Easier Module Meeting 2025: Aligning Developments, Tools, and Future Plans

Hamburg, September 10–12, 2025

Researchers from the WarmWorld Easier module are meeting this week in Hamburg for the WarmWorld Easier Module Meeting 2025, hosted by the German Climate Computing Center (Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum, DKRZ).

The participants are reviewing the current status and recent progress of the Easier module since the last meeting in March 2025. They are working together to identify and address technical and methodological challenges, and to define the work plan and roadmap for the remainder of the project as well as for Phase 2.

Progress and Challenges

Today’s sessions focused on progress and challenges across the different work packages of the module. The mkexp framework continues to integrate tools such as PAMTRA, while reorganizing the experiment library and building a collection of setups using hiopy for output on the HEALPix grid.
PAMTRA integration extends beyond mkexp into ICON as a whole, enabling straightforward comparisons between satellite observations and model output.

Data Management and Tools

A major component of the Easier module concerns data management — from simulation runs to post-processing and archiving — which was also a central theme of the discussions.

• The emerging WarmWorld Data Catalog for Earth System Model (ESM) simulation data is beginning to take shape. It brings together developments at DKRZ and JSC, harmonizing outputs from different ESMs and storage tiers (disk, object store, tape) across HPC centers.
• Another key tool is FREVA, which WarmWorld is helping to develop further. FREVA enables users to access and analyze data regardless of where it is stored, in which format, or for what purpose. An AI-based assistant is also being explored to make interacting with data even more intuitive.

Collaboration Across Projects and Endeavors

Colleagues from the WarmWorld-Smarter projects are also taking part in the meeting, contributing new ComIn plugins for ICON and a dashboard-style datahub, strengthening connections within the wider ICON community.

The discussions highlighted how WarmWorld developments are not confined to a single project but are already being applied elsewhere. Tools and workflows are supporting nextGEMS and EERIE, have been stress-tested during large data challenges (such as managing almost 500 TB of data with hiopy), and are becoming essential in cutting-edge simulations—for instance, the XSPIES 1.25 km coupled simulations planned on the new JUPITER supercomputer.

In the next days the Easier members will work in dedicated groups towards tackling the current challenges, as well as plan the work towards the end of WarmWorld Phase 1 and bridging for Phase 2 of the project.