• In implementation of the Ministry of Environment and Water's policy for public availability of monitoring data, the institute provides free access to primary data.

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) provides free access to primary hydrometeorological data through an experimental web portal for open data at: https://info.meteo.bg/openData

The portal will provide access in machine-readable format to current and historical primary data from the national observation systems. At this stage, daily data on water runoff from 63 hydrometric stations, information on precipitation from 166 meteorological stations, as well as data on snow cover from NIMH stations have been published. The information will be updated daily, which guarantees it is up-to date and usable.

In the coming weeks and months, a phased expansion of the scope of the portal is planned by adding new sections of primary data - both current operational, as well as historical observations of weather and water.

The creation of the portal is in response to the policy by the Minister of Environment and Water Julian Popov, who demanded that structures in the MOEW system and related contractors take action to provide public access to primary data from water monitoring in a machine-readable format.

Minister Popov motivated his decisive actions to widely open up primary data collected with public funds during the opening of the third National Scientific Conference on Meteorology, Hydrology, and the Environment, organized by the National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology. “When data is accessible, every scientist can work with them – to make analyses, models, and forecasts that benefit the entire society. Free access to such data is key to Bulgaria’s integration into the global scientific community, to improve public policies and to achieve sustainable development, including in areas such as energy, agriculture and risk management,” Julian Popov emphasized to conference participants.

As a national provider of hydrometeorological information, NIMH has a leading role in this process by maintaining and developing systems for monitoring, analysis, and forecasting. The creation of the open data portal is an important step towards building a modern, transparent, and effective information milieu in the sector.

The publication of open data creates conditions for better coordination between institutions, supports the development of scientific research and innovation and increases transparency in environmental management. Free access to reliable and timely information is a key factor for making informed decisions and adapting to climate change.

The Ministry of Environment and Water will continue to work to expand access to environmental information and to promote open data as a key tool for good governance and sustainable development.