The data portal is an XML based protocol for those requiring access to the raw numerical data, rather than an image as served up by the Web Map Server portal.

Using the HTTP protocol and XML, you log on to the server and then request one or more data sets, which are then extracted from the MIDAS database. The data is returned as arrays of data points for gridded forecast data, lists of points for current weather reports, and imagery and descriptive metadata.

The format is more flexible and more compact than GRIB, as there is not the unnecessary data held in the GRIB header, or the repetition of header data for each time step and parameter. The returned data is also easier to use, as data is returned as an array of binary values that can be used straight away on the PC platform, rather than having to deal with the bit twiddling of converting GRIB's floating point format into PC format.

The format is very compact, as there is no redundant or repeated information, binary data is used for the weather information, and both requests and responses are compressed.

The data portal is used, for example, in Smartcom Software's SmartMet client application.