World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Observing and Information Systems Department

1. World Meteorological Organization (WMO)Observing and Information Systems Department WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) Presented by Eliot Christian <echristian@wmo.int>WIS Senior Scientific Officerat the Regional Consultation MeetingZambezi River Flood Early Warning System Maputo, Mozambique 1-5 December 2009

2. WIGOS Vision An integrated, comprehensive and coordinated observing system to satisfy in a cost-effective and sustained manner the evolving observing requirements of WMO Members and to enhance coordination of WMO observing systems with those of WMO partner organizations for the benefit of society WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

3. Drivers • Policy & decision makers need quality adviceDon’t like funding duplication across "silos"; Don't like uncoordinated activities • Increased awareness of Earth as integrated system Modeling our world requires information from many sources WMO increasingly depends on partnerships and collaboration across different fields • Greater vulnerability of society to extreme weather events and climate change Society is much more complex, yet also more capable of using technology and science Increasingly sophisticated expectations Demands more for less WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

4. Purpose Pursuant to Resolution 32 (Cg-XV), WMO Quality Management Frameworkrequested National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) • to ensure the traceability of measurementsto recognized world standards approved for the use of WMO Members; • to ensure that observations and related information are of identified quality for international exchange through the WMO coordinated systems and relevant joint standards with other international organizations WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

5. Benefits Across all WMO domains of activity, WMO Members and Partners will benefit from WIGOS through: • Improved quality, traceability and consistency of observations for better products and services • Improved access to observations, both real-time and non-real-time • Optimization of observing network design and flexibility to incorporate new observing systems • Improved coordination, standardization and evaluation of national observing networks by NMHSs • Improved data assimilation techniques to allow better exploitation of observations in Numerical Weather Predictions (NWPs) in an integrated manner WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

6. Objectives • Enable the evolution and integration of WMO observing systems and enhance collaboration with WMO partner organizations • Better enable WMO Members to meet expanding national mandates and achieve higher national visibility with other environment related agencies • Provide a mechanism for enhanced integration between surface- and space-based components • Realize integration efficiencies and cost savings, freeing resources that can be reinvested to overcome known deficiencies and gaps in the observing systems WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

7. Collaboration Strong cooperation and collaboration is needed among all partners • WMO will work with partner organizationsto achieve maximum commonality of standards and practices across the co-sponsored observing systems • Guarantee a continuing sense of ownership by those organizations that initiated and developed observing system components WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

8. Programme Requirements • Integrated governance and collaboration • Quality management(user focused, quality assurance/quality control, traceability, documentation, capacity building, monitoring, evaluation, feedback, remedial actions, improvement) • Observing system interoperability and data compatibility • Optimization (coordinated planning, platform opportunities, innovation) WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

9. Approach • Build upon the existing observing components of WWW GOS, GAW, and WHYCOS • Capitalize on existing and new and emerging technologies. • Improve access to and utilization of surface-based observations and products from co-sponsored systems such as GTOS, GOOS and GCOS through enhanced coordination. • Improve space-based component by enhanced collaboration through partnerships such as the Coordination Group for Meteorological Satellites (CGMS) and the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS). • Enhance integration between its surface- and space-based components • Provide a mechanism to meet new observational requirements of its Members. • Make a major and unique contribution to United Nations agencies that are focused on environmental stewardship WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

10. Standardization: the Key to Integration • Standardization of instruments and methods of observation • standards relating to homogeneity, usability, compatibility and traceability of observations and related products • Information management and exchange • Standards relating to WIS information management and exchange including, interoperability, search and access • End-product quality assurance • Standards relating to quality management practices, including how to describe QM frameworks WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

11. Users QMF Standards Instruments and methods of observation standards Data Processing and Forecasting WIS Standards for Data & Metadata exchange & Discovery, Access and Retrieval (DAR) Services Observations for Weather, Climate, Water, Ocean, … Archiving Active Quality Management Standards for Observations, Quality Management, Information Management WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

12. Standards for Observations WIGOS should encompass homogeneity, interoperability, compatibility, and traceability of observations from all encompassed observing systems This should be: • based on guidance and studies and • achieved through implementation of recommendations on methods of observationby the Instruments and Methods of Observation Programme (IMOP) and all related WMO and partner Programmes in all encompassed networks WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

13. Standards for Observations Required for all observational data and associated metadata, including all relevant data and metadata management procedures: • the measurements from individual observing systems can be integrated into accurate and coherent data sets for development of unbiased, homogeneous long-term trends; • also needed to improve their use in Numerical Weather Prediction WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

14. Phase 1: WIGOS Development and Implementation Strategy Development and Implementation Phase (Project Phase) aiming at development and implementation of the WIGOS organizational global framework for integration, coordination and optimization of multiple observing systems owned by WMO and its partners (co-sponsors) expected to be conducted principally between 2011 (Cg-XVI) and 2015 (Cg-XVII) WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

15. Phase 2: WIGOS Operational Phase WIGOS Operational Phase (decades ongoing) implementation of WIGOS constituent observing systems / networks will evolve continuously to expand and improve services delivery and decision making, in response to evolving users’ needs and opportunities. WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

16. Pilot and Demonstration Projects • Pilot Projects – Technical Commission projects to explore WIGOS concepts as they might be applied in actual systems • AMDAR, JCOMM ODP, GAW WDC, WHYCOS, CIMO, GSICS, GRUAN • Demonstration Projects – Regional or Member activities exploring WIGOS Concepts • Kenya, Morocco, Russia, Australia, Brazil, Korea, United States, RA VI (Europe) WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

17. WIGOS Reference Documents WMO Cg-XV (2007) governance WMO Executive Commitee guidance WIGOS Concept of Operations (CONOPS) WIGOS Development and Implementation Plan http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/wigos/index_en.html WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)