What is the OpenIFS Data Web Portal

One of the most pressing needs OpenIFS users face is to create initial conditions to start a model experiment. Currently such data can be requested by contacting OpenIFS support via email. 

The OpenIFS Data Web Portal allows users to produce their own initial experiment data through using a web-based application in a consistent method. This removes the need to email the OpenIFS team at ECMWF and provides one common system that is available to both ECMWF staff and the external OpenIFS users everywhere. 

Any requests for initial data types that are currently not yet produced via the web portal can be submitted to the OpenIFS team by emailing openifs-support@ecmwf.int as before. 

After an initial pilot phase of the web portal we will consider to expand this data facility with additional functionality, e.g. by offering a wider range of data types and by providing access to OpenIFS training data. 

Getting started

The web portal can be accessed here:  https://apps.ecmwf.int/webapps/openifs/

After user authentication you will reach the web portal's main page which shows your data request history. 

To submit a new request for initial data press the button "New Request" in the upper right corner.  This will open a new page containing a data request form.

• Data Parameters:
  • At present the data portal only produces initial experiment data. At a later stage different data types can become available here.
  • Initial experiment data can be produced either from ERA5 reanalysis data or from historical data in the operational archive. 

• Experiment Parameters:
  • The start and end date determine the dates for which initial experiment data will be requested. If only one start date is required both dates need to be equal and in this case the value of the time increment between forecasts is ignored. 
  • For data generated from ERA5 the earliest possible start date is 1940-Jan-01. The end point of available data is a moving point in time and is generally 3 months prior to the present date. If recent start dates (within the past 3 months) are required then the user should verify on the MARS Catalogue or on the Climate Data Store whether ERA5 data for the requested dates is currently available, otherwise the data request in the OpenIFS data portal will be aborted. 
  • For data generated from the operational archive the earliest possible start date is 1979-Nov-01. The end point of available data has presently been fixed to 2022-Jun-01. 
  • The forecast length determines the length of boundary conditions (e.g. sea surface temperatures etc) provided with the initial data. The value must be between 24 and 2976 hours (i.e. between 1 and 124 days). 

• Model Parameters:
  • Presently only data compatible with OpenIFS 43r3 can be produced. In future this will be expanded to other model cycles. 
  • Users can choose from several Gaussian grid types. Please refer to the section on model grid and resolution in the OpenIFS User Guide for more information. 
  • The choice of vertical model levels is restricted to 31, 60 or 90 levels to ensure availability for all a possible grid resolutions.