# climateprediction.net

> BOINC based volunteer computing project researching climate models

**Wikidata**: [Q1101446](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1101446)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climateprediction.net)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/climateprediction-net

## Summary
climateprediction.net is a BOINC-based volunteer computing project that researches climate models by harnessing distributed computing power from volunteers worldwide. Founded by the University of Oxford in 2003, it enables researchers to run complex climate simulations that would otherwise be computationally infeasible.

## Key Facts
- Founded on December 9, 2003, by the University of Oxford
- Operates on the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) platform
- Classified as volunteer computing, Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing projects, and open-source software
- Main research focus is numerical weather prediction and climate modeling
- Has 15 sitelinks across Wikimedia projects
- Official website is https://climateprediction.net/ (primarily in English)
- Multiple aliases include CPDN, Climate prediction, Climateprediction net, Climate Change Experiment, BBC Climate Change Experiment, and Seasonal Attribution Project
- Associated with WikiProject Climate change on Wikimedia platforms
- Has Wikipedia presence in multiple languages including English, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, and others

## FAQs
### Q: What is climateprediction.net?
A: climateprediction.net is a volunteer computing project that uses the BOINC platform to research climate models. It enables researchers to run complex climate simulations by harnessing computing power donated by volunteers worldwide.

### Q: Who operates climateprediction.net?
A: climateprediction.net is operated by the University of Oxford, which founded the project on December 9, 2003.

### Q: What does climateprediction.net research?
A: The project primarily focuses on numerical weather prediction and climate modeling, running simulations to understand and predict climate changes and their impacts.

### Q: How does climateprediction.net work?
A: It operates as a volunteer computing project where users install BOINC software on their computers, which then contributes idle processing power to run climate simulations when the computer is not in use.

## Why It Matters
climateprediction.net represents a significant contribution to climate science by democratizing access to high-performance computing resources. By leveraging volunteer computing power, it enables researchers to run complex climate models that would be prohibitively expensive or time-consuming using traditional computing infrastructure. This approach has advanced our understanding of climate systems, improved weather prediction capabilities, and contributed to climate change research. The project exemplifies how distributed computing can accelerate scientific discovery, particularly in fields requiring massive computational resources like climate modeling. Its open-source nature also promotes transparency and collaboration in climate research.

## Notable For
- Being one of the earliest and most prominent BOINC-based climate research projects
- Its association with the University of Oxford, lending academic credibility to the initiative
- Multiple research initiatives under its umbrella including the BBC Climate Change Experiment and Seasonal Attribution Project
- Its comprehensive approach to climate modeling, incorporating various parameters and scenarios
- Its multilingual presence across Wikimedia platforms, making climate research accessible globally

## Body
### Project Overview
climateprediction.net is a volunteer computing project established on December 9, 2003, by the University of Oxford. It operates on the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) platform, which allows it to harness distributed computing power from volunteers worldwide. The project is classified as both volunteer computing and open-source software, making it accessible to anyone willing to contribute computing resources.

### Research Focus
The main subject of climateprediction.net is numerical weather prediction, with a specific emphasis on climate modeling. Researchers use the computational resources provided by volunteers to run complex simulations that help understand climate systems and predict future climate changes. The project has conducted multiple research initiatives under various aliases, including the Climate Change Experiment, BBC Climate Change Experiment, and Seasonal Attribution Project.

### Technical Implementation
climateprediction.net depends on the Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) middleware system, which was first released on April 10, 2002. This open-source middleware enables the project to efficiently distribute computational tasks across thousands of volunteer computers and collect results. The project's client software, represented by the image at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/CPDN-Client.png, allows volunteers to contribute their idle computing resources to climate research.

### Organizational Structure
The project is operated by the University of Oxford, which provides institutional support and oversight. It maintains a presence on multiple Wikimedia platforms, with 15 sitelinks across various projects. The project's Wikipedia articles are available in multiple languages including English, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, and others, reflecting its international reach and accessibility. It is also associated with WikiProject Climate change, indicating its relevance to broader climate research initiatives.

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013