Context
This project modernised the Copernicus Data Stores – the Climate Data Store (CDS) and Atmosphere Data Store (ADS) – to strengthen data‑driven public administration across Europe. Copernicus provides open, quality‑assured climate and atmospheric information used by EU institutions, national and regional authorities, researchers, and businesses; however, legacy access pathways and rapidly growing demand required a step‑change in governance, reliability, and usability. Starting in 2022, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) led a full‑stack modernisation of the service – front‑end, back‑end engine, and cloud infrastructure – culminating in the operational transition to the new CDS/ADS platforms in September 2024. The modernised service delivers large‑scale, trusted access with KPI‑based monitoring and improved user management to meet updated Copernicus reporting requirements, while maintaining continuity for existing users. Impact is demonstrated by scale and adoption; by the end of 2024 the CDS had 389 266 registered users, and the new platforms rapidly attracted large numbers of re‑registered users with very high daily data delivery peaks. The renewed data stores enable user‑centric public services and policy applications (e.g. the European Climate Data Explorer) by making data easier to find, access, and reuse – supporting more transparent, evidence‑based governance and faster, more consistent decisions on climate adaptation and air quality.
Objectives
Objectives were:
- modernise the Copernicus Data Stores (CDS/ADS) so climate and atmosphere data can be accessed and used as a reliable, scalable public service;
- reduce barriers for public authorities and other users through improved usability (web plus application processing interface), clearer onboarding/licensing and KPI‑compliant user management;
- increase operational resilience, performance and trust via continuous monitoring, incident management and strong data governance/stewardship;
- accelerate policy and service uptake by enabling user‑centric applications and workflows on top of the data stores.
Concretely, the project delivered a full‑stack upgrade (front‑end, back‑end engine, and cloud infrastructure) and executed the operational transition to the new CDS/ADS platforms in September 2024, maintaining continuity for existing users while supporting rapid growth.
It then expanded capabilities that make data actionable: the European Climate Data Explorer for policy‑relevant indicators, platform‑embedded analytics such as public JupyterHub, and sectoral services (e.g. energy/water/risk) were delivered through the catalogue and application processing interfaces.
Implementation
ECMWF, as Copernicus Entrusted Entity, governed the data stores modernisation through the Joint Services/Data Store Service workstream, aligning delivery with European Commission requirements and evolving user needs. The programme combined in‑house platform stewardship with competitively procured delivery and formal progress reviews, risk tracking, and KPI reporting.
Technical implementation followed an agile approach: requirements and issues were managed in a shared backlog, prioritised in regular ECMWF–contractor sessions, and deployed through controlled system sessions (regular releases, hot‑fixes, upgrades) to protect operational continuity. The work modernised all layers – web interface, back‑end engine, and cloud infrastructure, while maintaining service availability during the transition to the new CDS/ADS and scaling operations with monitoring of request success and incident management.
Stakeholder consultation and communication were embedded via service-level agreement‑driven user support, user‑engagement activities, and institutional interfaces (e.g. EEA’s European Climate Data Explorer), supported by coordinated Copernicus communications. Governance planning also covered handover and continuity beyond Phase 1, with follow‑on platform enhancement beginning in 2026.