Introduction 

A new Climate Data Store (CDS) and a new Atmosphere Data Store (ADS) powered by a new state-of-the-art infrastructure, referred to as the Common Data Store (CDS) Engine, are soon to be launched. 

All layers of the CDS an ADS infrastructure are being modernised: the front-end web interface, the back-end software engine and the underlying cloud infrastructure hosting the service and core data repositories. 


What does this mean in practice to CDS and ADS users?

User account:

ECMWF Single Sign-On (SSO) has been extended to all its platforms including the new CDS and ADS. SSO allows users to have access to multiple applications by signing in with only one account. It also has other important features in regard to simple management, security, ease of use, and seamlessness.

All users of the new CDS and new ADS will need an ECMWF account. If you do not yet have an ECMWF account, you may already register with ECMWF

As a consequence of the single sign-on implementation, your current CDS or ADS login credentials will not work on the new CDS or ADS infrastructure, regardless of whether you are currently using the CDS or ADS interactively (e.g. over the web interface) or programmatically (using the API service). A new UserID (ECMWF) and API key will be needed.

Additional details soon to be provided.


CDS/ADS Catalogue - data download over web interface: 

  • Before downloading any data from the new CDS or ADS infrastructure, users will have to accept datasets terms and conditions on the new system. Users' profiles including licensing information are not being transferred. In practical terms, this means for example that if you are downloading ERA5 data (web or API) from the current CDS, you will need to login to the new CDS and accept the terms and conditions for ERA5 (i.e. Licence to use Copernicus Products).

Additional information to come soon.


API Service - programmatic way of downloading data: 

  • A new version of the cdsapi package will be released. API users will need to upgrade their CDS API (i.e pip install --upgrade cdsapi)
  • You will need to update your .cdsapirc file with your new credentials (key, URL).

More details to come soon.


CDS Toolbox: 

The CDS Toolbox will be discontinued and is not migrated to the new CDS infrastructure.

New tool packages will be made available (post new CDS launch) to provide software tools for weather and climate workflows that simplify data access, analysis, visualisation and much more. 


Good to know

  • Data holdings on the current CDS and ADS will no longer be updated a couple of month following the launch of the new CDS/ADS infrastructure.
  • New publication of datasets (including publication of existing dataset new versions) will only be made in the new CDS/ADS infrastructure. Users are therefore urged to migrate over to the new CDS/ADS infrastructure as soon as possible.
  • The current CDS and ADS will be completely shutdown in September 2024. Should users still have API scripts pointing to the retired CDS and ADS systems, these will systematically break and no support will be provided. 


This document has been produced in the context of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) and Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S).

The activities leading to these results have been contracted by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, operator of CAMS and C3S on behalf of the European Union (Delegation Agreement signed on 11/11/2014 and Contribution Agreement signed on 22/07/2021). All information in this document is provided "as is" and no guarantee or warranty is given that the information is fit for any particular purpose.

 The users thereof use the information at their sole risk and liability. For the avoidance of all doubt , the European Commission and the European Centre for Medium - Range Weather Forecasts have no liability in respect of this document, which is merely representing the author's view.


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