Get tide predictions that are usable on a website

Question

I have looked around for the past year to put tide predictions on a client's website. All I could find was free "widgets" I could use or xtide. The problem with the widgets, they are branded all over the place and looks very unprofessional for the environment. So I was looking to install xtide on the server, but after 3 days and multiple talks with the server's tech support, I was unable to install xtide due to just ONE problem with server permissions on shared hosting. So that was a flop.

So I'm back to step 1 here and I desperately need a method of getting tide predictions (preferably tides for all of the current year) of a certain location (New London, Connecticut, USA).

Does anyone know of a method to grab these tides from an alternate source via XML so I can use them in PHP? Also note, I need these to be as accurate as possible, there are a few tide prediction scripts out there for PHP, but after a few months, become far off by hours for the predictions.

I will also take suggestions for using xtide elsewise too!

Answer 1

NOAA provides tide predictions for a lot of locations around the USA, and even provides a URL you can hit to get the data in XML. Have a look at their Tides and Currents site.

Answer 2

I had the same issue so I wrote a much nicer widget and wordpress plugin that anyone can use for free. I kept the branding to a minimum. There are lots of configuration options like scaling, background colors, and location preferences. It's interactive too which makes it fun for visitors. It's also well maintained so you shouldn't have to worry about it not working one day:

http://www.tidegraph.com/page-support-widget.php

Answer 3

I've provided a NOAA tide chart solution that can be used free of charge on any website. A few lines of JavaScript and you're all set for any NOAA tide station.

Details at http://www.iontech.org/tides

Cheers