At the kind invitation of the government of Australia, the third meeting of the RA V Working Group on the Planning and Implementation of the WWW will be held in Sydney, Australia from 3 to 7 December 2001. Dr R. Brook (Australia) will chair the meeting. Details on the venue and travel information will be provided later. Documents will be available via the WMO Web server at http://www.wmo.ch/web/www/WDM/RA3-PIW-3/documents.html and will be mailed only on request.

1.2 Adoption of the agenda

The provisional agenda will be submitted to the session for adoption.

1.3 Working arrangements

The meeting may wish to agree to working arrangements (working hours etc.). It is planned to deal with all agenda items in plenary although, should the need arise, it would be possible to arrange for ad hoc subgroups to be designated to prepare working results. The working language of the meeting and documentation will be in English.

It is vital that working papers on the issues to be discussed be prepared well in advance of the session so they can be carefully reviewed by all participants prior to the session. Therefore, rapporteurs, coordinators and interested experts are invited to prepare working papers on issues within their areas of expertise and to send these documents to the WMO Secretariat via mail, fax, or electronic mail (in ASCII, MS Word or HTML formats). All documents should be received prior to 1 November 2001 to allow for timely reproduction and distribution to other participants. Documents can be sent to the Secretariat by fax to number 41-22-730-8021 or by electronic mail to mcguirk_d@gateway.wmo.ch.

The chairman will present his report which will review the relevant decisions and priorities set by the twelfth session of the Regional Association and CBS-XII. The report will note the most pressing issues facing the WWW in Region V and, in particular, will highlight actions which should be completed for presentation at the thirteenth session of RA V and CBS-Ext.(2002).

The working group will review the decisions made and guidance given by the twelfth session of RA V (September 1998), Cg-XIII (May 1999), CBS-XII (November 2000) and EC-LIII (June 2001), which have relevance to the work programme of the working group and which are not dealt with under other agenda items. The session may also wish to consider general aspects of regional WWW activities related to the establishment of and the support to other international programmes.

Since the last meeting of the working group the Strategic Action Plan for the Development of Meteorological Services in the Pacific has been developed along with the follow-on Needs Analysis. The working group may wish to consider these documents when developing its recommendations for the Chairman and in defining its future work plan.

The meeting will review the present status of WWW implementation and operation of key facilities based on information received from RA V Members and the results of the monitoring of the operation of the WWW, including the annual global monitoring (October 2001) and the Special MTN Monitoring.

6.1 Global Observing System (GOS)

The session is invited to consider the report of the Rapporteur on the Regional Aspects of the GOS with a view to developing plans and recommending necessary actions needed to achieve the RA V GOS objectives and implementation programme as given in the WMO Fifth Long-term Plan and in accordance with the priorities and guidance given by XII-RA V, in particular the design of the Regional Basic Synoptic Network. The session will also consider relevant aspects of meteorological satellites, including the status of the proposed conversion of analogue APT and WEFAX to digital Low Rate Picture Transmission (LRPT) and Low Rate Information Transmission (LRIT) planned by satellite operators. Under this agenda item, the session may also consider the development of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) upper-air and surface network in Region V.

6.2 Global Telecommunication System (GTS)

The session will consider the report of the Coordinator of the Subgroup on regional aspects of the GTS, which will cover the status of implementation and operation of the RMTN with a view to recommending necessary actions needed to achieve the RA V GTS objectives as given in the WMO Fifth Long-term Plan and in accordance with the priorities and guidance given by XII-RA V. It will consider means of improving the GTS in RA-V where needed, as well as future development and the how to make best use new low-cost technologies that have recently been introduced to the Region.

6.3 Global Data-processing System (GDPS)

The session will consider the report of the Rapporteur on the regional aspects of the GDPS which will cover needs, if any, for new RSMC with geographic specialization, support for decoding of binary representation forms, provision for boundary conditions for limited area models and provision of products for environmental emergency response services.

6.4 WWW Data Management

The session will consider the report of the Rapporteur on the regional aspects of data management and codes with a view to developing plans and recommending necessary actions needed to achieve the RA V WWW DM objectives as given in the WMO Fifth Long-term Plan and in accordance with the priorities and guidance given by XII-RA V.

6.5 WWW Systems Support Activity

The meeting may wish to give guidance and identify priorities for support activities required to consolidate and strengthen the operation of the WWW in the Region, including technical cooperation activities related to the WWW. It will be invited to discuss proposals for improving the WWW Operational Information Services. The meeting will also consider the progress of the Tropical cyclone warning upgrade project and its impact on all WWW components in the region.

The session will consider information on CBS PWS activities as well as the report of the RA IV Rapporteur on Regional Aspects of Public Weather Services. The meeting will consider implementation strategies based on the experience of key NMHSs and will identify priorities for Public Weather Services activities needed to further improve the provision of services. It will also discuss procedures for the exchange of warnings and guidelines for their dissemination to the media.

8. ARRANGEMENTS FOR XIII-RA V

The session will discuss arrangements for XIII-RA V including draft terms of reference for the working group and proposals for the RBSN and RBCN.

The session will discuss any other pressing issues highlighted by participants.

The meeting will review the work accomplished with regard to activities and objectives set by the twelfth session of RA-V and CBS-XII. The meeting will be invited to develop recommendations for the Chairman in defining the future work plan including a recommendation for the next session of the Regional Association on a resolution for re-establishment of the Working Group. In this regard, the working group may wish to recommend appropriate changes in its structure to harmonize with the new working structure of CBS, in particular with regard to the CBS Open Programme Area Group on Information Systems and Services.

The meeting will close on Friday, 7 December 2001.