Updating dissemination requirements

The latest releases of dissemination system provide users with the web based facility for the maintenance of dissemination requirements. Dissemination web page is located on https://msaccess.ecmwf.int:9443/do/product/requirements/. Pages are self explanatory.

It should be noted that the support software for the web based facility has been constructed to include a number of checks, such as:

- product validity

- number of products

- product size

- total product volume

Limitations on the above, which may change from time to time, are imposed to ensure that no Member State increases its total dissemination requirements in an unreasonable way and that no Member State causes a deterioration in service to other Member States. If the updating of requirements fails for any reason, the dissemination system will continue to use the unchanged requirements previously defined.

Should Member States wish ECMWF to continue to maintain their requirements, changes to such requirements may be passed to ECMWF in the usual way, in writing or by computer mail and authorised by the Technical Advisory Committee representative.

Each Member State is allocated a three letter "Dissemination destination" and one or more "Dissemination streams". The Dissemination Destination is used as a destination address, whereas the Dissemination Stream is used to group requirements. For dissemination purposes

- products are transmitted to the destination designated by the Dissemination

Destination;

- separate files of products are generated for each Dissemination Stream belonging to each destination;

- dissemination files are given names which incorporate the Dissemination Stream name.

The Dissemination Destinations and Dissemination Streams currently in use are can be viewed on https://msaccess.ecmwf.int:9443/do/product/requirements/

The format of the requirements is defined in the Section 5.2.5 above. A combined file of all Member States' requirements is transferred from HP to FUJITSU before each analysis cycle. This means that if updating of requirements can be done any time and the change will go into first next operational analysis/forecast cycle.