Using catalogue service of the Finnish Meteorological Institute it is possible to search metadata related to open data. The catalogue service is based on the GeoNetwork open-source application, and in addition to the Web interface, it provides an Application Programming Interface (API) for accessing the catalogue data. The service contains product catalogue of these data sets available through open interfaces. It is possible to download data sets using either download service or view service. Catalogue contains also metadata of these services.

The product catalogue contains both metadata of group III data sets and services of INSPIRE directive and other open data. INSPIRE data sets are related to whole Finland. Almost all the other metadata is related to certain observation station or region. So it is possible to search metadata related to limited areas in Finland.

Metadata records are linked to corresponding download or view service. So it is possible to download data of certain data set either as XML or view it as an image. Metadata can also contain a straight link to the data of an observation station or place.

Metadata of a data set can be searched using different kind of search functionalities. Simplest way to search metadata is to add the search text to the text box upper left in the catalogue service. If the word is for example temperature, the search returns all the metadata containing this text. The search can be limited further to concern only wanted area in Finland. This is done by using map functionalities in the left. By choosing the rightmost tool from the toolbox above the map, one can draw an area as a rectangle, and limit the search inside this area. Normal zooming and panning functionalities are also available.

The search can still be limited further to concern only wanted time period. This is done by choosing Advanced below the map and further When? and Temporal Extent. By choosing time instants to From and To text boxes you can define the time period. In this view it is also possible to click Keywords text box to get a list of all the keywords. Searches can be limited even further with text, which must be contained in title or abstract and so on.