The aim of the talk is to provide a snapshot, or a few tasty morsels, of the types of products and services provided by BOM, in particular the National Climate Centre (NCC).

The Data Services Section (DSS) of NCC is mainly concerned with the supply of raw meteorological data extracted from the archive (ADAM). There is a substantial amount of information available free of charge in the BOM web site www.bom.gov.au/climate , but DSS will supply information over and above what is available there. The actual data itself is free, but there is charge to cover the extraction and supply of the data. The charge will vary enormously depending on the amount of data required, together with the output format.

The Climate Analysis Section (CAS) of NCC takes the raw data from the archive and performs further analysis on it, principally in the form of maps. Post-processed grid-point fields, which may be of use to researchers, are also available. The vast bulk of the analysis service is available free of charge on the web site mentioned above, but occasionally CAS will take on a special analysis project in the form of a consultancy. The maps on the web cover both near-real-time analysis and long-term averages or climatologies.

CAS is in the process of updating the maps for the Climate Atlas, a job last done in the mid-1970s, and has also been the leader in a major retrospective on the climate of the 20^th Century.

CAS also supplies seasonal outlooks in the form of its Seasonal Climate Outlook (SCO) service, available on annual subscription for about $139 (inc GST). For longer subscription periods (2 or 3 years) the rate per year decreases. The SCO provides 3-month outlooks of both total rainfall and seasonal average maximum and minimum temperatures, together with enhanced information on the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and the likelihood of El Niño or La Niña. Most subscribers receive their information in the mail, but this same service is also available via the SILO web site – www.bom.gov.au/silo . SILO also supplies subscription services to tailored data sets and METEOGRAMS – location specific output from weather forecast models.

The Consultative Services Section can, as the name suggests, provide consultancies on a wide range of climate issues, particularly those related to building design, health, and urban living.