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Weather forecasting makes use of and generates
very large volumes of data that need to be stored for long periods.
This includes observations, analyses, forecast and research experiments. In May 2004, ECMWF had accumulated 1.1 Petabytes of primary data in its Data Handling System (DHS). As of June 2009, this had grown to 10 Petabytes (10,000,000,000,000,000 characters).
The data represent a valuable asset, providing a detailed record
of world-wide weather and weather forecasts over the past 30 years.
They are used by leading researchers in meteorological and environmental
studies and are also available for educational and commercial purposes.
All authorised users within Member States and Co-operating
States can access ECMWF's archive and retrieve data, either through
the telecommunication lines between ECMWF and Member States or through the Internet.
ECMWF Data Services provide data sets or tailored retrievals from
the archive. For research or education purposes, this service is
provided at handling cost. Access for commercial purposes is also
possible from Member States. All available data sets are listed
in the Data
Services' catalogue of data.
The ECMWF ReAnalysis project provides a complete set of analyses
(and some forecasts) over a long period with a unique modern data
assimilation system.
Data Services also distribute software developed by ECMWF, which
is included in Data
Services' catalogue of software.
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