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The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF, the Centre)
is an independent intergovernmental organisation supported by 32 States. Its Member States are:
Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the
Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden,
Turkey, United Kingdom
.
We have concluded co-operation agreements with:
Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Estonia, Croatia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Morocco, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia.
Co-operation agreements have also been concluded with:
- World Meteorological Organisation (WMO)
- European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological
Satellites (EUMETSAT)
- African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development
(ACMAD)
- Joint Research Centre (JRC)
- Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban
Treaty Organisation (CTBTO)
- Executive Body of the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air
Pollution
(CLRTAP)
- European Space Agency (ESA)
Originally a COST (European Co-operation in Science and Technology) project,
the Centre was established in 1975 when its Convention entered into force.
The first real-time medium-range forecasts were made in June 1979. The
Centre has been producing operational medium-range weather forecasts since
1 August 1979.
The objectives of the centre
The principal objectives of the Centre are:
- the development of numerical methods for medium-range weather forecasting;
- the preparation, on a regular basis, of medium-range weather forecasts
for distribution to the meteorological services of the Member States;
- scientific and technical research directed at the improvement of
these forecasts;
- collection and storage of appropriate meteorological data.
In addition, the Centre:
- makes available a proportion of its computing facilities to its Member
States for their research;
- assists in implementing the programmes of the World Meteorological
Organisation;
- provides advanced training to the scientific staff of the Member
States in the field of numerical weather prediction;
- makes the data in its extensive archives available to outside bodies.
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