Data Access via EUMETCast

What is EUMETCast?
EUMETCast is EUMETSAT’s primary mechanism for the near real-time delivery of satellite data and products. It is a multi-service dissemination system and uses commercial telecommunication geostationary satellites with DVB standards to multi-cast files (data and products) to a wide user community. EUMETCast also delivers a range of third-party products.

Which Services are provided by EUMETCast?
EUMETCast provides data and products based on the geostationary Meteosat satellites, Meteosat-8 (over the Indian Ocean), 9, 10 and 11, the polar orbiting satellites Metop-A, B and C and further polar orbiting satellites of NOAA, plus data from other meteorological programmes, such as products from the SAF Network.

For instance, EUMETCast contains data and products on:

• Land application covering Europe, Africa and South America
• Global and regional marine meteorology and ocean surface
• Atmospheric chemistry

At their most frequent, these data are delivered to users within five minutes of processing.

Several third-party (i.e. non EUMETSAT) meteorological and environmental products are also available. This includes:

• Level-1 satellite data and derived products from a range of atmospheric, marine and land monitoring satellites
• Copernicus data and products
• In-situ observational data
• Numerical weather forecasts

What kind of Transmission Technology is used?
EUMETCast uses the DVB-S MPEG2 stream for encapsulating IP frames (IP over DVB). Transmission is via Eutelsat's 10A satellite (in Ku band), Eutelsat's 5 WEST A satellite (C band) and SES-6 (C band). Eutelsat 10A supplies coverage across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Eutelsat 5 supplies European African and western Asia coverage. SES-6 is located at 319.5º east, its tailored, high-powered hemispheric beam provides simultaneous coverage of both Europe and the Americas (see Figure).

The technology used makes it possible for end users to receive the data with regular off-the-shelf satellite TV equipment and a PC.

Coverage of the satellite-based EUMETCast service and numbers of users Source: EUMETSAT

CM SAF data via EUMETCast
CM SAF distributes climate data via EUMETCast since 2016. The dissemination started with data of Surface Incoming Shortwave Radiation (SIS) and Fractional Cloud Cover (CFC), and has been extended in summer 2020 with Sunshine Duration (SDU) data. All data are available within a few days of the respective observations. The following CM SAF data are distributed via EUMETCast:

• SIS monthly mean of the last month
• SIS daily mean
• CFC monthly mean of the last month
• SDU monthly sum of the last month
• SDU daily sum

All CM SAF data are provided via channel E1B-SAF-4 and A1C-SAF-4 (for more details visit the EUMETSAT Earth Observation Portal):

EUMETCast Europe
Channel: E1B-SAF-4
PID: 500
Multicast address: 224.223.222.28

EUMETCast Africa
Channel: A1C-SAF-4
PID: 100
Multicast address: 224.223.225.3

SK / Aug2021