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This page provides an overview of the dataset available through the SOFF initiative.
It describes:
- the geographical regions used for data distribution, and
- the meteorological parameters included in the dataset.
The global domain is divided into predefined regions, and each user receives data corresponding only to their assigned region. The sections below present the region definitions and the list of available parameters for analysis and forecast data.
WMO Support Dataset regions
To support the SOFF initiative, the global domain has been split into 14 regions.
For data delivery, each region is defined by a predefined latitude–longitude bounding box and users receive the subset of data corresponding to the region they belong to.

Regions have been defined according to the coordinates (N/W/S/E) according to the following table.
Please note that the 6 previous regions got a coordinates update, this is indicated in the table in the column "Previous coordinates".
| Region | Coordinates (N/W/S/E) | Previous coordinates | Countries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South America Continent (West) | 6.5/-75.5/-35.8/-31.9 | N/A | Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay |
| 2 | South America Continent (East) | 0.2/-84.2/-57.3/-51.9 | N/A | Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru |
| 3 | South America Central | 35.83/-123.75/-6.6/-50.36 | 30/-92/-5/-50 | Belize, Grenada, Guyana, Ecuador, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua & Barbuda, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, French Guiana, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti |
| 4 | South Pacific 1 | 16.25/179.4/-24.89/-133.02 | 16/132/-22/-157.16 | Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Cook Islands, French Polynesia |
| 5 | South Pacific 2 | 9/91.74/-22.94/-176 | 42/62/-11/128 | Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Marshall Islands Palau, Singapore |
| 6 | North Africa | 37.98/-20.25/17.79/39.53 | N/A | Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Libya |
| 7 | West Africa | 29.04/-26.34/3.27/18.52 | 26/-25.9/2/20 | Burkina Faso, Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, Niger, Sierra Leone, Togo, Benin, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Ghana, Mauritania |
| 8 | South Africa | -4/8.43/-37.57/60.51 | -4/21/-26.74/70 | Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Lesotho, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Angola, Namibia |
| 9 | Central Africa | 23.8/6.01/-14.07/51.92 | 23.8/6/-14/52 | Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Sao Tome and Principe, Ethiopia, South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Burundi, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Cameroon, Gabon, Kenya, Congo |
| 10 | Asia 1 | 39.38/59.48/-3.08/98.14 | 42/62/-11/128 | Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka |
| 11 | Asia 2 | 45.35/24.08/10.71/62.74 | N/A | Lebanon, Jordan, Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Syrian Arab Republic, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iraq |
| 12 | Asia 3 | 56.25/45/34.75/88.81 | N/A | Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan |
| 13 | Asia 4 | 55.1/73/17.75/147.43 | N/A | Mongolia, China, Republic of Korea, Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Japan |
| 14 | Asia 5 | 29.5/90/4/128 | 42/62/-11/128 | Cambodia, Lao Peoples Democratic Republic, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Macau, Hong Kong |
Product description
The products are a subset of ECMWF IFS Set-I (Ensemble Control) forecast and analysis data with a 0.1° by 0.1° grid.
The dataset is distributed on a regional basis. Each user is granted access only to the data corresponding to the geographical region in which their country is located.
The tables below present the available parameters, including:
- short names
- long names
- parameter IDs
- available forecast steps
Surface level data - Analysis
(ANDMMDDHHIImmddhhiiE files)
Analysis fields can be provided for base time 00, 06, 12 or 18
| Short name | Long name | Unit | ID | Level | Steps for times 00 & 12 | Steps for time 06 & 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| slt | Soil type | ~ | 43 | Surface | 0 | 0 |
Surface level data - Forecast
(FSDMMDDHHIImmddhhiiE files)
| Short name | Long name | Unit | ID | Level | Steps for times 00 & 12 | Steps for time 06 & 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10u | 10 metre U wind component | m s**-1 | 165 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| 10v | 10 metre V wind component | m s**-1 | 166 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| 2t | 2 metre temperature | K | 167 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| 2d | 2 metre dewpoint temperature | K | 168 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| lsm | Land-sea mask | (0 - 1) | 172 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| sp | Surface pressure | Pa | 134 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| msl | Mean sea level pressure | Pa | 151 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| skt | Skin temperature | K | 235 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| src | Skin reservoir content | m of water equivalent | 198 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| ci | Sea ice area fraction | (0 - 1) | 31 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| sst | Sea surface temperature | K | 34 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| rsn | Snow density | kg m**-3 | 33 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| sd | Snow depth | m of water equivalent | 141 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| asn | Snow albedo | (0 - 1) | 32 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| tsn | Temperature of snow layer | K | 238 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| stl1 | Soil temperature level 1 | K | 139 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| stl2 | Soil temperature level 2 | K | 170 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| stl3 | Soil temperature level 3 | K | 183 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| stl4 | Soil temperature level 4 | K | 236 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| swvl1 | Volumetric soil water layer 1 | m**3 m**-3 | 39 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| swvl2 | Volumetric soil water layer 2 | m**3 m**-3 | 40 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| swvl3 | Volumetric soil water layer 3 | m**3 m**-3 | 41 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| swvl4 | Volumetric soil water layer 4 | m**3 m**-3 | 42 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| z | Geopotential | m**2 s**-2 | 129 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| TP | Total precipitation | m | 228 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| SSR | Surface net short-wave (solar) radiation | J m**-2 | 176 | Surface | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
Pressure level data - Forecast
(FPDMMDDHHIImmddhhiiE files)
| Short name | Long name | Unit | ID | Level | Steps for times 00 & 12 | Steps for time 06 & 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | Temperature | K | 130 | 100, 200, 250, 500, 850, 1000 | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| U | U component of wind | m s**-1 | 131 | 100, 200, 250, 500, 850, 1000 | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| V | V component of wind | m s**-1 | 132 | 100, 200, 250, 500, 850, 1000 | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| R | Relative humidity | % | 157 | 100, 200, 250, 500, 850, 1000 | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
| Z | Geopotential | m**2 s**-2 | 129 | 100, 200, 250, 500, 850, 1000 | 0 to 90 by 3 | - |
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