This is a follow-up to my earlier posts about labeling live sensor data. I run a small site that republishes coastal water readings, and this week two California stations I track stopped returning current values: Los Angeles Harbor and San Francisco Bay. The API still lists them, but there is no fresh temperature to show, so I am not going to quote an old one as if it were today.
Right now my instinct is to leave the spot on the page with a plain "currently unavailable" note, keep the tide information that is still updating, and not fill the gap with a satellite estimate unless I label it clearly as a different kind of measurement. Hiding the spot entirely feels cleaner, but then a regular visitor might think I dropped the location. Showing the last reading with its age feels honest, but after a few days that number is just old news sitting where a current reading should be.
Disclosure: I am the owner/builder of the site, and I used AI assistance to help draft this post. I am posting for feedback, not just traffic. The site is https://watertemperaturelive.com
One specific question for anyone who has shipped live data: if a station has been dark for more than a day, would you rather see the spot hidden until it returns, or a plain "no current reading" box left in its place?
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