject: [backstage] Weather Feeds: these are NOT covered under the backstage terms, please do NOT use them. Hello Everyone, Jem is not around today, so I've been asked to put my official BBC hat on [1] and let you all know the situation with the weather feeds referenced below. Here's the short version The weather feeds detailed below are *NOT COVERED* by the BBC backstage terms. Please, *DO NOT* use those feeds. I'm *REALLY SORRY*, I know you're all frustrated by the saga of getting the weather feeds to you. So, here's a slightly longer version. As you all know, the data in the weather feeds isn't actually owned by the BBC - the BBC has an agreement with the Met Office to use the data. The good people in BBC Weather have been negotiating with the Met to get this data publically available, but that's been a lengthy process. Obviously, we have to find an arrangement that keeps both the Met and the BBC, and you lot on the list happy. Eventually, it was agreed in principal that the data could be released to backstage under a developer key system, so the Met would know who was using the data and how. As the government expects them to expolit their assets commercially to relieve the burden on the tax payer, this seems reasonable; they can tell if someone starts a commercial service using the non-commercial data and make them stop. The developer key system was a slight problem, though - there have been real problems getting the system set up on the BBC infrastructure. I'm not sure what the problems have been, I'm sorry, but I do know that the BBC boxen are somewhat eccentric and difficult to work with, and probably wanted the code in BBC 32K BASIC on punch cards or something. So that's where we are. The availability of the data without that key system has the potential to really sour the BBC's relationship with the Met Office. It may well make negotiating further data releases really hard, both internally and with other BBC partners; and might jeopardise the whole backstage project. It's bigger than 'just backstage', too - it's all of the BBC's weather service that could be affected. So - and I'm sorry to have to ask you this - please could you refrain from using the feeds below. Kass, the lovely head developer in weather, is trying to get a free-to-air 2 day with observations RSS feed up and running, but she's trying to do that on top of her regular stiff workload (in the same way that I keep an eye on the list above my regular job, just out of love for the project). Once the new backstage producer starts, then hopefully they'll pick up the work on the developer key. I'll keep prodding people around the organisation to keep things moving; as you know, we're restructuring inside the BBC at the moment, so things are rather up in the air. In the meantime, I really appreciate your patience and forebearance in the face of lovely JSON feeds... I know this makes us look like a bunch of numpties, and I'm personally really sorry. Sorry if this sounds a bit formal, I just had to rewrite it after my work webmail ate the previous draft! Kim [1] Heather coloured tweed
[backstage] Finally, that bloody BBC Weather feed - here it is...
You'll all be pleased to hear that (probably unintentionally) the BBC has launched complete RSS and JSON support for it's BBC Weather service (data provided by the Met Office). To get straight to the detail, the urls you need are as follows: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/feeds/customisation/v1/weather/4581/json.js http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/rss/weather/4581.xml (Where 4581 is the BBC Weather index for London. You can find out any other code you need by searching for your city, clicking the desired result, and identifying the id in the resulting url.) The important point to note is that the JSON feed is technically referenced to on the BBC site - if you dig within the JavaScript etc - but not explicitly referenced for third-party use. The RSS feed, despite clearly being on the public server, is not currently referenced from anywhere on the BBC (as far as I can see) and has been derived from existing logic. How this was discovered: The BBC News website now sports a customisable pane that is powered by JSON. A quick scan of the HTTP Headers shows that the London feed (for example) is powered by JSON feed at: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/feeds/customisation/v1/weather/4581/json.js and the London news JSON feed: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/feeds/customisation/v1/newsonline_uk_edition/england/london/json.js Now I recognised that: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/feeds/customisation/v1/newsonline_uk_edition/england/london/json.js had some similarities to the original RSS url for the same feed: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/rss/newsonline_uk_edition/england/london/rss.xml So I used the some pattern logic with the BBC Weather JSON feed: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/feeds/customisation/v1/weather/4581/json.js to http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/rss/weather/4581/rss.xml However the RSS url didn't work. I then tried removing the slightly superfluous 'rss.' file name and to my surprise it worked: http://newsrss.bbc.co.uk/rss/weather/4581.xml Essentially, I have derived this weather RSS feed purely from recognising the pattern logic similarities between the BBC News RSS and JSON feed. I'm making this point clear because I do not believe the BBC has intended these weather feeds to be public. Further more, from my knowledge of the BBC and specifically the BBC Weather relationship with the Met Office, the licence details contained within the BBC Weather RSS feeds is probably incorrect (it's just part of the standard RSS template). So by all means make use of this data into your site/project/mashup, but be warned this is totally unofficial and presumably could be taken down at any moment! I'm probably going to get an email from Tom/Jem @ BBC too... :) (From http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/index.php/2006/07/27/finally-bbc-weather-rss-and-json-feeds/) -- dotBen (aka Ben Metcalfe) | e: mashup AT dotben.co.uk PLEASE NOTE: I no longer work on the backstage.bbc.co.uk project or for the BBC. Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you would like to contact the new project team directly. - Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. Unofficial list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk/
[backstage] backstage.bbc.co.uk wins innovation new media award
Hello all I just thought you would like to know that backstage.bbc.co.uk won the innovation award at last night's New Statesman New Media Awards (http://www.newstatesman.co.uk/nma/nma2006/nma2006home.php). I've written a blog post about it: http://benmetcalfe.com/blog/index.php/2006/07/25/backstagebbccouk-wins-innovation-award/ Although I obviously don't work for the BBC anymore, if I can dedicate any part of the award it would be to you guys -- the community -- to make backstage what it is. Ben -- dotBen (aka Ben Metcalfe) | e: mashup AT dotben.co.uk PLEASE NOTE: I no longer work on the backstage.bbc.co.uk project or for the BBC. Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] if you would like to contact the new project team directly. - Sent via the backstage.bbc.co.uk discussion group. To unsubscribe, please visit http://backstage.bbc.co.uk/archives/2005/01/mailing_list.html. Unofficial list archive: http://www.mail-archive.com/backstage@lists.bbc.co.uk/
