SMHI

What SMHI does

SMHI (Sveriges meteorologiska och hydrologiska institut / Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute) is a Swedish government expert authority under the Ministry of Climate and Enterprise, founded in 1908 and headquartered in Norrköping with additional offices in Gothenburg and Uppsala. The organization provides weather, water, and climate services 24/7, operating observation networks spanning ground stations, weather balloons, radar (since 1984), and geostationary satellites. Its technology stack centers on numerical weather prediction models, ensemble forecasting for uncertainty quantification, and proprietary scientific models including the HBV hydrological model (1972) and the MATCH chemical transport model for atmospheric composition analysis.

The product portfolio spans consumer-facing mobile applications (iPhone and Android) and a public website serving Swedish citizens with forecasts and warnings, alongside a professional services catalog including SMHI Pro, Väderlarm (tailored weather alarms), AQUA (water management), Vinterväg (winter road planning), Timbr (forestry), and SIMAIR (air quality assessment operated jointly with Trafikverket). SMHI also operates the national Knowledge Centre for Climate Adaptation, the Klimatscenariotjänsten climate scenario service, and a comprehensive open data portal under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.

Revenue mechanics combine government appropriations for the public service mandate with subscription-based professional services sold to enterprises in aviation, maritime, construction, energy, and agriculture, plus customized consulting engagements. Customer segments include the general public (primary), County Administrative Boards and municipalities for crisis preparedness, the aviation and maritime industries for operational forecasting, and international development partners (notably Sida-funded programs in Africa). Strategic partnerships with Trafikverket (SIMAIR), Sida, and European hydrological warning services in Slovakia and the Netherlands extend the agency's reach beyond Sweden's borders.

Name

SMHI

Legal name

Sveriges meteorologiska och hydrologiska institut

Website

https://smhi.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SMHI is Sweden's government expert authority for weather, water, and climate, operating 24/7 observation networks, numerical prediction models, and a portfolio of consumer apps, professional subscriptions, and open data services for the public, enterprises, and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Meteorological and Hydrological Services

NAICS

Administration of Air and Water Resource and Solid Waste Management Programs (92411), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (9241)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAIAMAC

Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil)

Business & Public Services/Public Sector & Government Administration/Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Administration

Keywords

• Weather forecasting services
• Hydrological monitoring systems
• Climate data analytics
• Air quality assessment
• Marine weather services

Headquarters

HQ city

Norrköping

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriation: As a Swedish government authority, SMHI receives annual government funding to fulfill its public service mandate for weather, water, and climate services.
2. Professional Services Subscriptions: Subscription-based professional products and services including SMHI Pro, AQUA, Väderlarm (weather warnings), Timbr, Vinterväg, and SIMAIR for businesses, government agencies, and municipalities.
3. Open Data Services: Free open data published under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license for public use, contributing to a sustainable and safe society.
4. Customized Consulting Services: Tailored weather alarms, climate studies, and specialized consulting for sectors including construction, energy, agriculture, and aviation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SMHI is Sweden's national meteorological and hydrological institute, providing 24/7 weather forecasts, severe weather warnings, hydrological and oceanographic data, air quality analysis, and climate scenario services. It delivers free public forecasts and warnings through its website and mobile applications, and offers subscription-based professional services (SMHI Pro, Väderlarm, AQUA, Vinterväg, Timbr, SIMAIR) to businesses, municipalities, and government agencies. The institute also publishes open data and APIs under a Creative Commons license and operates as Sweden's official authority for official weather, water, and climate information.

Product overview

SMHI operates as Sweden's national meteorological and hydrological authority offering a comprehensive portfolio of weather, water, and climate products and services. The portfolio consists of consumer-facing mobile weather applications (SMHI Väderappar for iPhone and Android), professional subscription services (SMHI Pro, Väderlarm, AQUA, Vinterväg, Timbr), specialized air quality tools (SIMAIR, Luftwebb, VattenWebb), and climate services (Klimatscenariotjänsten, Kunskapscentrum för klimatanpassning). Core data offerings include open access to meteorological observations, temperature, wind, precipitation, thunderstorm, ocean, lake, river, air quality, and solar radiation data. SMHI also maintains research-grade models including the HBV hydrological model and MATCH chemical transport model for atmospheric composition. The organization publishes regular newsletters (Medvind), reports, and scientific publications while providing real-time visualization services including weather radar, satellite imagery, snow depth mapping, and sea level monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SMHI Väderappar (Weather Apps) Official SMHI mobile weather applications for iPhone and Android providing weather forecasts, warnings, and real-time observations to the general public.
• Väderlarm (Weather Alarms) Customer-tailored weather warning service designed to minimize risk and impact from wind, snow, thunder, lightning, and heavy precipitation, allowing users to plan for extreme weather and react quickly.
• SMHI Pro Professional-grade weather and climate data services for business customers requiring advanced forecasting and analysis capabilities.
• SIMAIR Web-based system that helps businesses, municipalities, and air quality associations evaluate concentrations of air pollutants from traffic, industries, and other sources.
• Vinterväg (Winter Road) Specialized service for winter road maintenance planning and operations, providing weather and road condition data for road management.
• AQUA Professional water management and hydrological data platform for monitoring and analysis.
• Timbr Professional service platform providing timber and forestry-related weather and climate data.
• Luftwebb (AirWeb) Web portal aggregating various web services to display current air pollution exposure levels in Sweden, developed for air quality research and public information.
• VattenWebb (WaterWebb) Water web service providing access to hydrological data for lakes and watercourses in Sweden, part of SMHI's data stewardship responsibilities.
• Klimatscenariotjänsten (Climate Scenario Service) Service providing climate scenario data and projections for future climate conditions to support planning and adaptation decisions.
• Weather Radar and Lightning Real-time radar images showing precipitation and lightning strikes across Sweden, updated every 5-15 minutes using radio wave detection technology.
• Satellite Imagery Geostationary satellite imagery providing continuous visual data of clouds and weather systems over Europe from approximately 36,000 km altitude.
• Sea Weather Forecast Marine weather forecasts predicting winds, waves, and storms to assist maritime activities including shipping and coastal operations.
• Sea Levels and Waves Service displaying sea water levels and wave data for specific coastal locations, supporting maritime operations and coastal planning.
• Season Map Interactive map showing current seasonal status across Sweden indicating spring, summer, autumn, or winter conditions.
• Snow Depth Map Visual representation of snow depth across Sweden, updated daily during the October-May snow season.
• The Algae Situation (Cyanobacteria) Map service showing current algal bloom conditions in Swedish waters, providing information on cyanobacteria levels for both sea and freshwater.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saved 2,500 people in Nigeria through flood warning system that enabled evacuations before a major flood
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability8 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and moderate.

• West African Flood Warning System NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Collaborative effort to establish flood warning systems in West Africa. In Nigeria 2020, SMHI's forecasts helped save 2,500 people who were evacuated before a major flood using a newly established warning system.
• Trafikverket (Swedish Transport Administration)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIMAIR, a web-based system for evaluating air pollution levels, is operated by SMHI in collaboration with Trafikverket. This partnership enables companies, municipalities, and air quality associations to assess air quality from traffic, industry, and other sources using integrated data and modeling tools.
• Sida (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMHI conducts climate training programs for Africa on behalf of Sida. These ambitious programs, lasting about 5-6 weeks, focus on climate change and adaptation, with participants from African countries visiting SMHI's office in Norrköping.
• European Hydrological Warning Services Partners (Slovakia and Netherlands)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMHI is responsible for the European hydrological warning service in collaboration with partners from Slovakia and the Netherlands, and participates in global warning services for flood prediction and water management.
• National and International Research InstitutionsmoderateTechnology or IntegrationSMHI collaborates with research institutions across Europe on oceanographic data centers and participates in international research projects, including a project on climate predictions for the Baltic Sea for the next ten years.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF): Intergovernmental organization producing global numerical weather predictions used by SMHI and other national services. A broader institutional incumbent rather than a direct competitor, but central to SMHI's forecasting backbone and relevant partner/peer at the European cooperative-research layer.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): US federal agency covering weather, climate, ocean, and atmospheric research at substantially larger scale. Operates overlapping functions with SMHI on meteorological and hydrological monitoring, with a much broader portfolio of commercial and scientific programs.

Direct peers

• Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET Norway): Norway's national meteorological service with open-data policies, public warnings, professional services, and meteorological research. Direct Nordic peer to SMHI with similar mandate, public-good funding model, and collaboration on European hydrological warnings.
• Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI): Denmark's national meteorological service providing weather, climate, and oceanographic services with both public and commercial offerings. Directly comparable Nordic peer with similar institutional structure and overlapping regional responsibilities.
• Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI): Finnish government research and service agency providing weather, sea, climate, and air quality services with similar scale and Nordic operating context. Comparable in size, mandate, scientific research depth, and proximity-based collaboration with SMHI on regional Nordic weather projects.
• Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD): Germany's federal meteorological service, providing weather, climate, and hydrological services to government and commercial customers. Directly comparable to SMHI in scope, governmental structure, scientific research output, and commercial professional services offerings.
• Met Office: The UK national meteorological service, operating a near-identical mandate to SMHI: official weather warnings, hydrometeorology, climate science, and a portfolio of paid professional services (e.g., DataPoint, Precise). Direct peer due to overlapping operating model, public-good mandate, and subscription products.
• Météo-France: French national meteorological service combining public forecasting with commercial weather services and climate expertise. Directly comparable to SMHI as another European government-backed meteorological agency with similar dual public/commercial mandate.
• Bureau of Meteorology (Australia): Australian government agency providing weather, climate, water, and oceanographic services with public mandate and commercial products. International peer operating a similar mix of public-good forecasting and fee-based professional services.
• Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA): Japan's national meteorological service providing weather, climate, and hydrological services to government, aviation, maritime, and the public. Closely analogous to SMHI in mandate, scientific depth, and professional service portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SMHI
• Facebookfacebook.com/SMHI.se
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smhi
• Instagraminstagram.com/smhi.se

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SMHI