1. Working Group on Nowcasting & Mesocale Research
Peter Steinle, Rita Roberts & Jeanette Onvlee

2. Instruments for R&D Workshops Publicity, Training etc. Meetings
Linkages across disciplines
Coordination & Advocacy
RDP/FDP
WGNMR key role in providing guidance, advice & oversight
Scientific & social experimentation
Training/Capability Development
Other non-WWRP RDP/FDPs
As for RDP/FDP
Watching brief  opportunities for linkages & further development
In order to advance nowcasting and mesoscale research WG-NMR is heavily involved in guiding, advising and overseeing various Research Demonstration Projects (RDPs) and Forecast Demonstration Projects (FDPs) as well as participating in the scientific and organizing committees for a number of relevant symposia and conferences. A major method of promoting and encouraging development in keys research topics is via the judicious choice of sessions and keynote speakers at various symposia and conferences. In particular WG-NMR provides the International Scientific Committee for the Workshop on Short-range forecasting and Nowcasting (WSN) every 4 years, and is also involved in the Data Assimilation Symposia. The working group also actively encourages the organizing committees to include sessions relating to the action areas.
Another important strategy that WG-NMR has to advance research into the WWRP challenges however is via the oversight of RDP/FDPs. The Working Group is generally directly represented on the international science committees, which provides platforms for ensuring that the science and implementation plans address relevant aspects of the Implementation Plan’s Action Areas. The connections to research projects from around the world also means these direct influences are augmented by encouraging and facilitating links between various smaller projects.
The working group is also actively collaborating with groups within both WWRP and WMO in general, to facilitate research into some of the broader or cross-cutting Action Areas. These collaborations will be broadened to include stronger links with groups such as GURME.
Finally there are a number of actions where WG-NMR just needs to maintain a watching brief on existing efforts, and to provide a channel for coordination between different projects.

3. Meetings & Policy RDP   Grey Zone, GABLS etc.
Held WSN-16, Planning WSN-20
Early Career Scientist training
Noticeable private sector involvement
Established merged group and how will address WWRP Implementation Plan
Preparation of Nowcasting Guidelines for CBS
Will propose enhanced guidelines for RDP & FDP submissions
With DAOS & PDEF – start with now, continue throughout the year
Expect mostly telecon, but includes invitations to annual meetings
Cross representation on organizing committees for major symposia
RDP   Grey Zone, GABLS etc.
Cross-representation on organizing committees required to promote & stimulate cross-area development (which is where many interesting and challenging bits are)

4. RDP/FDP Process Assist with development of proposals/opportunities
RELAMPAGO, LVB, HIW, LAFE, SURF
Influence & steer towards WWRP goals
Clearer guidance on RDP/FDP requirements, including
Direct connection to WWRP goals
Implementation plans to describe the development being explored
Support for wider involvement (data access: policy & sustainability)
Push hard on impact assessment
Develop summary of current situation & approaching requirements for urban observation and prediction
Promotion & advocacy of opportunities across wider community

5. RDP/FDP Involvement UPDRAFT - TC landfall etc.
AvRDP – doing all that is asked, and more
New plan in January ‘17
Lake Vic – SWFDP links
Observations: lightning, rainfall, severe winds
Guidance on observing & nowcasting possibilities
ICE-POP – Importance of convective-scale & nowcast ensembles
Cloud observations, modelling and impact
SURF – Cloud & aerosol observations, modelling and impact
Link to nearby urban studies
RELAMPAGO – Nowcasting capacity development
Observations: Rainfall, flash floods, severe weather (hail, tornadoes)

6. RDP/FDP Involvement LAFE – new observations
Working on developing a proposal
TOMACS – publicize existing data sets for urban & new observation studies
SCMREX – TC, rainfall
convective scale & nowcasting ensembles
Links to SWFDP

7. Land Surface
Advocacy/support for more groups to unify under major international community frameworks such as NASA LIS
Publicizing BNHCRC work, and exploring linkages to related work
Providing a link between modelling community, Emergency Services, Agriculture and Water Management: short range  seasonal

8. Observations
Standards: Refinement on EUMETNET/OPERA for radar (data quality needs)
GNSS, lidar & aircraft require attention
Satellites – Data Exchange & User meetings
SCOPE
GOES-R (November 2016) for U.S. and S. America
Lidar – LAFE proposal
Aviation related - AvRDP

9. Web resources FDP/RDP guidelines Impact Model Inventory
Contacts & data access description for data exchange
TOMACS & other RDP data
Regional networks – timeliness, QC
SCOPE
Experimental data
Contacts for non-WWRP, but related activities?

10. Other projects STEPS, INCA-Ens, NCAR-Ens, SWIRLS-Ens
Km-scale ensembles
PROFORCE: impact, user focus
ARISTOTLE
SRNWP – EPS: convective scale ensembles
EUMETNET – ASIST: convective scale & nowcast ensembles
NWCSAF
BNHCRC
WGNMR activity
Science Committees – setting science goals
Publicity & advocacy – raising profile and providing links across projects
e.g. WSN

11. Other projects
“Meteorology of Tropical West Africa: the Forecasters’ Handbook*” book will be published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, in Jan Chapter 6 on Nowcasting was authored by Rita Roberts and James Wilson.
*WMO was one of the partners in the preparation of this book, through its Education and Training Office, the Data-processing and Forecasting System Division of the Weather and Disaster Risk Reduction Services Department and the World Weather Research Programme within the Atmospheric Research and Environment Branch. In addressing the needs of the meteorological community in West Africa, the book makes a significant contribution to the WMO Capacity Development Programme.

12. Gaps / Pauses Polar –addressing with new membership
New AvRDP plan – Jan 2017
Establish solid links to GAW (smoke etc.) in general
and GURME (urban) specifically
WCRP & GEWEX links

13. Summary Still establishing group.
ToR done, membership to be finalized
FDP/RDPs & Symposia main instruments for addressing most of the Action items
Establish links between related, non-WWRP, activities
Steer towards aligning with WWRP Implementation Plan
Significant involvement with developments of proposals
… and strategic management of these projects
Each FDP/RDP addresses many action areas