1. WMO GMAS Global Multi-Hazard Alert System
Framework for Meteorological and Hydrological Early Warnings
and Hazard Mapping Services
Ivan Čačić Special Advisor
of the WMO Secretary General
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

2. Development of Global DRR Services Framework
Introduction
WHY
GMAS started to grow on the initiative to build up a WMO system that is
strengthening production and communication of reliable and
authoritative warning information by
utilizing and harmonizing of existing mechanisms in order to support
Disaster Risk Reduction - particularly by NMHSs
Geneva, October 2017
Geneva, March 2017
1st Meeting of the Advisory Group
and Technical Team on WMO GMAS
1st meeting of the Expert Group
on WMO GMAS
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RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

3. Development of Global DRR Services Framework
GMAS Key Drivers
WHY
Important drivers of the GMAS
Emerging need for a Disaster Risk Reduction that has become a vital part of
the global political and economic agenda
UN Security Council, New York and at the World Economic Forum in Davos
political and economic response by Governments to the
Sendai Framework for DRR
Sendai Framework is targeting, among others, substantial increase of the
availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster
risk information to people by 2030
Disaster risk reduction is critically related to multi-hazard early warnings that
are carrying information not only what hazards will be
but also what hazards will do – what is a hazard impact
DRR is core issue and emerging need, particularly in RA I - Africa that
suffers from
numerous weather and water related hazards
limited or even lack of the operative human and technical potentials
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RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

4. Development of Global DRR Services Framework
GMAS Key Drivers
WHY
Crucial role in warnings production have NMHSs as
National Alerting Authorities or their vital support
– up to the national legislation
NMHSs are acting as single official voices and reliable sources of information
related to warnings
Key issue - how to secure and strengthen this role
particularly in developing and least developed countries
- the most common case on Africa
4 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

5. Development of Global DRR Services Framework
GMAS Setting up
WHAT
Good news is that WMO is in the mature process in setting up of the GMAS
that is foreseen to be a vital WMO framework with the
key role to strengthen and integrate multi-hazard early warning capacities and thus DRR on national, regional and global level
In the last three years GMAS framework has highly dynamic development
Lot of efforts has been invested in defining what GMAS is, and how to
develop it
Numerous meetings have been performed by the engagement of the GMAS
Expert Group under the responsibility of the EC WG DRR and the directives
of the Executive Council
The result is proposal of the
GMAS Concept Note and the
Elements of the GMAS implementation
for the 18th WMO Congress endorsement
5 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

6. Development of Global DRR Services Framework GMAS Concept and Vision
WHAT
By this Concept Note GMAS is
the WMO framework for substantially increasing and enhancing official and
authoritative multi-hazard early warnings, their availability and access
The Executive Council has identified a Vision of GMAS
“to be recognized globally by decision makers as a resource of authoritative
warnings and information related to high-impact weather, water and climate
events”
6 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

7. Development of Global DRR Services Framework
GMAS Key Objectives
HOW
How
Key GMAS objectives
Build and operate a system that have a repository of warnings and
information flow
It should be built on and leverage existing WMO standards and infrastructure allowing to share authoritative warning information produced by Members
Vital part - is the implementation of Common Alerting Protocol and its harmonization
Create a community to share warning information and to promote
harmonization as much as it is possible or appropriate
7 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

8. Development of Global DRR Services Framework
Existing Mechanisms and Low Hanging Fruits
HOW
How
GMAS is anticipated to operate by synergetic utilization of the existing WMO
mechanisms that are basically performing under the WMO Technical
Commissions, e. g.
World Weather Information Service, Severe Weather Information Centre
Global Data-processing and Forecasting Systems
Severe Weather Forecasting and Demonstration Projects
Flash Flood Guidance System
Coastal Inundation Forecasting Demonstration Projects
GMAS has also strong potential to utilize low hanging fruits like
Meteoalarm of EUMETNET and
Meteoalert of Rosshydromet
There are also several ongoing pilot projects, that could be emulated as similar
ones in RA I, for example
South-East European Multi-Hazard Early Warning Advisory System project
GMAS Asia
RA-III Platform for Monitoring and Early-Warning of Hydrometeorological
Hazards Project
8 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

9. WWIS/SWIC Existing DRR Services Framework
HOW
Existing DRR Services Framework
Meteoalarm (EUMETNET)/ Meteo-Alert (Roshydromet)
WWIS/SWIC
9 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

10. GMAS and the Filtered Alert Hub
Existing DRR Services Framework
Severe Weather Information Centre 2.0 (Beta)
13 March 2017
HOW
Here is a screen shot, taken on March 4, showing then-recent alerts.
Severe tropical storm
Gelena
10 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

11. Development of Global DRR Services Framework
GMAS Users and Providers
HOW
A very clear distinction has to be made in the various roles of GMAS providers.
The primary providers are Members, because public official warning issuance
belongs to the sovereignty of States
The primary users are also Members
Special attention will be paid to handling the needs of developing, and
particularly least developed, countries - possibly with
development of toolkits,
guidance products and
training in production and issuing warning information
No one should be left behind!
GMAS development has been strongly
supported by the
Presidents of Regional Associations
- particularly by the
RA I Management Group
RA I MG meeting Geneva, 2018
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019
11 /16

12. Development of Global DRR Services Framework
GMAS Benefits
Enhancement of NMHSs capacities - particularly in the least developed countries
Enrichment of forecasters perspective in tailoring national warning products trough assistance of the WMO Coordination Mechanism from RSMCs and World Meteorological Centres (e.g. ECMWF, UK Met Office)
increased accessibility and
effective utilisation of hazard products
Enhancement of assistance of the WMO community to the UN and
humanitarian agencies
Vision of WMO to be the UN’s official voice for weather, water and climate
Support standardization of practices for sharing hydro-meteorological hazard
information and products
Facilitates trans-boundary cooperation and information exchange during
extreme or potentially high-impact hydro-meteorological events favouring thus contingency planning among neighbouring countries
For Members who need to strengthen their warning system, GMAS will provide a
roadmap for capacity development to enable them to issue warnings
12 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

13. GMAS Implementation timeline
The GMAS project will start with the development of the full GMAS
Implementation Plan, taking into account the
numerous activities are already underway by several WMO Members
(low hanging fruits: outcomes from ongoing GMAS demonstration / pilot
projects, SWIC, GMAS Asia, Meteoalarm, Meteoalert ...)
guidance by WMO Congress 18
Full Implementation Plan will be submitted to EC-72 in 2020 for endorsement
At this stage GMAS will only provide products that are available in a
demonstration mode allowing key users to
provide their feedback
validate or influence next steps
From mid-2021, the System would run in a pre-operational mode to
test all components
identify and fix the problems
13 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

14. GMAS Implementation timeline cont…
Once the pre-operational mode of the System is declared successful, GMAS
shall enter into the Operational Phase, most probably from 2022 onwards
Even so, GMAS will continue to
evolve over time to improve its performance in support of the users’ decision-making process
improve the capacity development of Members in strengthening their MHEWS
Required resources for supporting implementation of GMAS is foreseen to be
identified through standard processes
augmented by extra-budgetary contributions
14 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

15. Take Home Message By enhancement of NMHSs capacities,
GMAS
GMAS
GMAS
GMAS
GMAS
GMAS
By enhancement of NMHSs capacities,
GMAS is strengthening national MHEWS and thus
increase relevance and visibility of the NMHSs’ by their Governments
Improvement of warnings effectively drills down to the vital NMHSs capacity
developments, as is the improvement of necessary observation network
Saving life and properties
trough active role of NMHSs in warning production is strongly
advocating technical needs of NMHSs towards their Governments for
their investment in NMHSs human and technical resources
This support should be also understood as the Governmental investment in
their national economic and political stability
This is the vital reason why establishment of the WMO GMAS, as the new
WMO pillar, is so important
This is why your support of the GMAS at the 18th WMO Congress is so relevant
15 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

16. ... Do not miss to ... Take Home Message
GMAS
GMAS
GMAS
GMAS
GMAS
GMAS
... Do not miss to ...
Participate in the GMAS demonstration activities at the very starting point
Identify a few GMAS pilot projects - preferably on subregional level
Become the GMAS champions and assist other NMHSs to follow including the least developed ones
Welcome to
feel as a part
WMO for the 21st Century
16 /16
RA-I Regional Technical Conference (RECO), Cairo, Egypt, 18 – 20 February 2019

17. Thank you
Merci