Low-level data access

[oisact]

I'm curious if there is some lower-level method of accessing forecast data, even if in binary form, that is more reliable and real-time, as well as suitable for bulk data retrieval. It seems to me the newer API is just another layer on top of many other layers, with the goal of providing a modernized REST / JSON type access to data for greater convenience to hobbyists and smaller projects.

I get the impression that larger players are not using these high-level APIs for forecast data. I'm almost certain that the "big" weather apps are not using APIs like this to retrieve weather alerts, for example, and are using some lower-level data source that is in binary form. So I'm curious if forecast data (hourly and daily / period) is available lower-level as well.