CBS-16/Doc.3.1(2), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 3
World Meteorological OrganizationCOMMISSION FOR BASIC SYSTEMS
Sixteenth Session
Guangzhou, China, 23 to 29 November 2016 / CBS-16/Doc.3.1(2)
Submitted by:
Secretary-General
28.XI.2016
APPROVED
[All amendments in the document have been made by the Secretariat]
AGENDA ITEM 3: DECISIONS RELATED TO TECHNICAL REGULATIONS, ASSOCIATED GUIDES AND GUIDANCE MATERIAL
AGENDA ITEM 3.1: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE MANUAL ON THE WMO INTEGRATED GLOBAL OBSERVING SYSTEM AND FOR THE GUIDE TO THE WMO INTEGRATED OBSERVING SYSTEM
SUMMARY
DECISIONS/ACTIONS REQUIRED:
Adopt draft Recommendation 3.1(2)/1 — Initial version of the Guide to WIGOS.
CONTENT OF DOCUMENT:
The Table of Contents is available only electronically as a Document Map[*].
DRAFT RECOMMENDATION
Draft Recommendation 3.1(2)/1 (CBS-16)
INITIAL VERSION OF THE GUIDE TO WIGOS
THE COMMISSION FOR BASIC SYSTEMS,
Noting the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, Part I – WIGOS,
Noting the Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No. 1160),
Noting the development of the initial version of the Guide to WIGOS by the Inter-Commission Coordination Group on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (ICG-WIGOS) and its Editorial Board, as provided in the Annex to this draft recommendation (English version only),
Noting the achievements of the CBS/OPAG-IOS and its Inter Programme Expert Team on Observing System Design and Evolution (IPET-OSDE) regarding the development of guidance material to address the Observing Network Design Principles specified in the Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System, Appendix 2.1, as provided in section 5 of the Annex to this draft recommendation,
Noting further:
(1) That EC-68 requested:
(a) The Secretary-General to submit the document to the sixteenth session of the Commission for Basic Systems (November 2016) for its review and endorsement,
(b) ICG-WIGOS to further develop and enhance the Guide to WIGOS with additional material as it becomes available,
(2) That EC-68 invited Members:
(a) To use the Guide to WIGOS in their implementation of the relevant technical regulations,
(b) To provide feedback to the Secretary-General on how to improve subsequent versions of the Guide to WIGOS,
Recommends to the Executive Council to adopt the initial version of the Guide to WIGOS and that the Council ensure that it be made available to Members in all WMO official languages.
Requests the Secretary-General to publish the specification of the BUFR code table entries that support WIGOS station identifiers on the WMO web site in advance of their formal approval through the Fast Track procedure.
Request the Secretary-General to maintain WMO Vol. 9 and the associated 5-digit WMO station identifiers until Cg-19, when Members have received training and have had sufficient time to transition to the new WIGOS station identifiers.
______
Annex: 1
Annex to draft Recommendation 3.1(2)/1 (CBS-16)
Initial Guide to the WMO INTEGRATED GLOBAL OBSERVING SYSTEM
(Version 0.5)
DRAFT
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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
1. INTRODUCTION TO WIGOS
2. WIGOS STATION IDENTIFIERS
3. WIGOS METADATA
4. MAKING WIGOS METADATA AVAILABLE TO WMO USING OSCAR/SURFACE
5. OBSERVING NETWORK DESIGN
INTRODUCTION
General
This is the first edition of the Guide to the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No.XXXX), developed following the Seventeenth World Meteorological Congress' decision for WIGOS to proceed in a Pre-operational Phase (2016-2019), decision to publish WIGOS-related regulatory material in the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, Part I – WIGOS and its new Annex VIII: Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No. 1160), and request that a set of guidelines incorporated in an initial Guide to WIGOS be provided to WMO Members by 1 July 2016 and progressively revised and enhanced through the WIGOS Pre-operational Phase. In essence, the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, Part I – WIGOS and Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No. 1160) specify where, when, what and how is to be observed in order to meet the relevant observational requirements of Members.
This initial Guide to WIGOS aims to assist Members to comply with a number of new regulations which come into effect on 1 July 2016. It was developed by the Secretariat, in particular the WIGOS Project Office, with input from technical experts of the Executive Council's Inter-commission Coordination Group on WIGOS (ICG-WIGOS) task teams and the lead technical commissions (CBS and CIMO).
Purpose and Scope
This initial version of the Guide provides material relevant to some of the new WIGOS-related regulations. The topics cover the new system of WIGOS station identifiers, the new requirements to record and make available metadata as specified in the WIGOS metadata standard, and the new OSCAR (Observing Systems Capability Analysis and Review) tool to be used by Members to submit metadata for WMO global compilation. Further content is in preparation and will be included in future versions. The next version is planned for 2017. Future versions of this guide will provide detailed guidance and technical guidelines on how to establish, operate and manage WIGOS component observing systems to make observations in compliance with the regulations of the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, Part I – WIGOS and Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No. 1160). Future versions of the Guide will explain and describe WIGOS practices, procedures and specifications and will be aimed at assisting the technical and administrative staff of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services responsible for the networks of observing stations in preparing national instructions for observers.
The Guide should be used in conjunction with the many other relevant WMO guides, technical documents and related publications which complement each other. The Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation (WMO-No. 8) is the authoritative reference for all matters related to instrumentation and methods of observation. It should be consulted for more detailed descriptions and best practices. The subsequent step of how observations are to be encoded and reported is specified in the Manual on Codes (WMO-No. 306).
The Guide to the Global Observing System (WMO-No. 488) is the authoritative reference for all matters related to the GOS.
List of relevant and related publications
The development of this Guide is taking a "thin layer" approach, meaning it aims only to publish additional and new material which complements the existing material in existing Guides. All guidance material relating to observing systems in any of the WMO Guides or Manuals is effectively WIGOS guidance material.
Here is the list of the publications relevant and related to the Guide to WIGOS. The most relevant are indicated by an asterisk (*) following the publication name. Publications are also referenced within sections of this initial Guide where there is a very specific point to be highlighted. All these publications are available at http://library.wmo.int/opac/index.php. The search can be done either using “WMO/No.” or “WMO/TD-No.” where the corresponding number of the publication is used.
Technical Regulations, Volumes I - IV (WMO-No. 49) *
I. Manuals:
1. Manual on Codes – International Codes (WMO-No. 306), Volume I.1: Part A – Alphanumeric Codes (2011 edition updated in 2015)
2. Manual on Codes - International Codes (WMO-No. 306), Volume I.2: Part B and Part C (2011 edition updated in 2015)
3. Manual on the Global Telecommunication System (WMO-No. 386), Volume I (2011 edition updated in 2013)
4. International Cloud Atlas (WMO-No. 407), Volume I (1975 edition) *
5. International Cloud Atlas (WMO-No. 407), Volume II (1987 edition) *
6. Manual on the Global Data-Processing and Forecasting System (WMO-No. 485) (2010 edition updated in 2015)
7. Manual on the Global Observing System (WMO-No. 544), Volume I (2010 edition updated in 2015) *
8. Manual on Marine Meteorological Services (WMO-No. 558) (2012 edition)
9. Manual on the Implementation of Education and Training Standards in Meteorology and Hydrology: Volume I – Meteorology (WMO-No. 1083) (2012 edition)
10. Manual on the WMO Information System (WMO-No. 1060) (2012 edition updated in 2015)
11. Manual on the WIGOS (WMO-No. 1160) *
II. Guides:
1. Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation (WMO-No. 8) (2014 edition) *
2. Guide to Climatological Practices (WMO-No. 100) (2011 edition) *
3. Guide to Agricultural Meteorological Practices (WMO-No. 134) (2010 edition updated in 2012)
4. Guide to Hydrological Practices (WMO-No. 168), Volume I (2008 edition) *
5. Guidelines for the Education and Training of Personnel in Meteorology and Operational Hydrology, Volume I: Meteorology (WMO-No. 258) (2002 Edition)
6. Guidelines for the Education and Training of Personnel in Meteorology and Operational Hydrology, Volume II: Hydrology (WMO-No. 258) (2003 Edition)
7. Guide on the Global Data-Processing System (WMO-No. 305) (1993 edition)
8. Guide to Marine Meteorological Services (WMO-No. 471) (2001 edition)
9. Guide to the Global Observing System (WMO-No. 488) (2010 edition updated in 2013) *
10. Guide to the Quality Management System for the Provision of Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation (WMO-No. 1001) (2011 edition)
11. Guide to the Implementation of a Quality Management System for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (WMO-No. 1100) (2013 edition)
12. Guide to the WMO Information System (WMO-No. 1061) (2013)
III. Technical documents/technical notes:
1. Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN), Operations Manual (WCRP-121, WMO/TD-No. 1274) (2005)
2. Global Atmosphere Watch Measurements Guide (WMO/TD-No. 1073) (2001)
3. Guide to the GCOS Surface Network (GSN) and GCOS Upper-Air Network (GUAN) (WMO/TD-No. 1558) (GCOS-144) (2010 Update of GCOS-73)
4. International Meteorological Tables (WMO-No. 188, TP 94) (1966) *
5. Manual on sea level measurement and interpretation, Volume IV (WMO/TD-No.1339) (Update to 2006)
6. Note on the standardization of pressure reduction in the International Network of Synoptic stations (WMO-No. 154, TP 74) (1964)
7. WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Strategic Plan: 2008-2015 - A contribution to the Implementation of the WMO Strategic Plan: 2008-2011 (WMO/TD-No. 1384) (revised in 2007) *
IV. Guidelines and other related publications:
1. Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) Reference Manual (WMO-No. 958) (2003)
2. GAW Reports
3. GCOS Upper-Air reference Network (GRUAN) – Manual (WIGOS Technical Report No.2013-02, GCOS-170) (2013)
4. GCOS Upper-Air reference Network (GRUAN) – Guide (WIGOS Technical Report No.2013-03, GCOS-171) (2013)
5. Hydrology and Water Resources Programme (HWRP) Manuals
6. JCOMM Catalogue of Practices and Standards (Manuals and Guides, Observation Standards, such as IOC Manuals and Guides)
7. Marine Meteorology and Oceanography Programme Publications and Documents
8. Sixth WMO Long-term Plan (2004–2011) (WMO-No. 962) (Updated in 2004)
9. Guidelines for the Education and Training of Personnel in Meteorology and Operational Hydrology – Volume I. Meteorology (WMO-No. 258) (2002)
10. Guidelines for the Education and Training of Personnel in Meteorology and Operational Hydrology – Volume II. Hydrology (WMO-No. 258) (2003)
Organization of the Guide
The Guide, when completed, will for ease of reference follow as closely as possible the same structure as used in Volume I Part I – WIGOS of the WMO Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49) and the Manual on the WIGOS (WMO-No. 1160). That structure consists of eight sections.
Sections 1 and 2 apply to the all of WIGOS component observing systems. Section 3 provides further information applicable to the surface based sub-system of WIGOS while Section 4 provides further information applicable to the space based sub-system of WIGOS. Sections 5 - 8 (system specific sections) provide further information relevant to the Global Observing System of the World Weather Watch (Section 5), the Global Atmosphere Watch (Section 6), the WMO Hydrological Observing System (Section 7), and the Global Cryosphere Watch (Section 8), respectively.
When using future versions of the Guide, readers are strongly encouraged to consult all of the relevant Sections recognizing the way in which the Sections build upon each other.
The organization of this initial Guide is extremely abbreviated. Only the first section "Introduction to WIGOS" will remain in the same form in future versions. Other material is, for convenience, presented as sections 2 to 4 in this initial Guide but will become sub-sections in future versions.
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1. INTRODUCTION TO WIGOS
1.1 Purpose and scope of WIGOS
It is specified in the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, Part I – WIGOS and Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No. 1160) that the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) is a framework for all WMO observing systems and for WMO contributions to co-sponsored observing systems in support of all WMO Programmes and activities.
1.2 WIGOS component observing systems
The component observing systems of WIGOS are the Global Observing System (GOS) of the World Weather Watch Programme, the observing component of the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme, the WMO Hydrological Observing System (WHOS) of the Hydrology and Water Resources Programme and the observing component of the Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW), including their surface-based and space-based components.
The above component systems include all WMO contributions to the co-sponsored systems, to the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) and to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The co-sponsored observing systems are the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS), the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Global Terrestrial Observing System (GTOS), all joint undertakings of WMO and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Council for Science.
1.3 Governance and management
Implementation and operation of WIGOS
The implementation of WIGOS is an integrating activity for all WMO and co-sponsored observing systems: it supports all WMO Programmes and activities. The Executive Council and regional associations, supported by their respective working bodies, have a governing role in the implementation of WIGOS. Technical aspects of WIGOS implementation are guided by the technical commissions, with leadership provided through the Commission for Basic Systems and the Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation.
The WIGOS framework implementation phase occurred in the period 2012-2015. Implementation plans and activities followed a structure based on ten Key Activity Areas which are listed below and represented schematically in Figure 1:
(a) Management of WIGOS implementation;
(b) Collaboration with the WMO co-sponsored observing systems and international partner organizations and programmes;