How to Use the Weather Alert App – OptiSigns

In this article, we walk you through setting up a Weather Alert App to subscribe to weather alerts from the National Weather Service.

With the OptiSigns Weather Alert App, you can select a region to receive weather alerts from. The app will listen to the ATOM feed published by the National Weather Service and display any incoming notices. Filters can be applied for certain types of messages and target locations.\

This app can be placed in the main screen zone or as a ticker, and it will adjust automatically and fit your screen. Default content can also be set so that when there is no weather alert, this will not be displayed.

The Weather Alert App is available to Standard plan subscribers and above.

Let's jump in and get started:

First, you will need to have your screens set up and paired. For more information on how to do that, click here.

Then log on to our portal: http://app.optisigns.com/

Go to Files/Assets → App:

Select Weather Alert App:

Now it's time to set up the app.

Name: Name of your assets, this is for organizational purposes and will not display on your screen.
States/Type/County/Zone: This is for you to select the area that you would like to get the weather alert.
Theme: Choose between Light or Dark themes.
Speed: Set the scrolling speed when it is used in a ticker.
Font Size: Set the font size of the alert when used on the main screen zone.
Default Content: Select a piece default content. This will display when there is no Weather Alert being broadcast in your region.

Advanced settings:

Scrolling Strip Font Size: Set the font size of the alert when it is used in a ticker.
Use Urgency, Severity, and Certainty to control the filter of the weather alert. These are standard attributes of ATOM messages from the National Weather Service. By default, the app is triggered on all values. Change these to trigger the app only on selected values.

Once you've set the app up to your satisfaction, click Save.

After saving, the app will listen to the ATOM feed of the area you specified. If the condition of the feed matches your settings, it will display the weather alert on screen. If there is no weather alert being broadcast, it will display your Default Content.

If you have any additional questions, concerns, or feedback about OptiSigns, feel free to reach out to our support team at support@optisigns.com.