WMS (Web Map Service) - Spire Weather API Documentation

Spire’s implementation of the OGC WMS standard, providing access to weather data as map layers.

Endpoint¶

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	`/ows/wms`	OGC WMS service

Authentication¶

The WMS endpoint supports three authentication methods to accommodate different client applications:

API Key in Header (recommended)¶

Shell

Python

Node.js

curl -X GET \
  'https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities&product=sof-d&bundle=basic' \
  -H 'spire-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms",
    params={
        "service": "WMS",
        "request": "GetCapabilities",
        "product": "sof-d",
        "bundle": "basic",
    },
    headers={"spire-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  service: "WMS",
  request: "GetCapabilities",
  product: "sof-d",
  bundle: "basic",
});
const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?${params}`,
  { headers: { "spire-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" } }
);

API Key in Query Parameter¶

curl -X GET \
  'https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities&product=sof-d&bundle=basic&spire-api-key=YOUR_API_KEY'

HTTP Basic Authentication¶

The username is the same as the API key. Contact Spire Weather support for a password if you prefer this method.

curl -X GET \
  'https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities&product=sof-d&bundle=basic' \
  -u 'YOUR_API_KEY:YOUR_PASSWORD'

Required Parameters¶

These parameters are mandatory for all WMS requests:

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`service`	string	Yes	Must be `WMS`
`request`	string	Yes	`GetCapabilities` or `GetMap`
`product`	string	Yes	Product identifier (currently only `sof-d`)
`bundle`	string	Yes	Data bundle to access

Supported Bundles¶

Not all data bundles support WMS. The following bundles are available as WMS layers:

Bundle	Description
`basic`	Standard meteorological variables
`precipitation`	Precipitation data
`maritime`	Marine parameters
`maritime-wave`	Wave parameters
`maritime-wave-ext`	Extended wave parameters
`maritime-atmos`	Maritime atmospheric parameters
`clouds`	Cloud cover (excluding ceiling)
`thunderstorm`	Convective parameters
`upper-air`	Upper-air data
`agricultural`	Agricultural parameters
`wind-energy`	Wind energy parameters
`solar-energy`	Solar radiation data

GetCapabilities¶

Retrieve metadata about the WMS service, including supported operations, available layers, and layer parameters.

Example — Basic Bundle¶

Shell

Python

Node.js

curl -X GET \
  'https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities&product=sof-d&bundle=basic' \
  -H 'spire-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms",
    params={
        "service": "WMS",
        "request": "GetCapabilities",
        "product": "sof-d",
        "bundle": "basic",
    },
    headers={"spire-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  service: "WMS",
  request: "GetCapabilities",
  product: "sof-d",
  bundle: "basic",
});
const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?${params}`,
  { headers: { "spire-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" } }
);

Example — Maritime Bundle¶

Shell

Python

Node.js

curl -X GET \
  'https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?service=WMS&request=GetCapabilities&product=sof-d&bundle=maritime' \
  -H 'spire-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY'

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms",
    params={
        "service": "WMS",
        "request": "GetCapabilities",
        "product": "sof-d",
        "bundle": "maritime",
    },
    headers={"spire-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  service: "WMS",
  request: "GetCapabilities",
  product: "sof-d",
  bundle: "maritime",
});
const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?${params}`,
  { headers: { "spire-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" } }
);

GetMap¶

Retrieve a rendered map image for a specific layer, time, and geographic extent.

Additional Parameters for GetMap¶

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`version`	string	Yes	WMS version (e.g., `1.3.0`)
`layers`	string	Yes	Layer identifier
`crs`	string	Yes	Coordinate reference system (e.g., EPSG:4326)
`bbox`	string	Yes	Bounding box (`min_lat,min_lon,max_lat,max_lon`)
`width`	integer	Yes	Image width in pixels
`height`	integer	Yes	Image height in pixels
`FORMAT`	string	Yes	Output format (e.g., `image/png`)
`TIME`	string	Yes	ISO 8601 timestamp for the data
`styles`	string	No	Rendering style
`TRANSPARENT`	boolean	No	Transparent background
`EXCEPTIONS`	string	No	Exception format

Example — 2m Temperature Map¶

Shell

Python

Node.js

curl -X GET \
  'https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?service=WMS&request=GetMap&product=sof-d&bundle=basic&version=1.3.0&width=3072&height=1536&crs=EPSG:4326&bbox=-90,-180,90,180&FORMAT=image/png&TRANSPARENT=true&TIME=2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z&layers=sof-d/20240115/12/t2m:K&styles=temp:K/nearest' \
  -H 'spire-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  -o temperature_map.png

import requests

response = requests.get(
    "https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms",
    params={
        "service": "WMS",
        "request": "GetMap",
        "product": "sof-d",
        "bundle": "basic",
        "version": "1.3.0",
        "width": 3072,
        "height": 1536,
        "crs": "EPSG:4326",
        "bbox": "-90,-180,90,180",
        "FORMAT": "image/png",
        "TRANSPARENT": "true",
        "TIME": "2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z",
        "layers": "sof-d/20240115/12/t2m:K",
        "styles": "temp:K/nearest",
    },
    headers={"spire-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)

with open("temperature_map.png", "wb") as f:
    f.write(response.content)

import { writeFile } from "fs/promises";

const params = new URLSearchParams({
  service: "WMS",
  request: "GetMap",
  product: "sof-d",
  bundle: "basic",
  version: "1.3.0",
  width: "3072",
  height: "1536",
  crs: "EPSG:4326",
  bbox: "-90,-180,90,180",
  FORMAT: "image/png",
  TRANSPARENT: "true",
  TIME: "2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z",
  layers: "sof-d/20240115/12/t2m:K",
  styles: "temp:K/nearest",
});
const response = await fetch(
  `https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms?${params}`,
  { headers: { "spire-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" } }
);

const buffer = Buffer.from(await response.arrayBuffer());
await writeFile("temperature_map.png", buffer);

Layer Naming¶

Layer names are available through the GetCapabilities response. They typically follow the pattern:

{product}/{date}/{hour}/{variable}:{unit}

For example: sof-d/20240115/12/t2m:K represents the 2-meter temperature in Kelvin from the January 15, 2024 12Z model run.

Python Example¶

Fetch and display a WMS map:

import requests
from PIL import Image
from io import BytesIO

headers = {'spire-api-key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'}

# First, get capabilities to discover available layers
capabilities = requests.get(
    'https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms',
    headers=headers,
    params={
        'service': 'WMS',
        'request': 'GetCapabilities',
        'product': 'sof-d',
        'bundle': 'basic'
    }
)

# Fetch a temperature map
response = requests.get(
    'https://api.wx.spire.com/ows/wms',
    headers=headers,
    params={
        'service': 'WMS',
        'request': 'GetMap',
        'product': 'sof-d',
        'bundle': 'basic',
        'version': '1.3.0',
        'layers': 'sof-d/20240115/12/t2m:K',
        'crs': 'EPSG:4326',
        'bbox': '-90,-180,90,180',
        'width': 1024,
        'height': 512,
        'FORMAT': 'image/png',
        'TRANSPARENT': 'true',
        'TIME': '2024-01-15T12:00:00.000Z',
        'styles': 'temp:K/nearest'
    }
)

# Display the image
img = Image.open(BytesIO(response.content))
img.show()

Use with Mapping Libraries¶

WMS layers can be consumed directly by mapping libraries such as Leaflet, OpenLayers, or QGIS using the WMS endpoint URL and your authentication credentials.