This week saw the March 2017 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. This month's release brings for ecCodes updates on the support of GRIB parameters and improvements on the BUFR decode performance and on the keys iterator. These changes are required for the next IFS cycle Cy45r1. This version of ecCodes was also used for the March 2017 Training course: ecCodes: BUFR data decoding and encoding software. There are smaller incremental updates on ODB_API, Magics and Metview.
Reminder: Starting with the November 2016 release all packages now use ecCodes as their default library to decode/encode GRIB data, instead of GRIB_API. While we are confident that ecCodes is to a high degree backwards compatible with GRIB_API, we strongly recommend good testing before using the software in your operational environments. In case you prefer to continue using GRIB_API for now, we provide a minor update release of this package, but recommend that you move to ecCodes eventually, since new features will only be implemented in ecCodes.
Metview 4.8.4 is built at ECMWF with all the versions of our libraries listed in the table below, and all are included in the March 2017 Metview Bundle.
Magics 2.32 introduces a new gradient shading style. This will also be available in the upcoming Metview 5.0, along with new editor features to handle it.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. The versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
| ecCodes | 2.2.0 | ecCodes version 2.2.0 released |
| GRIB_API | 1.21.0 | GRIB API version 1.21.0 released |
| Emoslib | 4.4.7 | Versions 4.4.x / 00044x Updates (Includes Interpolation & BUFRDC) |
| BUFRDC | 000409 | BUFRDC 000409 released |
| ODB_API | 0.16.2 | Beta version Change history |
| Magics | 2.32.0 | Latest News |
| Metview | 4.8.4 | Version 4.8 Updates |
This week saw the January 2017 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. This month's release brings for ecCodes new BUFR features and optimisations for BUFR & GRIB handling, new BUFR tables and smaller incremental updates on ODB_API, Magics and Metview.
Reminder: Starting with the November 2016 release all packages now use ecCodes as their default library to decode/encode GRIB data, instead of GRIB_API. While we are confident that ecCodes is to a high degree backwards compatible with GRIB_API, we strongly recommend good testing before using the software in your operational environments. In case you prefer to continue using GRIB_API for now, we provide a minor update release of this package, but recommend that you move to ecCodes eventually, since new features will only be implemented in ecCodes.
Metview 4.8.1 is built at ECMWF with all the versions of our libraries listed in the table below, and all are included in the January 2017 Metview Bundle.
New functionality in Magics 2.31: horizontal bars (left) and reading of projected netCDF data (radar data, right side)
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. The versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
| ecCodes | 2.1.0 | ecCodes version 2.1.0 released |
| GRIB_API | 1.20.0 | GRIB API version 1.20.0 released |
| Emoslib | 4.4.6 | Versions 4.4.x / 00044x Updates (Includes Interpolation & BUFRDC) |
| BUFRDC | 000409 | BUFRDC 000409 released |
| ODB_API | 0.16.1 | Beta version |
| Magics | 2.31.0 | Latest News |
| Metview | 4.8.1 | Version 4.8 Updates |
Please help us improve the support provided for ECMWF software packages by completing our
If you know someone else who might be interested in providing feedback please do not hesitate to forward the survey link.
If you only use a few ECMWF packages on one platform it shouldn't take more than 10 minutes to complete. The survey will be open until 13 January 2017 . All answers provided will be treated in confidence and used in aggregated statistical format only. No personal data will be divulged.
Results from previous surveys are available in Confluence, where a survey report on MARS has just been added.
Thank you for your time and input!
Umberto Modigliani
Head User Support
This week saw the November 2016 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. With this release all packages now use ecCodes as their default library to decode/encode GRIB data, instead of GRIB_API. While we are confident that ecCodes is to a high degree backwards compatible with GRIB_API, we strongly recommend good testing before using the software in your operational environments. In case you prefer to continue using GRIB_API for now, we provide a minor update release of this package, but recommend that you move to ecCodes eventually, since new features will only be implemented in ecCodes.
This synchronised release also includes for the first time the public beta of the ODB_API. This is ECMWF's library for handling observation feedback data. We are looking forward to receiving feedback on the package and the new web page.
Metview 4.8.0 is built at ECMWF with all the versions of our libraries listed in the table below, and all are included in the November 2016 Metview Bundle.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. The versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
| ecCodes | 2.0.2 | ecCodes version 2.0.2 released |
| GRIB_API | 1.19.0 | GRIB API version 1.19.0 released |
| Emoslib | 4.4.5 | Versions 4.4.x / 00044x Updates (Includes Interpolation & BUFRDC) |
| BUFRDC | 000409 | BUFRDC 000409 released |
| ODB_API | 0.16.0 | Beta version |
| Magics | 2.30.0 | Latest News |
| Metview | 4.8.0 | Version 4.8 Updates |
This means that the application has gone through a thorough internal testing process and that all known technical issues have been resolved. It is now fully functional and ready to be released for general use.
GRIB encoding and decoding has been particularly well tested within the IFS and ecCodes replaces GRIB-API in the next operational cycle update.
BUFR encoding and decoding has been tested and work has started to replace BUFRDC with ecCodes in ECMWF operational software.
We would like to thank all those who tested and provided feedback during the beta phase.
This week saw the October 2016 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. This month sees small updates for most of our software packages, including updates in GRIB_API to support CY43R3, UERRA and ERA5. There is no change to BUFRDC.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. The versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
| GRIB_API | 1.18.0 | GRIB API version 1.18.0 released |
| Emoslib | 4.4.4 | Versions 4.4.x / 00044x Updates (Includes Interpolation & BUFRDC) |
| BUFRDC | 000409 | BUFRDC 000409 released |
| Magics | 2.29.6 | Latest News |
| Metview | 4.7.2 | Version 4.7 Updates |
This 4.5-day training course was held at ECMWF from 26-30th September 2016. Participants learned how to use Metview to access, analyse, manipulate and visualise meteorological data through a series of lectures and tutorials. This work included familiarisation with Metview's core functionalities such as retrieving and filtering data from the MARS archive, working with observation data and producing geographical and other plots such as cross sections. These skills were then cemented through the use of case studies, including a session on working with ensemble data.
The training material can be found here.
This week saw the August 2016 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. This release has only small updates for GRIB-API and Emoslib. All other packages stay unchanged from the July release.
GRIB_API and Emoslib have smaller updates for future data sets and to support data sets from the UERRA project.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. These versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems through the module system and labelled as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
| GRIB-API | 1.17.0 | GRIB API version 1.17.0 |
| ecCodes beta | 0.16.0 | ecCodes version 0.16.0 released |
| Emoslib | 4.4.3 | History of EMOSLIB changes |
| BUFRDC | 000409 | BUFRDC 000409 released |
| Magics | 2.29.3 | Latest News |
| Metview | 4.7.0 | Version 4.7 Updates |
This week saw the July 2016 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. This month sees only updates for Magics and Metview. GRIB-API/ecCodes and Emoslib stay unchanged from the June release.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. They are also part of the latest Metview bundle. The versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
| GRIB-API | 1.16.0 | GRIB API version 1.16.0 |
| ecCodes beta | 0.16.0 | ecCodes version 0.16.0 released |
| Emoslib | 4.4.2 | History of EMOSLIB changes |
| BUFRDC | 000409 | BUFRDC 000409 released |
| Magics | 2.29.3 | Latest News |
| Metview | 4.7.0 | Version 4.7 Updates |
We are happy to announce the June 2016 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. This month the biggest update comes from GRIB-API adding support for the UERRA project.
This release is the first one which allows Emoslib, Magics and Metview to be built optionally with ecCodes instead of GRIB-API (for GRIB handling only). To do so you have to add the option
-DENABLE_ECCODES=ON
to your cmake invocation. Also if ecCodes is not installed in the standard place, you can point to it via
-DECCODES_PATH=/path/to/eccodes/install
We strongly recommend you use version 0.16.0 of ecCodes for this. Please note that ecCodes is still in beta, and care needs to be taken when GRIB-API and ecCodes are installed on the same system because binaries with the same name are installed. Any feedback on the use of ecCodes is welcome.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. They are also part of the latest Metview bundle. The versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
| GRIB-API | 1.16.0 | GRIB API version 1.16.0 |
| ecCodes beta | 0.16.0 | ecCodes version 0.16.0 released |
| Emoslib | 4.4.2 | History of EMOSLIB changes |
| BUFRDC | 000409 | BUFRDC 000409 released |
| Magics | 2.29.2 | Latest News |
| Metview | 4.6.7 | Version 4.6 Updates |
A full list of changes can be found on the ecflow release 4.1.0 page.
ecFlowUI offers a new Qt5 based user interface.
We are happy to announce the May 2016 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. These versions are scheduled to become the default versions on ECMWF systems in June.
This month the biggest update comes from GRIB-API: We have incorporated contributions to improve the decode performance and add support for OpenMP, added support for rotated lat/lon grids and negative forecast times in grib2.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. They are also part of the latest Metview bundle. The versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
| GRIB-API | 1.15.0 | GRIB API version 1.15.0 |
| EMOSLIB | 4.4.1 | History of EMOSLIB changes |
| Magics | 2.29.0 | Latest News |
| Metview | 4.6.6 | Version 4.6 Updates |
We are happy to announce the March 2016 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. This set of releases consolidates all changes which were necessary for the IFS cycle 41r2 implementation this month. This includes full support for the octahedral reduced Gaussian Grid.
Users of Magics (and Metview) will benefit from the use of a new set of coastline files. This change addresses many deficiencies previously reported and shows better performance. The new set also updates the set of regional administrative boundaries.
Snapshot of Metview 4.6.5 showing the new coastlines and regional boundaries for France, Germany and the UK.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. The versions are available on all ECMWF computer systems as "new" versions. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send us feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.
Registration for 2016's "Data analysis and visualisation using Metview" training course is open. The course runs in September 2016.
This course provides an introduction to using Metview for the analysis, post-processing and visualisation of meteorological data stored in different formats. It will cover both interactive analysis and batch usage, following the workflow from the prototyping of data and graphical products to routinely generating them in a scheduling system. Case studies will be used to put these features into a practical context.
For details and registration, please see:
We are happy to announce the December 2015 release of the standard ECMWF software packages. The main change from the November releases is the new version of Emoslib. Version 4.2.1 of Emoslib was the first version which introduced full support for the new octahedral reduced Gaussian grid which ECMWF will use in its forecast system from Spring 2016 onwards. We were aware that this version had a suboptimal performance. This was addressed in the latest version 4.3.3 by rewriting parts of the necessary code. Tests have shown that the performance has been greatly increased and accuracy improved, but this causes values to change in some cases. We are happy that these changes are correct, but currently still evaluate them further. Therefore we ask users to test and evaluate Emoslib 4.3.3 carefully before using it operationally. There will be further news in this blog when the evaluation is complete.
All these packages use the same build system based on CMake - simplifying and harmonising the installation experience. If you encounter any issues please feel free to send us feedback to Software.Support@ecmwf.int.