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What is OpenIFS

OpenIFS provides research institutions with an easy-to-use version of the ECMWF IFS (Integrated Forecasting System). OpenIFS provides the forecast capability of IFS (no data assimilation), supporting software and documentation. OpenIFS has a support team at ECMWF for technical assistance but limited resources for detailed scientific assistance. For more information and how it compares with IFS see: About OpenIFS.

The OpenIFS model and accompanying software is provided for use on computers external to ECMWF, though member state users with time on ECMWF computers can use OpenIFS if they wish.

Getting started

OpenIFS is free but requires a license. Once a license is granted, download access is provided to the source code and accompanying files and tools. Full installation instructions are provided on this website. Note that OpenIFS requires other software packages to be installed first. More information is provided on the following links:

• Licensing : OpenIFS licensing, distribution & contribution agreement.
• Prerequisites : Software tools/libraries assumed to be available on host systems.
• Supported Systems : List of compilers & hardware we support.
• Download OpenIFS : Download and unpacking instructions.
• Building OpenIFS : Detailed instructions on how to compile OpenIFS.
• Verifying OpenIFS : After a successful compilation, small tests should be run to verify the installation.