The Met Office has launched a new online portal to provide government and business organisations with improved access to climate data.
The Climate Data Portal has been built using geospatial technology from Esri UK as part of their strategic partnership, and to help users combine Met Office data with their own to assess the future impact of extreme conditions on their operations.
The project is part of the Hadley Centre Climate Programme and has been funded in part by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The Met Office said the portal presents complex scientific projects in useable formats, ready to visualize and analyse in geographic information systems and non-spatial applications, or to integrate into business processes. Spatial analysis can be carried out at global, regional or local level.
It contains over 60 data layers along with guidance and applications, and facilitates the export of datasets in useable formats so they can be used in other tools.
From problem to solution
Professor Jason Lowe, head of climate services at the Met Office, said: “Historically, climate science has defined the problem, now it’s moving to help with the solution, providing information at a local level which is highly relevant to UK organisations.
“By combining the Met Office’s latest projections with Esri’s geospatial tools, the reach and value of this data is greatly extended. UK stakeholders can investigate their physical climate risks over the next 50 to 100 years.
“The most detailed climate projections reveal a greater chance of warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers and these help users plan and prepare for extreme weather, climate change and the reporting which new regulations, linked to climate change, will require.”
The launch is part of the Met Office’s wider strategy to maximise accessibility to its data.
Main users of the new portal are expected to be within government, insurance, transport, energy, land use, urban planning and healthcare industries.
Vital progression
The organisation’s markets director, Ian Cameron, said: “The Met Office Climate Data Portal is a vital progression to put our pioneering science data in the hands of the people who need it, in a format that is most useful to them, to enable people to make better decisions to stay safe and thrive.
“As a globally recognised climate science organisation it’s crucial that we work proactively with partners to provide expert Met Office data and information where they want to access it.
“There are numerous industries that utilise Esri GIS software, so it is significant that they wanted the best environmental data available to make better decisions for their sectors to thrive in a changing climate.”
