President of WMO has approved the first simple (fast track) amendment to the Manual on GTS. This adds data designators for use in GTS Abbreviated Headers to allow more aviation information (OPMET) to be identified when it is not in Traditional Alphanumeric Code Form (the information will be in IWXXMM XML/GML format).

Details of the amendment are available from this link.

President of WMO has approved the first simple (fast track) amendment to the Manual on WIS for 2016. This modifies the definition of the keyword “WMOEssential” in the code list “WMO_DataLicenseCode” (Table 14 to Annex C to the Manual on WIS). The formal amendment to WMO-No. 1060 Manual on WIS is available from http://wis.wmo.int/WIS-Manual.

The change is intended to clarify that the keyword may be used to describe “essential” hydrological and GFCS relevant climate related data. This clarifies the intention of the keyword that it should be used to describe information that is classed as “essential” under WMO Resolutions 40 (Cg-CII), 25 (Cg-XIII) or 60 (Cg-17).

This change will be implemented on 17 May 2016.

An article in the Herald has highlighted the importance to meteorology of Zimbabwe's High Performance Computing Centre commissioned in February 2015, stating "The Meteorological Services Department is currently using the computer for weather forecasting facilitating better policy implementation and interventions in a country which is so heavily dependent on the agricultural sector."

The Gulf Marine Center in Qatar was formally opened by Qatar's Minister of Transport and Communications. The Minister stated that the centre serves the Gulf region and the Indian Ocean, stressing that opening it and having it accredited by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is an official recognition of Qatar's regional status.
See http://www.qatar-tribune.com/viewnews.aspx?n=35C80DFA-49E9-4FAD-A5DD-F90761F3D873&d=20160226

The report of the 17th Session of the World Meteorological Congress (Cg-17) is now available online. See here for all languages or http://library.wmo.int/pmb_ged/wmo_1157_en.pdf for English

Seventeenth Congress made many decisions that impact on the operation and development of the WIS. These are summarized here. More details may be found in the World Weather Watch and WIS documents that were approved by Congress.

Resolution 4.2.1/2 (Cg-17) - Procedures for maintaining manuals and guides managed by the Commission for Basic Systems

• Extends the Simple ("Fast Track") and Standard ("Between Sessions") procedures for maintaining manuals and guides to all those that are managed by CBS.
• Authorizes use of the Standard ("Between Sessions") procedure for amending manuals in response to amendments to WMO-No. 49 Volume II Meteorological service for international air navigation.

Resolution 4.2.3(1)/1 (Cg-17) - Report of the Extraordinary Session 2014 of the Commission for Basic Systems - centres and networks of the WMO Information System

• Updates the tables listing DCPCs.
• Extends the period of conditional designation of centres in that category until CBS-16 to allow time for implementation to complete.
• Introduced the SATCOM Forum to coordinate satellite-based telecommunications activities.

Resolution 4.2.3(1)/2 (Cg-17) - Report of the Extraordinary Session 2014 of the Commission for Basic Systems relevant to technical regulations concerning the Global Telecommunications System, Data Management and the WMO Information System

• Manual on GTS
  • Editorial changes for consistence with changes to WMO No 49.
  • New TTAA designations in abbreviated headers.
  • Volume II of the Manual on GTS should be discontinued and replaced by web-based documentation.
  • National and regional information should be included in messages distributed globally to meet the needs of global numerical weather prediction.

• Manual on Codes
  • Amend regulations for reporting traditional observation data in BUFR or CREX.
  • Clarify the representation of missing data in BUFR.
  • New reports for the World Weather Watch should only be placed on the GTS in Table Driven Code Form.
  • Introduced Volume I.3 for Model Driven Code Forms, the first example of this is the XML support for international civil aviation (IWXXM, METCE and related components).

• Manual on WIS
  • Editorial changes for consistency with WMO No 49 and the introduction of new and updated reference documents.
  • Adds Appendix D to include the WIS Technical Specifications.
  • Adds Appendix E - WMO Information System Competencies.

• Guide to the WIS
  • Adds reference to the competences of personnel
  • Introduced Part VI - Operational Guidance
  • Introduced Appendix A that holds annexes to paragraphs in the Guide that provide additional information to support those paragraphs.
  • Includes the WIS Technical Specifications into the Guide to the WIS.
  • Adds Appendix B on WMO Information Systems Use Cases.
  • Adds Appendix C on WIS demonstration test cases.
  • Adds Appendix D on the WIS Training and Learning Guide.

• Technical regulations (WMO-No. 49)
  • Adds WIS competencies.

• Scope of WIS
  • The scope of the WMO Information System will be extended to include setting and auditing standards for centres that hold information in support of WMO Programmes, and to provide guidance on other aspects of data management, to be known as "Part C" of the WMO Information System.

The code lists that support the WMO Discovery Metadata have been updated following a fast track approval that was implemented on 19 May 2015. The term "radiation" has been added to the list of category codes, and the term "NoLimitation" has been added to the list of data licence codes. Existing WIS Discovery Metadata records do not need to be updated, but data owners wish to use the new code lists to describe more accurately their information resources.

The Abridged final report, with resolutions and recommendations, on the Commission for Basic Systems Extraordinary session, Asunci

The President of WMO has approved the addition of additional country identifiers for use in GTS abbreviated headings. For details see http://wis.wmo.int/GTS-Manual.

The Global Information System Center (GISC) Tokyo ran its third JMA Workshop on WMO Information System Implementation at JMA Headquarters in Tokyo from 18 to 20 November 2014. The event was attended by 18 representatives from nine National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam, as well as presenters from GISC Offenbach (Germany), GISC Beijing (China) and the WMO Secretariat.



More ...