This guide is primarily for anyone interested in creating a weather web-camera service, but the need-to-know concepts explained here could apply equally to a landscape-camera, a beach-camera, a garden-camera, in fact, any web-camera!

Specifically, this guide covers web-camera types, positioning, mounting, connecting up, configuring, creating a homepage and launching the weather web-camera service.
This guide is organised in subject areas as described below.

• Camera types. Describes the different types of web-camera.
• Locating. Outlines where and where not to position a weather web-camera.
• Mounting and connecting. Mounting plus cable and wireless networking.
• Configuring. The important image and network settings.
• Creating a homepage. Produce a simple homepage for a weather web-camera.
• Launching. Ways to launch and promote a weather web-camera.
• Resources. Online resources to do with weather and other types of web-camera.

Below is a minimal shopping list of needs required to create a weather web-camera service.
It is assumed that, for the sake of this guide, that these items are provided. See the resources section to assist in the procurement of some of these items.

• An always-on broadband or cable DSL connection.
• Free disc space with an ISP.
• An IP web-camera and an internet router with a spare port, or -
• a video server and an internet router with a spare port, or -
• a USB webcam and an always-on computer.
• Basic DIY skills and personal initiative.
• Cabling and mounting brackets, screws and bolts.
• Permission to install the camera.
• A commitment to share with other like minded people!

Defining a mission statement may seem rather corporate, but this will help define exactly what the weather web-camera is trying to achieve. This will also provide a foil to those doubters who always have to ask, "why on earth are you doing that?". Some example mission statements:

• To install and maintain a free weather web camera service that displays the weather conditions at my location. This will be called Ruth's Weather Camera.
• To install and maintain a free weather camera service that shows the sunsets visible from my client's location for the purpose of enhancing their existing website. This will be called the Valentine Cafe Sunset Webcam.
• To install and maintain a free weather camera service using two south and west facing cameras, that will show building storm clouds from my home, to assist the storm chaser and forecaster communities. This will be called the Wilde Prairie Storm Cam Service.

Reading through this guide will give an understanding of the issues behind creating a weather web-camera. To make the web-camera a real entity requires the fulfilment of at least these objectives:

• Understand. Read through this guide and visit other weather web-camera web sites to find out what they are doing.
• Feasibility. Find out if the project is really practical. Carry out a site survey, find out the best locations for the service.
• Budget. Decide on how much needs to be spent, avoiding what would be nice to spend.
• Shop. Supply the items on the shopping list. There is a list of suppliers in the resources part of this guide.
• Prove. Run a technical test with the web-camera set up on the desk. Learn how the web-camera interacts with the local network and iron out any configuration and other technical issues before drilling and fixing..
• Implement. Fully install the weather web-camera with the necessary cables and mounts.
• Deadline. Set a going live date. This is a personal project, so deadlines are allowed to slip!
• Launch. Promote the service and get it known to the online community through search engines and other means.
• Support. Do upgrades and bug fixes to the website as soon as the need is apparent.
• Glow. Feel good, you are contributing to the internet!