The weather and climate Open Data Mailing List is a valuable resource for anyone interested in staying informed about the latest developments in open data in the field of weather and climate in Europe. Created and moderated by colleagues from ECMWF, the German Meteorological Service (DWD), the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway), and EUMETSAT, the mailing list provides a platform for all users to share updates on relevant open data, publications, applications, and conferences. The open data movement has been gaining momentum in recent years. It has become increasingly important to share information and insights to further advance the field, particularly in light of directives such as the EU Open Data Directive (including High Value Datasets) and more broadly the EU Open Science goal. The weather and climate community has an important role in the global conversation around open data. The data produced and shared by this community are crucial for understanding and responding to the impact of climate change on the environment and society. By openly sharing data, the community can accelerate progress and drive innovation.
The mailing list was inspired by the 2022 European Meteorological Society (EMS) conference session on ‘Open Data – data, application development, impact’, where co‑convenors of the open data session realised that not everyone was aware of developments in other countries and that the community needed a simple and easy way to share this information centrally. The first edition of the mailing list was launched in December 2022, with a later contribution from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) about its open data achievements in 2022.
By June 2023, the mailing list had already gained around 415 subscribers, and the hope is that members of the list will start to share more information. To subscribe, send a blank email to the open data community subscription list: open-data-community-subscribe@lists.ecmwf.int. You can also request sending content to the mailing list by emailing it to open-data-community@lists.ecmwf.int.