PROGRAMMES > WWW > WIS >

 

WMO Global Information System Centres
 
WMO's clearing house for data, products and services
Global Information System Centres (GISCs) are operated by WMO Members as a major component of the WMO Information System (WIS) infrastructure. A GISC's primary role is to collect from and disseminate information to WIS centres in its area of responsibility and with the global WMO community. GISCs also provide search portals through which information from WMO and other interoperable systems can be discovered and accessed.

Each WIS centre is associated with a principal GISC that serves as the centre's main entry point for distributing and receiving WIS data and metadata by appropriate telecommunication systems, including  the GTS. Association between a centre and a GISC is established by bilateral agreement.

The WIS centres database contains a list of WIS centres and their associated principal and back-up GISCs. This list will be updated as Members notify the Secretariat of associations between centres and GISCs.

WIS discovery metadata is the basis of the information and data management of WIS and WIS centres manage their metadata through their principal GISC.

Start-up discovery metadata has been generated by Météo France for data exchanged on the Global Telecommunications System (GTS).  WIS uses the start-up discovery metadata if centres have not provided their own discovery metadata for the GTS traffic. WIS centres can either download their start-up metadata from any operational GISC, edit it locally and them make it available to their principal GISC, or manage the metadata directly through their principal GISC.

Initially not all WIS centres will have access to their principal GISC, since not all GISCs will be operational at the start up of WIS. To ensure all centres can manage their discovery metadata immediately, some GISCs are offering an interim metadata management service. A centre can chose which GISC's interim metadata management service it prefers. Once the centre’s principal GISC becomes operational, the centre will manage its metadata through the principal GISC.

Here is a list of GISCs and links, including links to the interim metadata management services where available.
The following GISCs were also designated by Congress XVI and are expected to be operational shortly. Links connect to GISCs' main home page.
WIS - GEOSS interoperability and Gateway
The WIS metadata catalogue is included in Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) operationally. Changes in any WIS metadata are automatically synchronized in the GEOSS portal. Technically this is realized via the “Euro-GEOSS Broker” which harvests the WIS catalogue from GISC Offenbach; GISC Tokyo serves as backup gateway. In this way, the registering of data and products in WIS, automatically registers these in GEOSS.
 
Notes for reviewers of the start-up metadata:
Instructions on how to find the metadata for a country and how the responsible authority in that country can sign-up and maintain the metadata is included in the information provided through  the Interim Metadata Management Service links are listed below. When reviewing the start-up metadata, WIS centres are encouraged to pay special attention to the following instructions provided by Météo France.
 
Notes for reviewers of the start-up metadata:
In addition to checking that the start-up metadata describes the dataset correctly, the following items need especially attention because the automated processing did not have access to all the information needed to fully complete the metadata record.

ESSENTIAL: Insert at least one thematic keyword from the WMO_CodeList dictionary (gmd:MD_Keywords/@id="WMOCodeListKeywords").
Bulletin constraints (gmd:resourceConstraints). This should reflect the GTS Category (WMO_DataLicenseCode) and GTS Priority (WMO_GTSProductCategoryCode) of the bulletin.

Bulletin Originator (gmd:pointOfContact). This should include the correct contact information for the originating centre for the GTS bulletin.

Bulletin Distributor (gmd:distributorContact and gmd:name in all instances of gmd:MD_DigitalTransferOptions). For some organizations, contact details may be different for each delivery method.
Online distribution details for the bulletin (all instances of gmd:MD_DigitalTransferOptions). There may be more than one online means of distributing the information.

top

WIS HOME
CBS related meetings
EXPERT TEAMS
Terms of Reference - OPAG-ISS
Members of OPAG-ISS
WIS Working Groups
REPORTS /
TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS
Reference documents
Manuals/Technical Regulations
CROSS-CUTTING
WIGOS
WSP
QMF
DRR
Radio Frequency Management
System Support Activities
Software Exchange
OTHER LINKS
GEOSS
THORPEX
IPY
CONTACTS
WMO Secretariat


©2019 World Meteorological Organization
, 7bis, avenue de la Paix, Case postale No. 2300, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland 
Tel.: +41(0)22 730 81 11 - Fax: +41(0)22 730 81 81
Disclaimer | UN System | Accessibility

 

  Extranet Homepage Website Public Comms