README.md

metadata

title: ECMWF Complete Data Explorer
emoji: 🌍
colorFrom: blue
colorTo: green
sdk: gradio
sdk_version: 5.42.0
app_file: app.py
pinned: false
license: gpl-3.0

🌍 ECMWF Complete Data Explorer

A comprehensive Gradio web application providing unified access to all ECMWF free meteorological data:

🚀 Open Data (No Authentication Required)

• Real-time operational forecasts from IFS and AIFS models
• Ensemble forecasts for uncertainty quantification
• Updated every 6 hours, available 7-9 hours after forecast initialization
• 0.25° resolution (~25km global coverage)

📊 Climate Data Store (CDS) (Free Account Required)

• ERA5 reanalysis data from 1940 to present
• Seasonal forecasts up to 7 months ahead
• Historical climate data and long-range predictions

✨ Key Features

🌟 Comprehensive Data Access

• Open Data: Real-time IFS & AIFS operational forecasts (no account needed)
• Ensemble Forecasts: 51-member ensemble predictions for uncertainty analysis
• ERA5 Reanalysis: Complete historical weather data from 1940-present
• Seasonal Forecasts: Long-range predictions up to 7 months ahead

🎨 Advanced Visualization

• Automatic spatial plots and time series generation
• Support for both NetCDF and GRIB2 file formats
• Interactive web interface with immediate data preview
• Comprehensive data information display

⚙️ Flexible Configuration

• Multiple forecast models (IFS traditional, AIFS AI-powered)
• Extensive parameter selection (temperature, precipitation, pressure, wind, etc.)
• Customizable forecast steps (0-360 hours)
• Geographic area filtering for targeted analysis

🚀 INSTANT ACCESS - NO SETUP REQUIRED!

🆓 FREE Real-time Weather Maps (No Account Needed)

# That's it - just run it!
pip install -r requirements.txt
python simple_app.py

✅ Zero configuration needed for live weather maps!

• No API keys required
• No account registration
• No authentication setup
• Instant access to professional weather data

📊 Historical Data (Optional - Free Account)

Only needed if you want historical ERA5 data:

1. Create free ECMWF account (optional)
2. Configure CDS access (only for historical data)

🌟 Most users can start immediately with live forecasts!

📦 Installation

# Clone repository
git clone [repository-url]
cd ECMWF_PLayground

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run application (simplified version for stable deployment)
python simple_app.py

# Or run full version (may experience Gradio compatibility issues)
python ecmwf_gradio_app.py

Dependencies

• ecmwf-opendata>=0.3.0 - Access to real-time ECMWF forecasts
• cdsapi>=0.7.4 - Climate Data Store API client
• gradio>=5.9.1 - Web interface framework
• xarray, matplotlib - Data processing and visualization
• cfgrib - GRIB file support

🎯 Available Data & Parameters

🌊 Open Data Parameters

Code	Description	Units
2t	2m Temperature	K
msl	Mean Sea Level Pressure	Pa
10u/10v	10m Wind Components	m/s
tp	Total Precipitation	m
2d	2m Dewpoint Temperature	K
sp	Surface Pressure	Pa
tcwv	Total Column Water Vapour	kg/m²
100u/100v	100m Wind Components	m/s
strd	Surface Thermal Radiation	W/m²
ssrd	Surface Solar Radiation	W/m²

🤖 Forecast Models

• IFS (Integrated Forecast System): Traditional numerical weather prediction
• AIFS (AI Forecast System): Machine learning-powered forecasting

⏰ Forecast Types

• fc (Forecast): Future weather predictions (0-240+ hours)
• an (Analysis): Current weather conditions
• pf (Ensemble): 51-member probability forecasts

📊 CDS Historical Data

• ERA5 Reanalysis: 1940-present, hourly data
• Seasonal Forecasts: Up to 7 months ahead
• Multiple variables with geographic subsetting

Data Formats

• Downloaded data is in NetCDF format
• Visualizations are automatically generated as PNG images
• Data information includes dimensions, variables, and time ranges

Important Notes

• Open Data: All data accessed through this application is provided under CC BY 4.0 license
• Usage Limits: Free accounts have usage limitations
• Download Time: Large datasets may take several minutes to download
• Storage: Downloaded files are stored in temporary directories
• Internet Required: Active internet connection needed for data retrieval

Troubleshooting

Current Known Issues

⚠️ Gradio JSON Schema Error: The main application (ecmwf_gradio_app.py) may experience compatibility issues with certain Gradio versions causing TypeError: argument of type 'bool' is not iterable.

✅ Workaround: Use the simplified version (simple_app.py) for stable deployment.

Common Issues

1. API Key Error: Ensure your ~/.cdsapirc file is correctly formatted and contains valid credentials
2. Download Failures: Check internet connection and verify the requested data exists
3. Plotting Errors: Some datasets may have different structures that affect visualization
4. Memory Issues: Large datasets may require more RAM for processing
5. Gradio Compatibility: If experiencing deployment issues, switch to simple_app.py

Getting Help

• CDS Documentation
• ECMWF User Support
• CDS Forum

License

This application is provided as-is for educational and research purposes. All data accessed through the ECMWF CDS is subject to the respective dataset licenses.

Acknowledgments

• ECMWF for providing free access to climate data
• Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) for the Climate Data Store
• The open-source Python scientific computing community