Meteorological Database Israel Meteorological Service (IMS)

Overview

The Meteorological Database of the Israel Meteorological Service (IMS) is the open data portal through which Israel's national weather authority makes historical and near-real-time meteorological observations publicly available. The IMS operates under the Ministry of Transportation and is responsible for providing meteorological services to the government, the aviation sector, and the general public.

History and Founding

Systematic meteorological observations in the Land of Israel began in the second half of the nineteenth century, with scattered measurements in monasteries and Templar colonies. More systematic precipitation records were established from the 1920s under the British Mandate. Following the establishment of the State of Israel, the IMS was formally constituted and joined the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in 1949. The online meteorological database portal was developed in subsequent decades to facilitate public access to archived data; the database section of the IMS website underwent a redesign and update to improve user access to archived data.

Collections and Holdings

The IMS database provides access to observational data from stations across Israel, including temperature, precipitation, wind speed and direction, humidity, and air pressure records. Historical daily and hourly data are available, as well as 10-minute interval and 1-minute interval observations via API for registered users. The IMS maintains a national climate data bank drawn from its network of surface observation stations.

Access and Usage

Data is accessible through the IMS website at ims.gov.il. Users must agree to terms and conditions before accessing data. API access for automated data retrieval is available for observation data. The database is used by researchers, meteorologists, agricultural planners, environmental scientists, and journalists covering Israeli weather and climate.