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The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF,
the Centre) is an international organisation supported by eighteen
European States:
Belgium, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, Spain, France,
Greece, Ireland, Italy, Yugoslavia*, the Netherlands, Norway,
Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Turkey, United
Kingdom.
* inactive since 5 June 1992
The Centre has concluded co-operation agreements with Croatia,
Iceland, Hungary, and Slovenia, and has working arrangements
with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), the European
Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (
EUMETSAT), and the African Centre for Meteorological Applications
for Development (ACMAD).
Originally a COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology)
project, the Centre was established in 1973 by a Convention.
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 to 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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