Hydro-Meteorological Industry

What Hydro-Meteorological Industry does

HMEI (HydroMeteorological and Environmental Industry Association) is a Geneva-based, not-for-profit industry association founded in 2001 that represents more than 140 private sector companies developing, manufacturing, and providing services in the global hydro-meteorological enterprise. HMEI holds a formal Working Arrangement with the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO) — one of only eight international non-governmental organizations with such status, upgraded from consultative status in June 2018 — and it operates from offices inside the WMO Headquarters building under Articles 60–79 of the Swiss Civil Code. The association has no proprietary products; its core activity is institutional: convening members, facilitating open communication and collaboration across the weather value chain, supporting WMO initiatives including WIGOS (WMO Integrated Global Observing Systems) and the WMO Unified Data Policy, and contributing to technical committees on measurements, instrumentation, and traceability. Recent additions include a WMO-HMEI Code of Ethics endorsed at WMO EC-78 (2025) and the 2016 World Bank tender-specifications contract, both of which extend the association's influence over global standards and procurement guidance.

HMEI distributes services through direct membership engagement and WMO representation rather than a commercial sales motion, with tiered membership pricing of CHF 1,800 (large), CHF 1,300 (medium), CHF 1,000 (small), and CHF 600 (start-ups, academic, non-profits) per annum. Members gain access to international customers, peer networking, conference discounts (e.g., 10% off Meteorological Technology World Expo booth space), and participation in WMO expert teams and standardization efforts. Marketing channels are weighted toward the hmei.org website, email circulars, international conferences and exhibitions, and member webinars on topics including AI applications and forecast accuracy.

The association is governed by a General Assembly, Council Advisory Panel, and Council Executive Panel, with leadership drawn from member companies: Joshua Campbell (Campbell Scientific) serves as Chair for 2023–2027, Ashish Raval (Synoptic Data PBC) as Vice-Chair (2022–2026), and Tom Smith (DTN) as Treasurer/Councilor for Budget & Opex Oversight. Day-to-day operations are run by a small secretariat of two — Executive Secretary Marcus Meckelmann and Executive Administrative Assistant Diana Ntreh — making HMEI a low-headcount, high-institutional-leverage organization whose value is captured in standards influence and member-network effects rather than financial scale.

Name

Hydro-Meteorological Industry

Legal name

HydroMeteorological and Environmental Industry Association

Website

https://www.hmei.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HMEI (HydroMeteorological and Environmental Industry Association) is a Geneva-based not-for-profit founded in 2001 representing over 140 private sector companies in the global hydro-meteorological enterprise, holding a formal Working Arrangement with the UN World Meteorological Organization.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Contributions: HMEI generates revenue through annual membership contributions from member companies. Membership categories include Full Membership for Large Sized Companies (CHF 1,800 per annum), Medium Sized Companies (CHF 1,300 per annum), Small Sized Companies (CHF 1,000 per annum), and Start-Ups, Academic, Non-Profit Organizations (CHF 600 per annum). All member contributions are due in full on the first day of January, with two-installment payment available subject to 10% surcharge. New members admitted after June 30 pay 50% of full annual contribution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HMEI is a not-for-profit international industry association serving developers, manufacturers, and service providers in the hydro-meteorological and environmental industry. Its core offering is tiered annual membership (Full Membership for Large, Medium, Small Companies and Start-Ups/Academic/Non-Profit categories) that provides members access to a worldwide professional network, discounts to leading international conferences, ability to contribute to WMO standards, and observer participation in WMO Commissions and Working Groups. The association facilitates open communication, standardization, and collaboration between industry, the WMO, and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS).

Product overview

HMEI (HydroMeteorological and Environmental Industry Association) is a not-for-profit industry association, not a product company. It represents over 140 private sector companies including developers, manufacturers, and service providers in the hydro-meteorological enterprise. HMEI facilitates open communication and collaboration, helps implement standards, and fosters innovation that promotes sustainability. The association maintains a formal working arrangement with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and provides member benefits including networking, access to international customers, discounts to conferences, and input into industry standards development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HMEI Industry Membership Annual membership service for private sector companies developing, marketing, or selling hydrological, meteorological, and/or environmental hardware, software, or systems, and/or providing related support services. Provides tiered pricing by company size, access to a worldwide professional network, discounts to leading international conferences, ability to contribute to WMO standards, and observer participation in WMO Commissions and Working Groups.

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• World Meteorological Organization (WMO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2018HMEI is one of only eight international non-governmental organizations with a formal working arrangement with the United Nations World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The association was granted consultative status at WMO in June 2002, which was upgraded to 'Working Arrangement' status in June 2018. HMEI participates as observer in WMO Commissions, Committees and Working Groups, providing industry representation in global discussions on standards, operations and methodologies in meteorology, hydrology, climate and environment.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Meteorological Society (AMS): AMS is the largest professional and scientific society for meteorology, atmosphere, and related oceanographic sciences, with overlapping industry members and a similar mission of advancing the weather/atmospheric community — making it the most directly comparable peer to HMEI in the meteorological domain.
• European Meteorological Society (EMS): EMS is the European counterpart meteorological society; HMEI was actually founded during an EMS Annual Meeting in 2001, and EMS serves a comparable membership of national meteorological societies, professionals, and industry partners in Europe.
• International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS): IAHS is the international scientific association focused on hydrology, closely aligned with HMEI's hydrological focus and addressing overlapping scientific and applied communities in water sciences.
• American Geophysical Union (AGU): AGU is a major Earth and space sciences professional association with overlapping industry and academic members in atmospheric, hydrological, and environmental disciplines, making it a close peer in the earth sciences community.
• European Geosciences Union (EGU): EGU is the European geosciences association covering atmospheric, hydrological, and earth sciences, with a similar interdisciplinary scientific-community mission to HMEI's broader industry scope.
• Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS): RMetS is the UK's professional and learned society for meteorology, with a comparable mission of advancing the science and application of weather, climate, and hydrology, and overlapping membership from major industry players.
• National Weather Association (NWA): NWA is a US-based professional association serving operational meteorologists and the weather enterprise, with a closely related mission of advancing the weather industry and community that HMEI serves globally.
• American Water Resources Association (AWRA): AWRA is a US-based membership association for water resources professionals, with direct overlap with HMEI's hydrological member community and a similar mission of advancing water science, policy, and practice.

Broad incumbents

• World Meteorological Organization (WMO): WMO is the UN specialized agency for meteorology with which HMEI holds a formal working arrangement; WMO is a broader incumbent and not a competitive peer, but its programs, standards, and commissions directly shape HMEI's mandate and member benefits.

Others

• International Science Council (ISC): ISC is the global non-governmental organization that brings together scientific unions and associations; HMEI is structurally similar in operating as an international membership organization engaged in science-policy interfaces, though its scope is narrower.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hmei_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Hydro-Meteorological Industry