The Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI) is a research and service agency under the Ministry of Transport and Communications. FMI has a staff of approximately 700 employees, half of them working in research units. FMI produces weather and marine forecasts and services for the needs of safety, transport, the economy and citizens. It acquires and maintains reliable information on the physical state and chemical composition of the atmosphere and of the seas, as well as their impacts on the various sectors of Finnish society and internationally.
FMI performs and advances research on the atmosphere, physical oceanography, polar areas and the near-space as well as many other related issues. It combines its know-how into consultancy and development services in Finland and abroad, notably regarding issues pertaining to the environment, the transport sectors, and generic weather-related security. FMI operates an Arctic research centre in Sodankylä, northern Finland, and the Pallas–Sodankylä Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) station. FMI is also actively involved in research of the Arctic Ocean, and has carried out Antarctic research since 1980s.