Yigit Altintas

Computing and Software Support Specialist
Forecast, User Services, User Solutions

Summary:

Yigit Altintas is a Computing and Software Support Specialist at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in Bonn, Germany. Yigit provides expert advice and training on ECMWF's data dissemination, retrieval and archiving systems and its high-performance computing (HPC) platform, supporting internal users, ECMWF Member and Cooperating States, and commercial licensees.

Professional interests:
  • Support for ECMWF's high-performance computing (HPC) systems, in-house software and data access services
  • Technical training and user support for ECMWF platforms and services
  • AI-assisted tools to streamline user support and service analysis
  • Real-time dissemination, retrieval and archiving of weather and climate data (ECPDS, MARS, Web API)
  • Product requirements and data access for Member and Co-operating States and commercial licensees
  • Monitoring and usage analytics for ECMWF's data dissemination and archive services
  • Supporting users through the migration to GRIB2 (MTG2) and new dissemination file-naming conventions
  • User support for IFS and AIFS forecast products and data formats (GRIB2, ecCodes, earthkit)
Career background:

Education

  • MSc in Remote Sensing, GeoInformation, and Visualisation, University of Potsdam, Germany (2022)
  • BSc in Geological Engineering, Ankara University, Türkiye (2019)

Professional Experience

  • Since 09/2024: Computing and Software Support Specialist, ECMWF, Bonn, Germany
  • 08/2022 - 08/2024: Earth Observation Data Services Engineer, EUMETSAT via Innoflair, Darmstadt, Germany
  • 09/2020 - 05/2022: Research Assistant, GFZ-Potsdam, Germany
  • Summer 2018: Erasmus+ Intern, Institute of Geosciences, University of Graz, Austria

Publications

2025

  • Team Nachtlichter, et al. (incl. Altıntaş, Y. Ö.) (June 2025) Citizen science illuminates the nature of city lights, Nature Cities 2, 496-505. DOI: 10.1038/s44284-025-00239-5
  • Weiß, E. C., et al. (incl. Altıntaş, Y. Ö.) (2025) Questions and answers about the Nachtlichter project and 2021 results, GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences. DOI: 10.48440/gfz.1.4.2025.002

2023

  • Kyba, C. C. M., Altıntaş, Y. Ö., Walker, C. E., Newhouse, M. (January 2023) Citizen scientists report global rapid reductions in the visibility of stars from 2011 to 2022, Science 379, 265-268. DOI: 10.1126/science.abq7781
  • Gokus, A., et al. (incl. Altıntaş, Y. Ö.) (December 2023) Nachtlichter App: A citizen science tool for documenting outdoor light sources in public spaces, International Journal of Sustainable Lighting 25, 24-59. DOI: 10.26607/ijsl.v25i1.133

Datasets and software

  • Pidduck, E., Altıntaş, Y. Ö., Chevallier, M. (2026) ECMWF EFI and Thermofeel heat-stress indicators for the June 2026 European heatwave, Zenodo. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.21224649
  • Dröge-Rothaar, A., Kyba, C. C. M., Falkner, S., Altıntaş, Y. Ö. (2025) Nachtlichter 2021 campaign analysis software, GFZ Data Services. DOI: 10.5880/gfz.1.4.2024.006
  • Kyba, C. C. M., Kuechly, H. U., Jongejans, L., Schulte-Römer, N., Altıntaş, Y. Ö., et al. (2023) Methods and data of citizen science project Nachtlichter, GFZ Data Services. DOI: 10.5880/gfz.1.4.2023.002
  • Kyba, C. C. M., Altıntaş, Y. Ö., Walker, C., Newhouse, M. (2022) Software for analyzing Globe at Night data, GFZ Data Services. DOI: 10.5880/gfz.1.4.2022.008