Toolbox

Welcome to the CCI Toolbox!

The Toolbox is a powerful Python package designed to help you access and analyse global long-term data records generated via the ESA Climate Change Initiative (CCI). It is available on GitHub and can be installed with Conda and PyPi.

Whether you are exploring environmental datasets or conducting climate research, the Toolbox

Head over to the Quick start-section to dive in immediately.

Access ESA climate data records

Our Toolbox offers seamless data discovery, metadata inspection and operators to support analysis, and visualisation using Python-native formats such as xarray and geopandas. A dedicated API will support you in finding and opening the right data for your purpose in its appropriate format.

Datasets are provided as


Streamline your data workflow

Toolbox operations range from outlier detection, resampling, coregistration, and time series extraction to support your workflow. Thanks to its close integration with Python's scientific stack, the Toolbox enables users to perform advanced climate data analysis with ease.

In addition, the Python packages xarray, pandas, and geopandas provide a rich and powerful low-level data processing interface for datasets opened through the CCI Toolbox. Please have a look at the API reference for details.


Quick start Notebooks

To get up and running we have developed a series of quick start Jupyter Notebooks that will allow you to start working immediately, either locally or via the ESA Climate Change Initiative Jupyter Lab.

To help you further, the Toolbox documentation’s Quick Start aims to assist with onboarding, answer frequently asked questions and show you how to achieve various tasks such as:

We invite you to try the ESA CCI Jupyter Lab, where you will find the latest and maintained versions of the Toolbox, Notebooks, and required software. Just register – for free – with your email or GitHub account.

If you would like to explore a particular ECV project in more detail, try the Examples Explorer within Jupyter Lab! We have created helpful Notebooks that provide direct access to specific datasets. These are conveniently organised, ready for you to start working with.

ExamplesExplorer

Quick looks are available for:



Installation

You can also install the Toolbox on your local machine following the steps in this section.

Ready to dive in? Choose the path that fits your setup and paste the commands into your terminal. You’ll be up and discovering climate data in no time.

Method 1 – Start fresh with Conda

If you want a clean, dedicated setup:

$ conda create --name ect --channel conda-forge esa-climate-toolbox
$ conda activate ect


Method 2 – Add to an existing Conda

If you already have an environment activated:

$ conda install --channel conda-forge esa-climate-toolbox


Method 3 – Install from GitHub (latest source)

Great if you want the newest changes or plan to contribute:

$ git clone https://github.com/esa-cci/esa-climate-toolbox.git
$ cd esa-climate-toolbox
$ conda env create
$ conda activate ect
$ pip install -e .


Method 4 – Install with pip

The quick pip route:

$ pip install esa-climate-toolbox


Our interactive Jupyter Notebooks walk you through the essentials: find your data, subset it, work with modern formats, discover tools and available options as well as hands-on examples. Each Notebook is designed to get you comfortable with the Toolbox, step by step. Perfect for beginners and experienced users alike. Get started!


Get help & connect

Stuck on something? Have a brilliant idea? Our support team is here to help you succeed. Whether you're troubleshooting, exploring new features, or sharing what you've discovered – we'd love to hear from you.

Visit our Helpdesk.