ECMWF Code for Earth
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersReading, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
ECMWF Code for Earth firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ECMWF Code for Earth
- Legal name
- European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF)
- Website
- https://codeforearth.ecmwf.int
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ECMWF Code for Earth industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Open Source Earth Sciences Innovation Programme
- NAICS
- Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Methodology Development & Standard-Setting Support (Protocols, Tools, Updates) (EUABACAN), Environmental, Climate & Sustainability Standards & Reporting Cooperation (BPADANAI)
Keywords
Where ECMWF Code for Earth is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Reading
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ECMWF Code for Earth business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Grant/Fellowship Payments to Participants: Code for Earth is a funding programme, not a revenue-generating entity. ECMWF provides financial contributions to selected teams upon successful completion of their projects. The one-off financial contribution for selected teams under Data Visualisation, Machine Learning, or Software Development Streams is €5,000 per team. The contribution under the Africa Stream is €2,000 per successful team.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | One-time payment | Standard Streams (Data Visualization, Machine Learning, Software Development) - €5,000 per team |
| Other | One-time payment | Africa Stream - €2,000 per team |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels7 records
ECMWF Code for Earth product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Code for Earth is an annual open-source innovation programme operated by ECMWF that recruits external developer teams through a public Call for Participation. Selected teams work with ECMWF and partner mentors during a four-month coding phase to build open-source software addressing challenges in weather forecasting, climate change, atmospheric monitoring, Copernicus services, and Destination Earth. Teams receive one-off financial contributions upon successful project completion and retain IP rights while granting licences to ECMWF and the EU.
Product overview
Code for Earth is an annual innovation programme run by ECMWF since 2018 (formerly Summer of Weather Code). The programme operates through four thematic streams: Data Visualization (Stream 1), Machine Learning (Stream 2), Software Development (Stream 3), and Africa Stream. Each year, selected developer teams work with ECMWF mentors to produce open-source software projects addressing challenges in weather, climate, atmosphere, Copernicus services, and Destination Earth. Projects range from interactive dashboards (Fire Front Radar, PowerClimate Vision), ML frameworks (TriHydrA, AIr-wise, Weather to Grid, CausaLCEI), data integration tools (GeoBridge, Project Atlantis), to numerical weather prediction templates (CLAM) and visualization tools (Tabula Caloris, VAE toolbox). Participants receive financial contributions (€5,000 for main streams, €2,000 for Africa Stream) upon successful completion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Code for Earth Innovation Programme Annual programme that recruits external developer teams through an open Call for Participation to build open-source software addressing weather, climate, atmosphere, Copernicus, and Destination Earth challenges alongside ECMWF mentors; teams receive one-off financial contributions upon successful completion.
- Stream 1 - Data Visualization Challenge stream within Code for Earth focused on innovative data-visualization approaches, dashboards, visual narratives, and interactive mapping tools for earth-sciences applications using ECMWF and Copernicus data.
- Stream 2 - Machine Learning Challenge stream within Code for Earth focused on applying machine learning techniques — including forecasting, pattern recognition, and predictive analytics — to earth-sciences problems.
- Stream 3 - Software Development Challenge stream within Code for Earth focused on building software tools and libraries for weather forecasting, climate data analysis, and atmospheric monitoring using ECMWF and EU earth-science data.
- Africa Stream Challenge stream within Code for Earth focused on strengthening climate and weather resilience in Africa, supporting early warning systems and open innovation for weather and climate applications across the continent.
- Fire Front Radar Open-source interactive dashboard that visualises ECMWF fire-probability forecasts, providing global maps of Fire Occurrence Probability Index (FOPI) and Probability of Fire (PoF) values for wildfire risk awareness and decision-making.
- GeoBridge Open-source toolkit integrating Copernicus Data Stores (C3S, CAMS, CEMS) with GIS platforms, consisting of a Python library, semantic query layer, and QGIS plugin for accessing earth-science data.
- Project Atlantis Open-source scalable STAC/Zarr data pipeline that creates a machine-learning-ready archive of satellite-derived flood inundation observations, built on Docker and a Python geospatial stack.
- AIr-wise Open-source AI-driven air quality assessment framework that integrates forecast error modelling, probabilistic AQI estimation, and automated reporting for uncertainty-aware atmospheric analysis.
- TriHydrA Open-source three-layer verification framework for streamflow anomaly detection that combines time-series quality control, hydrological signature analysis, and catchment-context verification to distinguish true hydrological signals from data anomalies.
- PowerClimate Vision Open-source containerized geographic dashboard for exploring the Pan-European Climate Database (PECD), providing interactive maps and charts for climate-energy indicator comparisons.
- Weather to Grid Open-source subseasonal energy forecasting project that uses a causal machine-learning approach (CMM-VAE) to identify predictable weather patterns influencing European electricity demand and renewable energy production.
- CausaLCEI Open-source regime-conditioned causal compound event index framework for detecting, quantifying, and causally explaining compound weather events that stress renewable energy systems.
- CLAM Open-source reproducible WRF/WPS template that enables running local-area numerical weather prediction models on the European Weather Cloud.
- Tabula Caloris Open-source live event-based interface that transforms ECMWF forecasts, satellite detections, emissions data, and historical fire records into a unified workflow of maps, timelines, and indicators for wildfire decision-making.
- VAE toolbox Open-source Python package containing variational autoencoder-based deep-learning methods for identifying teleconnections and atmospheric circulation regimes within climate science.
Quantifiable outcome
- 13 teams successfully completed innovative projects in 2024 edition
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use ECMWF Code for Earth
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
ECMWF Code for Earth technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability7 records
Feature3 records
ECMWF Code for Earth partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- IFAB (International Foundation Big Data and Artificial Intelligence for Human Development)coreThe 2024 edition benefited from strengthened partnerships with IFAB, expanding the programme's impact through joint challenges on big data and AI applications.
- European Environment AgencycoreEuropean Environment Agency partnered on joint challenges for Code for Earth 2024, contributing to environmental monitoring and data applications.
- University of ReadingcoreUniversity of Reading (UK) collaborated on joint challenges for Code for Earth 2024, contributing academic expertise to the programme.
- University of Bonn / Center for Earth Observation and Computational AnalysiscoreUniversity of Bonn's Center for Earth Observation and Computational Analysis (Germany) partnered on joint challenges for Code for Earth 2024.
- Helmholtz-Zentrum HereoncoreHelmholtz-Zentrum Hereon collaborated on challenges related to air quality modelling and machine learning applications for environmental science.
- ICpac (IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre)coreICpac partnered with Code for Earth to develop unique joint challenges for the Africa Stream, focusing on climate prediction and applications for the African continent.
- AfriClimatecoreAfriClimate collaborated with Code for Earth on joint challenges related to climate resilience in Africa, supporting open innovation for weather and climate applications.
- ENTSO-E (European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity)coreENTSO-E partnered with Code for Earth to develop challenges related to energy systems, grid operations, and climate-energy interactions.
- Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S)coreC3S, the EU's climate change service, is a key supporting organisation providing data and challenges for Code for Earth projects.
- Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)coreCAMS, the EU's atmosphere monitoring service, provides data and challenges for air quality and atmospheric applications.
- Destination Earth (DestinE)coreDestinE, the EU's digital twin of Earth initiative, is supported by Code for Earth with challenges related to digital Earth modelling.
- European Weather Cloud (EWC)coreEuropean Weather Cloud, implemented by ECMWF and EUMETSAT, provides cloud computing resources. Teams with cloud processing requirements can apply for credits.
- Trust-IT Services LtdminorTrust-IT Services Ltd, Via Francesco Redi 10, 56124 Pisa, Italy, executes grant payments on behalf of ECMWF to selected participants.
- CommPla S.r.l.minorCommPla S.r.l., via Nino Bixio 25, 56125 Pisa, Italy, organises the distribution of the newsletter and/or the submissions via the registration form.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ECMWF Code for Earth competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Google Summer of Code: Google's flagship open-source fellowship programme that pays stipends to external developer contributors working on mentor-defined projects. Closely comparable operating model, stipend structure, and open-source IP framework to Code for Earth.
- NASA Space Apps Challenge: NASA's annual global hackathon engaging external developers and scientists to build open-source solutions using NASA earth/space data. Comparable community-led model and earth-science data focus, though delivered as a hackathon rather than a four-month fellowship.
- Outreachy: Internship programme placing contributors from underrepresented backgrounds in paid open-source roles with mentoring organisations. Comparable stipend-based, mentor-led open-source development model and global community structure.
- Climate Change AI: Community organisation catalysing machine learning research and projects for climate action, including grants and working groups. Comparable focus on the intersection of ML/AI and earth/climate science and open-source output ethos.
Broad incumbents
- UK Met Office: UK national meteorological agency operating parallel to ECMWF with adjacent weather/climate data, modelling, and research infrastructure. Comparable public-sector weather-data steward, though it does not run an equivalent open-source developer fellowship.
- ESA Phi-Lab: European Space Agency's transformation arm funding AI/ML research leveraging ESA earth-observation data. Broader incumbent comparable because of shared European institutional data focus, but operates as a much larger research funding instrument.
- European Space Agency (ESA) Open Innovation: ESA's broader open innovation portfolio including EO innovation programmes, AI4EO, and citizen science. Larger incumbent with adjacent open-source earth-observation developer engagement, but portfolio spans far beyond Code for Earth's narrow fellowship scope.
- EUMETSAT: European operational satellite agency for meteorology, co-implementing the European Weather Cloud with ECMWF. Natural partner and adjacent incumbent in the European weather data ecosystem where Code for Earth operates.
Emerging players
- DrivenData: Platform running data-science competitions for social impact including climate, environment, and public health. Comparable challenge-based open-source output model, though prize-funded rather than stipend-funded.
Others
- Climate-KIC: EU-backed climate innovation community running accelerator programmes and education initiatives across Europe. Thematically related European climate-innovation vehicle, but oriented toward ventures and education rather than open-source software.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ECMWF Code for Earth social profiles
Digital presenceECMWF Code for Earth financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ECMWF Code for Earth leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ECMWF Code for Earth funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ECMWF Code for Earth 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 ECMWF Code for Earth
What does ECMWF Code for Earth do?
Code for Earth is an annual open-source innovation programme operated by ECMWF that recruits external developer teams through a public Call for Participation. Selected teams work with ECMWF and partner mentors during a four-month coding phase to build open-source software addressing challenges in weather forecasting, climate change, atmospheric monitoring, Copernicus services, and Destination Earth. Teams receive one-off financial contributions upon successful project completion and retain IP rights while granting licences to ECMWF and the EU.
Is ECMWF Code for Earth a public or private company?
ECMWF Code for Earth is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was ECMWF Code for Earth founded?
ECMWF Code for Earth was founded in 2018. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ECMWF Code for Earth based?
ECMWF Code for Earth is headquartered in Reading, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does ECMWF Code for Earth make money?
One revenue line is on record: grant/Fellowship Payments to Participants.
Who are ECMWF Code for Earth's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Google Summer of Code, NASA Space Apps Challenge, Outreachy and Climate Change AI. Broad incumbents are UK Met Office, ESA Phi-Lab, European Space Agency (ESA) Open Innovation and EUMETSAT. DrivenData is listed as an emerging player. Climate-KIC is listed as an others.
Does ECMWF Code for Earth have an API?
No public API is recorded for ECMWF Code for Earth.
What industry is ECMWF Code for Earth in?
ECMWF Code for Earth's product category is Open Source Earth Sciences Innovation Programme. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMABAI, Earth Science & Geoscience Programs, with a secondary code of EUABACAN, Methodology Development & Standard-Setting Support (Protocols, Tools, Updates). Its NAICS code is 54136 and its SIC code is 7371.