Chair, Inter-Programme Expert Team on Metadata Implementation WMO Core Metadata Dr Steve Foreman Chair, Inter-Programme Expert Team on Metadata Implementation

Contents Data challenges facing meteorology What is “metadata”? WMO approach to metadata Implementation of the standards

Regional Associations Challenges facing WMO Regional Associations R.A. I Africa (56 Members) R.A.III South America (13 Members) R.A. V South-West Pacific (22 Members) R.A. VI Europe (49 Members) R.A. IV North America, Central America And the Caribbean (25 Members) R.A. II Asia (35 Members)

Technical Commissions Challenges for WMO Technical Commissions Basic Commissions Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observations (CIMO) Commission for Hydrology (CHy) Commission for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) Applications Commissions Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (CAeM) Commission for Agricultural Meteorology (CAgM) Joint WMO/IOC technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) Commission for Climatology (CCl)

Challenges for WMO Weather forecast 23 400 000 Surface temperature 3 050 000 Climate change 67 600 000 Hurricane warning 375 000

What is metadata? “Data about data” describes data what are the data? where are they for? who is responsible? what are the units? ………..

What is metadata? In this context it is not although the conditions at an observing site although these can be described by metadata

What is metadata? Observing site name: Aviemore Location (deg lat, deg long): 57N, 3W Elevation: 226m Parameter observed: temperature Operator: Met Office Started: 11:50 01/01/01 Ended: 12:00 01/01/01 Value: 4 Units: Celsius Instrument instrument number: 123456 instrument inspection date: 01/01/01 instrument type: Magic mercury 1234 Data Metadata

What is metadata? Need to agree So that what needs to be described how they will be organised what they will be called So that non-specialists can find data applications can handle data

WMO approach to metadata Build on existing standards WMO GRIB and BUFR definitions ISO 191xx series Geographic metadata (19115)  XML representation (19139) ? Open Geospatial Consortium Catalog service ?

WMO Core metadata Use ISO 19115 Complex international standard evolving lessons from other users Complex select subset expand where essential but can cause problems for others

WMO Core Metadata Core metadata: Contents of Core: subset of full standard most appropriate elements for field some extensions to cover specific needs Contents of Core: Mandatory: required either by ISO standard or by Core Optional: elements expected to be included, but not always applicable

WMO Core metadata - overview About metadata Metadata standard Language Maintenance Dataset details Title of dataset Description (abstract), topics covered Where data are, format Time and space Representative: Area/volume covered by data Time span for data IPR issues Owner and contact Restrictions on use Data types Physical quantities, units, specific qualities Quality control and processing information

WMO Core metadata WMO specifics Topic ISO standard: climatology, meteorology, atmosphere, environment, oceans add: list of more specific topics Keywords add: define list of standard physical quantities

WMO Core Metadata WMO specifics Space add: Irregular point set Time add: 360 day calendar

WMO Core metadata Status Draft standard presented to CBS XIII available for testing does it cover needs of Programmes? are all the extensions needed? is it too biased to World Weather Watch?

WMO Core metadata Status XML practical method of exchanging information schemas written and tested but now ISO standard agreed

WMO Core metadata Status Temperature in Sweden? Discover Stockholm, please Select Retrieve

WMO Core Metadata Status Features describe actual data 211620Z EGLL EGLL 211620Z 19007KT 170V230 9999 FEW038 BKN060 20/11 Q1020 NOSIG

WMO Core metadata Status Tests: Russian climatology SIMDAT data supply ACSYS polar information

Implementation Technical define features review standard ISO changes extensions needed? what in “metadata”, what in “features”? apply new standards XML representation Open Geospatial Consortium catalogues

Implementation Testing Processes needs of other Programmes interoperability Processes maintenance Core Profile Catalogues Lexicons etc….

Summary Metadata WMO Core Implementation increase usefulness of data description available to all Implementation test for non-World Weather Watch XmL representation feature definition tools