Buoy Watch
What is the Boston buoy measuring?
Data illustration, not an app screenshot. Snapshot retrieved 2026-09-07T16:27:01+00:00. Open the template for refreshed data.
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In the app: Templates → Featured → Buoy Watch. The app catalog version is signed and unlocks the template’s controls; manual file imports may require Control Pack for some controls.
Try it in 60 seconds
- Read the question. Check the source response and retrieval time before trusting any reading.
- Read the direction against N/E/S/W. This needle represents the feed, not your phone.
- Tap either reading card to reveal what it means. Open Explore for another view and the source records.
- Find the observation time. Station 44013; last valid readings may have different times. Not a marine navigation forecast.
The idea worth keeping
Missing readings stay missing; the card names the time of each last valid sensor value.
A short script you can read aloud
“What is the Boston buoy measuring? This layout starts with that question, not a wall of controls. The data comes from NOAA National Data Buoy Center. Read the direction against N/E/S/W. This needle represents the feed, not your phone. The reading cards tell you what to notice; turn one over when you need context. Missing readings stay missing; the card names the time of each last valid sensor value. One important limit: Station 44013; last valid readings may have different times. Not a marine navigation forecast.”
Suggested animation scene
Turn a numeric bearing into a needle against a fixed north mark. Introduce the measured location and time before showing a second reading.
Storyboard: 0–8 seconds, ask the question. 8–25 seconds, introduce one observation. 25–45 seconds, perform the gesture above. 45–60 seconds, show the timestamp and limitation. Keep labels readable, offer a reduced-motion cut, and use actual source values or a clearly marked replay.
How this becomes a layout
The provider publishes data → a small read-only adapter selects and names the useful fields → CAR-TER controls bind to those fields. All controls in this template share one endpoint. Polling is cached for 900 seconds; that is a retrieval interval, not a promise that the source updates that often.
Remix exercise
Duplicate this layout. Keep the source and units unchanged, but replace the primary visualization with the alternative in Explore, or move the record list above it. Ask a new reader which arrangement answers the opening question faster. Changing location or query parameters requires a new allowlisted server-side source, not an unwired selector.
Source, rights and limitations
NOAA National Data Buoy Center · Exact upstream query · Usage terms / attribution
NOAA public data; retain agency credit. No endorsement implied.
Station 44013; last valid readings may have different times. Not a marine navigation forecast.
This is a selected result window, not a full archive. Missing numbers are not replaced with zero. Lines connect available observations; consult records for gaps. A green READY badge means the last retrieval succeeded, not that the underlying observation is recent. STALE means a retained prior response; UNAVAILABLE means no usable cached response. If your device goes offline, check the displayed retrieval time: the last screen can remain visible.
Open-data and publicly accessible API are different promises. This collection labels each source’s conditions; it does not assert that every provider’s database or API is open-source software.