Open Data Roadmap

Transition to Open Data

As part of its strategy and ongoing commitment to open science, ECMWF has progressively moved towards an open data policy since 2018. The aim is to achieve a fully open data status by the end of 2026, and the final goal is to provide the complete ECMWF Real-time Catalogue under a CC-BY-4.0 licence with no Information Cost. A large subset of this data will be made freely available, while the remaining parameters may be subject to service or delivery charges (where applicable). 

Progress and Milestones

ECMWF has made significant strides on the pathway to open data:

  • Enhanced Data Accessibility: Expansion of data services to provide more user-friendly access. Open data is available directly from ECMWF or via public cloud providers, and there are several open tools to support data use and interpretation. 
  • Adapting to User Needs: Recognising users' diverse needs, data is now available in various popular formats, including charts, web interfaces for data download, and API options. This adaptability facilitates easier integration and use of our datasets across different platforms and projects.

Free to Use, Thoughtfully Served

While our data is freely accessible, delivering it is not without cost. The nature of meteorological data—large, complex, and continuously updated—poses substantial challenges for managing volumes, ensuring timely delivery, and maintaining our operational requirements that are part of the ECMWF Convention. ECMWF continues to review the current free and open data to ensure it meets users' needs. 

The Timeline

The next three years will see bigger steps, with increasing resolution in the free and open datasets and the overall reduction and removal of the Information Cost. 

 

Roadmap with green, yellow and red boxes indicating the status of a task in the steps towards open data

 

Note that items in red are subject to Council approval. 

 

Available Open Datasets