Across Africa, National Meteorological Services operate diverse networks of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), each with its own proprietary data formats. This fragmentation makes it challenging to ingest, harmonize, and share observation data in real time.

The Automated Data Loader (ADL) solves this by using a plugin-based architecture to connect to multiple AWS vendors, standardize their outputs, and automate delivery to systems like the World Meteorological Organisations' global Information System (WIS2), APIs, and national archives.

In this talk, we’ll explore:
- The data fragmentation problem in African meteorology.
- How ADL’s modular plugins handle both data ingestion and data dispatch.
- Leveraging Wagtail’s admin for a flexible dashboard without building a public-facing site.
- Real-world integrations with FTP, APIs, cloud storage, and databases.

Attendees will learn how Wagtail can be used beyond content websites — as a powerful backend framework for complex, domain-specific workflows in data integration and automation. We’ll share lessons from building ADL for African countries, plus insights on designing maintainable plugin systems for long-term sustainability.