Copernicus is the European Commission’s flagship Earth Observation programme that delivers freely accessible operational data and information services for policy-makers, public authorities, businesses, citizens and scientists alike with reliable and up-to-date information related to environmental issues. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has been entrusted to operate two key parts of the Copernicus programme and is assisting with a third to bring a consistent standard to the measurement, forecasting and predicting of atmospheric conditions and climate change:

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service provides daily forecasts detailing the makeup composition of the atmosphere from the ground up to the stratosphere.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service routinely monitors and analyses 22 essential climate variables to build a global picture of our climate, from the past to the future, as well as developing customisable climate indicators in relevant economic sectors.

The Copernicus Emergency Management Service supports improvements to flood forecasting and understanding of the frequency, variability and consequences of extreme weather.

The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) is an international organisation which specialises in numerical weather prediction and is supported by many European states.