TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF USERS OF SATELLITE DATA TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

• Provide coordination amongst the users of satellite data telecommunication systems (SDTS) and represent their collective interests in working with the satellite telecommunication service providers and the industry in order to advance the awareness and understanding of the user requirements;
• Advance the awareness and understanding of available and planned capabilities;
• Facilitate adoption of interoperability and quality standards and principles as needed;
• Investigate and propose as needed cooperative and tariff negotiation mechanisms on the use of satellite data telecommunication systems;
• Facilitate the preparation of technical advice and guidance that will optimize STDS choices for each considered application.
• Report to the executive bodies of WMO and IOC through the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS), the Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM), and the GOOS Steering Committee respectively.

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE SATCOM FORUM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Terms of Reference

• 1. Assist the chairperson in the preparation of reports, and their submission, if needed, to the Secretariats of the co-sponsoring Organizations for distribution.
• 2. Annually review the functions and duties of the Forum and recommend any changes to the Chairperson for discussion and approval at the Forum Session.
• 3. Analyze the Forum budget, and advises the Chairperson.

Membership

• 1. The membership shall include:
• i. Chairperson
• ii. Vice-Chairperson
• iii. Three additional members proposed by the Chairperson and elected by the Forum.
  • These members will serve a term of 4 years with an optional 4-year appointment
• iv. Representatives of the Forum sub-programmes
• v. Representatives of the Secretariats of the co-sponsoring Organizations (presently WMO and IOC, ex officio)
• vi. Representatives of Operators and service providers of Satcom systems (ex officio)
• vii. Representatives of Satellite equipment manufacturers (ex officio)
• 2. Careful consideration should be made to ensure a proper mix that represents co- sponsoring Organizations Members/Member Nations/Member States, user groups, and subject matter experts.

Meetings

• 1. As necessary, the Chairperson will convene and organize all Forum-EC meetings. The meetings can be in person, or teleconference.
• 2. If decisions are needed by the Forum-EC as permitted/requested by the Forum Session or the Chairperson during the inter-session, the Forum-EC shall attempt to form a consensus on decisions. If a consensus cannot be reached in a timely manner, the chair may opt to make the decisions by election. Elections for decisions may be organized with a quorum consisting of at least four members of the Forum-EC, including the Chairperson or his nominated deputy.
• 2.1 The following members of the Forum-EC shall have a vote if a decision is made by election:
• i. Chairperson
• ii. Vice-Chairperson
• iii. The three additional members as defined under Membership 1.iii above
• 2.2 The following groups of members of the Forum-EC shall have one vote per group if a decision is made by election:
• i. Representatives of the Forum sub-programmes
• ii. Representatives of the Operators and service providers of Satcom systems
• iii. Representatives of Satellite equipment manufacturers
• 2.3 Where a single vote is held by a group of representatives, it is recommended that they come to a consensus of those who attend the meeting as to how they use their vote. If unable to come to consensus, they should abstain from voting.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE SATCOM FORUM EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The membership as approved by Satcom2018 includes:

TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE SATCOM FORUM CHAIRPERSON

1. The Chairperson shall be impartial and shall not favor any particular group, organization or country;
2. In consultation with the Executive Committee (Forum-EC), the Chairperson shall prepare the agenda, and confirm the venue for the annual session for distribution by the secretariat;
3. The Chairperson shall conduct the annual session of the Forum, and promote free, equitable and open discussion of agenda items;
4. The Chairperson shall convene intersessional meetings of the Forum-EC as necessary;
5. The Chairperson shall regularly liaise with Satcom system providers with regard to developments that might impact the Forum and its members;
6. The Chairperson shall routinely circulate information to the Forum participants during the intersessional period as appropriate;
7. The Chairperson shall deputize the vice-Chairperson if required;
8. The Chairperson shall represent the agreed views, decisions, and requirements of the Forum at various appropriate meetings, and report back on the outcomes to subsequent meetings of the Forum-EC and Forum;
9. The Chairperson, assisted by members of the Forum-EC if required, shall prepare and finalize reports of the Forum and its Forum-EC, and submit them to the Secretariats for publication if necessary;
10. The Chairperson shall seek contributions to the Satcom Forum Trust Fund, advise on the use of the funds, and authorize spending following consultation with the Forum-EC in accordance to the guidance provided by the Forum;

TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE SATCOM FORUM VICE-CHAIRPERSON

• The Chairperson shall deputize the Vice-Chairperson for all of the duties (except for item number 7 of the Forum Chairperson’s ToR) if required.

TERMS OF REFERENCE OF THE SATCOM FORUM REPRESENTATIVE OF THE CO-SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS MEMBER/MEMBER NATION/MEMBER STATE (ROM)

1. shall be nominated by the Permanent Representative of a WMO Member or the Action Addressee of an IOC Member State;
2. should collect evolving requirements from Member/Member Nation/Member State users of Satellite Data Telecommunication systems (Satcom systems) and bring these to the attention of the Forum;
3. could designate an alternate to act on its behalf at Forum meetings by means of a letter to the Forum Chairperson;
4. decides on nominations and proposals put forward by the Forum Executive Committee (Forum-EC);
5. is the only authority in the Forum to represent the Member/Member Nation/Member State user groups and to decide on matters relevant to the Terms of Reference of the Satcom Forum;
6. should initiate interaction with their users, or act as the focal point when deemed to be appropriate or being considered necessary;
7. will provide basic support to existing and new users based on information made available by the Forum or Satcom system providers;
8. interact with Satcom system providers when deemed to be necessary or required;
9. participate in the regular negotiations initiated by the Forum for the tariff and service level of specific Satcom systems;
10. monitor the usage of the Satcom systems by its users;
11. will provide a report to the Forum meeting at least one month prior to the meeting date, in a format following the current reporting structure;
12. should, upon request of Satcom system providers, not distribute or communicate commercially sensitive information provided by Satcom system providers to the ROMs.

TERMS OF REFERENCE OF A SATCOM FORUM REPRESENTATIVE OF A USER GROUP (FRUG)

• i. An agency or consortium (candidate) who wishes to be represented through a FRUG consults with the Satcom Forum Chairperson to check whether there is already a FRUG representing a similar community in the Satcom Forum;
• ii. If such a FRUG already exists, the candidate negotiates whether it could be represented through that FRUG;
• iii. If such a FRUG doesn’t already exist, the candidate provides the Chairperson with the proposed Terms of Reference for the FRUG, and the name of the individual proposed to be the FRUG, and requests these to be added in the list of FRUGs;
• iv. The Chairperson consults with the Forum-EC, and makes an informed recommendation to the next Forum session whether the new FRUG should be accepted or not;
• v. The FRUGs are formally endorsed at the regular Forum sessions.

• i. A FRUG will be an individual who can fairly represent the overall consensus view of a significant user community regarding the use of Satcom systems. Such communities might reasonably include the operators of specific environmental observing stations, e.g. Automatic Weather Stations (AWS), polar observing stations, data buoys, floats, ice platforms, animal tags, ship stations and airborne stations, or bodies with agreed international responsibilities for the promotion, sponsorship or validation of any aspect of environmental observation using Satcom systems (e.g. IOC, WMO, FAO, WWF).
• ii. The FRUG will work with Satcom system providers and the Forum Executive Committee to identify opportunities that might bring the Forum session into closer contact with his/her user group, with a view to establishing within that group the benefits of the Forum process.
• iii. It is accepted that for certain user groups (e.g. animal trackers), accreditation as above might be difficult to establish in the short term. Nonetheless the Forum-EC will work proactively to seek and encourage the identification of FRUGs as essential components of the Forum.
• iv. Notwithstanding the above, the Forum sessions are open with observer status to any interested person (see Forum TORs).
• v. If accredited, a FRUG will be obliged to consult as widely as possible with his/her user community regarding their use and expectations of the Satcom systems, and to make the results of these consultations publicly available well in advance of Forum sessions.
• vi. The FRUG will also be expected to act as an impartial focal point for the dissemination of relevant information regarding Satcom systems that might be of benefit to his/her user community.
• vii. In return, the FRUG will receive a letter of accreditation, and may be able to request some level of financial support from the Forum for attendance at meetings and for other activities approved by the Forum-EC.
• viii. The FRUG will work with Satcom system providers and the Forum-EC to identify opportunities that might bring the Forum session into closer contact with his/her user group, with a view to establishing within that group the benefits of the Forum process.

TYPICAL AGENDA FOR A SATCOM FORUM SESSION IN YEAR YYYY

• 1. ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING
  • 1.1 OPENING OF THE MEETING
  • 1.2 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
  • 1.3 WORKING ARRANGEMENTS
  • 1.4 SELECTION OF THE WRITING GROUP (WG)3
• 2. REPORT OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE FORUM
  • 2.1 REPORT ON THE FORUM-EC
  • 2.2 REVIEW OF ACTIONS
• 3. USER GROUP REPORTS
• 4. REPORT ON THE SUB-PROGRAMMES
• 5. REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF SATCOM SYSTEMS
• 6. REVIEW OF USER’S REQUIREMENTS AND ISSUES
• 7. SATCOM SYSTEMS REVIEW, AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
• 8. REPORT ON TARIFF ISSUES AND RELEVANT NEGOTIATIONS BY THE FORUM SUB-PROGRAMMES
• 9. REVIEW OF THE OPERATING PRINCIPLES
• 10. FUTURE PLANS AND PROGRAMMES
• 11. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
• 12. ELECTION OF THE CHAIRPERSON, VICE-CHAIRPERSON, and FORUM-EC MEMBERSHIP
• 13. DATE AND PLACE OF THE NEXT MEETING
• 14. CLOSURE OF THE MEETING

Registered members

	Salutation	First Name (in full)	Family Name (in full)	Company Name	Country	Created
	Mr	Scott	Rogerson	NOAA (NESDIS)	United States	Fri 09 of Dec, 2016 13:04 CET
	Ms	Laura Kay	Metcalf	NOAA	United States	Fri 09 of Dec, 2016 13:04 CET
	Mr	Andrew	Sybrandy	Pacific Gyre	United States	Wed 02 of May, 2018 16:51 CEST
	Dipl Ing	Pisciottano Jalabert	Gabriel	Instituto Uruguayo de Meteorologia	Uruguay	Fri 09 of Dec, 2016 13:04 CET
	Mr	Tung	QUANG	VSP	Viet Nam	Tue 17 of Jul, 2018 21:14 CEST
	Mr	Tareq Sufian Senan	Al-hammadi	Yemen meteorological service	Yemen	Fri 09 of Dec, 2016 13:04 CET
	Dr	Abdullatif Mohammed	Al-hadaa	Yemen meteorological service	Yemen	Fri 09 of Dec, 2016 13:04 CET

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