The Cloud-Based Future of ECMWF Data Services

The meteorological value chain is transitioning at a rapid rate, impacting the provision of, and increasing the need for, weather-related data services. As the production, acquisition, delivery and storage of meteorological data becomes increasingly computationally expensive, and user demands diverge and rise, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Data Services is adapting its user services to facilitate unprecedented uses and demands for numerical weather predictions.

As a data provider, ECMWF promotes the discovery of new uses for meteorological data and is hence exploring ways to improve the efficiency of data delivery for a growing number of governmental and intergovernmental meteorological organisations, private sectors and research organisations. The Centre has one of the largest supercomputer facilities and meteorological data archives in the world. Cloud-based technology is proposed as a measure to tackle such challenges related to the use, transfer and storage of "Big Data". Associated cloud-based user support, features and services - including localised post-processing - will lend itself to a collaborative and scalable environment, capable of hosting increasing volumes of data.

This presentation follows on from a preceding presentation discussing "The Evolution of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Data Services", accessible at https://ams.confex.com/ams/98Annual/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/334268.