I can report you that at the Greek Met Service (HNMS) there is no attempt to separate the data from the commercial part at all.

They started becoming more open to data distribution at the Universities but they ask for unnecessary hardware/software infrastructure to provide the data. This is partially due to their attitude to make things difficult and also due to the low level of knowledge of the Department responsible for the data distribution. The result is the high charge for establishing a connection with them and getting the data. Data distribution could be extremely easy and cost almost nothing if it was well designed and organized.

The old practice, which is completely unacceptable, is the one followed from the HNMS personnel. They work at HNMS and at the same time they work in private media (or government owned channels). This work in the private sector is not controlled from the commercial part of the service. That means the HNMS employees use the HNMS products for their own interest. On that way, they offer their services at very low charges (they have no costs at all). This has as a result that the media and the organizations needed met services they prefer the cooperation with the HNMS employees. This is not only illegal use of governmental property but it is also ethically unacceptable because they do not let new meteorologists to get a job. The private sector cannot compete (cannot survive either) from this practice.

The other level of illegal practice is the cooperation agreement that HNMS made with one private company (NEWSPHONE HELLAS). They made an EXCLUSIVE AGREEMENT with them at ridiculously low prices (compared with the status at ECOMET) because the HNMS employees "cover the gap". The employees work for them again outside the ECOMET procedures. I had a discussion with the other private company operating in Greece, METEOGNOSIS, and they told me that they cannot compete that way because their competitor is advertising the EXCLUSIVITY with HNMS. To my opinion, a governmental organization cannot sign exclusive cooperation agreements with the open market. The society suffers from this exclusive agreement because the level of information freely available is very poor while the cost through the private company is unacceptably high for basic information. They send the civilians to the 090- services (through the telephone) to provide basic information about the weather. The cost to get the information about the weather in a specific Greek city is approximately 1.5 EURO!!!! This information is a basic good that should be freely available to the Greek citizens.

The Greek Universities and Institutes cover most of their needs in data through NOAA/NCEP.

The HNMS provided a number of smart cards for ECMWF past data access to Institutes and Universities requested. So, the Institutes cover most of their needs that way. No real time access to anybody yet.

That's the status in Greece up to now.

I hope the HNMS here will stop destroying the future of the new scientists.