Deutscher Wetterdienst
Deutscher Wetterdienst is Germany's federal meteorological service, providing statutory weather forecasting, severe weather warnings, climate monitoring, and atmospheric research to aviation, energy, agriculture, civil protection, and the general public through national observation networks and certified data products.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1952
- HeadquartersOffenbach, Germany
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Deutscher Wetterdienst does
Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) is Germany's federal meteorological service, operating as a Bundesoberbeh\u00f6rde (federal upper authority) under the Federal Ministry of Transport since its establishment in 1952. Headquartered in Offenbach am Main with 1001-5000 employees, DWD holds a statutory mandate to deliver weather forecasting, severe weather warnings, climate monitoring, and atmospheric research across Germany. Its core technology stack comprises numerical weather prediction models (ICON, COSMO), radar-based precipitation analysis (RADOLAN), satellite data processing, ground-based atmospheric observation networks, and the NinJo meteorological workstation used by forecasters. The organization maintains an extensive research infrastructure including the Hans-Ertel-Zentrum, Meteorologisches Observatorium Lindenberg, Hohenpei\u00dfenberg observatory, and the Ozonzentrum.
DWD serves eight primary customer segments including aviation (ICAO-certified), energy sector, civil protection, agriculture and forestry, shipping, water management, research and education, and the general public. Its product portfolio spans 391 offerings, of which approximately 289 are free and 84 are fee-based professional services, distributed through the CDC-Portal, Geoportal (Beta), Open Data servers, WarnWetter App, FlugWetter App, pc_met Internet Service for aviation, the DWD Wettershop, and over 20 specialized newsletters. Revenue is not commercially disclosed; the agency is funded through German federal budget allocations rather than market-based revenue. DWD operates under WMO and ICAO frameworks, participates in the COSMO Consortium, and contributes to international measurement networks including GRUAN, GAW, and ICOS, positioning it as both a national service provider and a node in the global atmospheric science infrastructure.
Deutscher Wetterdienst firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Deutscher Wetterdienst
- Legal name
- Deutscher Wetterdienst
- Website
- https://dwd.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1952
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Deutscher Wetterdienst is Germany's federal meteorological service, providing statutory weather forecasting, severe weather warnings, climate monitoring, and atmospheric research to aviation, energy, agriculture, civil protection, and the general public through national observation networks and certified data products.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Deutscher Wetterdienst is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Offenbach
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Deutscher Wetterdienst business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Others
Distribution channels9 records
Marketing channels10 records
Deutscher Wetterdienst product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Deutscher Wetterdienst is Germany's federal meteorological service, providing official weather forecasts, severe weather warnings, climate monitoring, and atmospheric research to the general public, government, and professional sectors. It operates a comprehensive observation infrastructure (radar, satellite, ground stations) and delivers its offering through data portals (CDC-Portal, Open Data), mobile apps (WarnWetter, FlugWetter), the pc_met aviation service, specialized information systems for civil protection and transport, and expert meteorological opinions for legal and planning purposes. Approximately 289 products are provided free of charge and 84 are fee-based professional services.
Product overview
Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) is Germany's federal meteorological agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of 391 products and services. The organization operates a platform-based model combining multiple data portals (CDC-Portal, Geoportal, Open Data), forecast products (10-day forecasts, MOSMIX point forecasts, ICON weather model), radar products (RADOLAN precipitation analysis), specialized information systems (WarnWetter-App, FlugWetter-App, FeWIS, SWIS, Heliportal), and scientific publications. Services are delivered via web platforms, mobile apps, FTP servers, newsletters, and professional aviation systems. The offering spans weather forecasting, climate monitoring, atmospheric research, and specialized services for aviation, shipping, agriculture, energy, and civil protection sectors. Approximately 289 products are provided free of charge, with 84 fee-based professional services. Key research facilities include the Hans-Ertel-Zentrum for weather research and meteorological observatories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- WarnWetter-App Official warning app providing official weather warnings for all German districts; targeted at the general public and civil protection users.
- DWD FlugWetter-App Mobile application providing flight weather information for aviation users, including pilots and aviation professionals.
- pc_met Internet Service Closed user group internet service providing flight weather information for pilots and aviation professionals, accessed via flugwetter.de.
- FeWIS (Feuerwehr-Wetter-Informationssystem) Fire service weather information system serving civil protection and disaster management users with targeted weather data for firefighting operations.
- KONRAD Catastrophe protection system supporting German civil protection authorities with warnings, data, and specialized systems for disaster response.
- SWIS (Straßenzustands- und Wetterinformationssystem) Road condition and weather information system for the transportation sector, providing road weather forecasts for winter maintenance and traffic management.
- Heliportal Flight weather briefing system for meteorological flight preparation of helicopter operations, serving helicopter pilots and operators.
- CDC-Portal (Climate Data Center) Interactive portal providing access to a growing number of climate-related datasets maintained by the DWD Climate Data Center, serving researchers, public agencies, and the general public.
- DWD-Geoportal (Beta) User-friendly presentation of DWD's Open Data offerings through an interactive geoportal interface.
- Geodienste (WMS/WFS) OGC-compliant (Open Geospatial Consortium) Web Map Service and Web Feature Service providing various meteorological and climate datasets to GIS users.
- Open Data (opendata.dwd.de) Free provision of DWD geodata through the Open Data server at opendata.dwd.de.
- RADOLAN Radar-Online-Calibration system providing hourly and daily precipitation analyses from combined radar and station measurements in real-time operation.
- MOSMIX Statistically optimized point weather forecasts worldwide; serves aviation, energy, and other professional users needing precise site-specific forecasts.
- PV-Wind-Atlas Atlas providing photovoltaic and wind energy resource data for renewable energy planning; serves energy utilities and renewable energy planners.
- 10-Tage-Vorhersage (10-Day Forecast) Weather forecast for Germany covering up to 10 days ahead, serving the general public via the DWD website.
- 5-Minutenwerte der Niederschlagshöhe High-resolution precipitation data in 5-minute intervals for various water management applications.
- Deutscher Klimaatlas Interactive climate atlas showing Germany's climate in maps and time series for yesterday, today, and tomorrow; serves researchers, public, and planners.
- World Meteorological Centre (WMC) - Prototyp Platform for displaying global deterministic weather forecasts and ensemble forecasts; serves international meteorological cooperation.
Companies that use Deutscher Wetterdienst
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles8 records
Deutscher Wetterdienst technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Deutscher Wetterdienst partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)coreDWD operates as the designated meteorological service provider for German airspace in compliance with ICAO standards. Services are delivered according to ICAO Annex 3 requirements and international aviation meteorological standards.
- WMO (World Meteorological Organization)coreDWD operates under WMO guidelines and standards for meteorological services, contributing to the global weather observation network and international weather monitoring programs.
- COSMO ConsortiumcoreDWD participates in the COSMO (Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling) consortium, contributing to and utilizing the regional numerical weather prediction model for improved weather forecasting.
- Hans-Ertel-Zentrum (Hans Ertel Centre for Weather Research)coreCollaborative research center advancing fundamental weather research, joint development of forecasting methods between DWD and German universities.
- IDEA-S4S NetworkminorItalia-Deutschland science-4-services network in weather and climate fostering scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange between German and Italian meteorological research.
- GCOS Reference Upper-Air Network (GRUAN)coreDWD contributes atmospheric observation data to the global GCOS Reference Upper-Air Network for climate monitoring and validation of satellite measurements.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Deutscher Wetterdienst competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NOAA National Weather Service: United States national meteorological service operating the public weather forecast and warning infrastructure for the U.S. Most directly comparable peer to DWD in mandate, scope (aviation, severe weather, climate), and government-agency structure.
- UK Met Office: United Kingdom's national meteorological service, operating as a government trading fund. Directly comparable to DWD in providing aviation, climate, and public weather services, and in operating a unified supercomputing-based forecasting capability.
- Météo-France: France's national meteorological service, public agency under the Ministry of Transport. Highly comparable to DWD in continental European context, sharing WMO and EUMETNET frameworks and offering analogous aviation, marine, and climate services.
- Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA): Japan's national meteorological service under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. Comparable to DWD as an ICAO-designated provider with extensive seismic/typhoon warning, radar, and climate monitoring operations.
- Environment and Climate Change Canada: Canadian government's federal department responsible for weather, climate, and environmental services. Closely comparable mandate to DWD, including public warnings, aviation meteorological services, and climate monitoring for a large national territory.
- ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts): Intergovernmental organization producing global medium-range forecasts for 35 member states. Directly comparable as an operational forecasting counterpart that DWD collaborates with through EUMETNET and WMO frameworks.
- Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI): Dutch national meteorological service operating under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management. Closely comparable to DWD in operating within the same European regulatory framework (ICAO, WMO, EUMETNET) and serving aviation, climate, and public-warning functions.
- Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI): Finnish national meteorological and atmospheric research agency under the Ministry of Transport and Communications. Comparable peer operating within the same European met services ecosystem with overlapping research, aviation, and climate-monitoring mandates.
- Australian Bureau of Meteorology: Australia's national weather, climate, and water agency. Comparable to DWD in operating under a federal government parent with a wide-ranging mandate spanning aviation, severe weather warnings, climate monitoring, and hydrological services.
Others
- EUMETSAT: European intergovernmental satellite agency for meteorology. Functionally adjacent to DWD as a partner organization: DWD consumes EUMETSAT satellite data as a core input to its forecasting operations and contributes to the underlying observation network.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Deutscher Wetterdienst social profiles
Digital presenceDeutscher Wetterdienst financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Deutscher Wetterdienst leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Deutscher Wetterdienst funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Deutscher Wetterdienst M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Deutscher Wetterdienst
What does Deutscher Wetterdienst do?
Deutscher Wetterdienst is Germany's federal meteorological service, providing official weather forecasts, severe weather warnings, climate monitoring, and atmospheric research to the general public, government, and professional sectors. It operates a comprehensive observation infrastructure (radar, satellite, ground stations) and delivers its offering through data portals (CDC-Portal, Open Data), mobile apps (WarnWetter, FlugWetter), the pc_met aviation service, specialized information systems for civil protection and transport, and expert meteorological opinions for legal and planning purposes. Approximately 289 products are provided free of charge and 84 are fee-based professional services.
Is Deutscher Wetterdienst a public or private company?
Deutscher Wetterdienst is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Deutscher Wetterdienst founded?
Deutscher Wetterdienst was founded in 1952. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Deutscher Wetterdienst based?
Deutscher Wetterdienst is headquartered in Offenbach, Germany, in the Europe region.
Who are Deutscher Wetterdienst's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NOAA National Weather Service, UK Met Office, Météo-France, Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), Environment and Climate Change Canada, ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) and Australian Bureau of Meteorology. EUMETSAT is listed as an others.
Does Deutscher Wetterdienst have an API?
Yes. DWD provides various geodata APIs including OGC-compliant WMS (Web Map Service) and WFS (Web Feature Service) for spatial data access. The Open Data portal (https://opendata.dwd.de) provides free access to meteorological and climate data. The CDC-Portal offers interactive access to climate datasets. Various specialized data services are available including MOSMIX for point forecasts, RADOLAN for radar precipitation data, and climate data downloads. Documentation is integrated within product pages rather than a centralized developer portal. Developer documentation is at opendata.dwd.de.