1. Commission on Instruments and Methods of Observation
Rainer Dombrowsky
CIMO DPM Coordinator
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DPM Coordination Meeting
4-6 December, 2006
Geneva Switzerland

2. OBSERVATIONS CROSS-CUT ALL DISCIPLINES;
ARE THE FOUNDATION OF WEATHER AND HYDROLOGIC FORECASTS AND WARNINGS;
IN SITU OBSERVATIONS CAN BE ACQUIRED EITHER MANUALLY OR IN AN AUTOMATED FASHION;
COME IN MANY DATA FORMATS RANGING FROM RAW DATA TO UNIFORM FORMATS CONVERTING ALL OBSERVATIONS TO STANDARD UNITS.
The fill the needs of agriculture, energy, transportation, emergency management, fire management, as well as, hydrometeorological research and education. To fill these needs many non-NMHS instruments and networks are utilized.
Observation networks are a vital part of their national infrastructure. These networks provide invaluable data in support of real-time operations and these real-time data become long-term historical data used in support of climate monitoring.
Observational data are used in applied hydrology (especially for long-term forecasts of water resources) and for research (e.g., the development and verification of mesoscale forecast models).
Observational data have been used in recent years for water management, drought assessment, engineering and architectural design, models of energy consumption, environmental impact assessments, environmental monitoring and prediction, litigation, and many other purposes. Not surprisingly, the range of users has also expanded beyond farmers and government officials to encompass engineers, architects, attorneys, insurance companies, scientists, utility companies, manufacturers, and business planners.
It would

3. CIMO’s ROLE
LIAISE WITH MEMBERS ON ISSUES RELATING TO INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION;
UPON REQUEST DEVELOP GUIDELINES ON THE SITING, OPERATION, MAINTENANCE AND CALIBRATION OF INSTRUMENTS;
ON BEHALF OF THE MEMBERS CONDUCT INTERCOMPARISONS TO IDENTIFY INSTRUMENT CHARACTERISTICS WHICH AID MEMBERS IN SELECTING INSTRUMENTS.
The number one guide within the WMO directory of guides is the CIMO Guide on Instruments and Methods of Observation. This document and other documents developed under the umbrella of Capacity Building is the Instrument and Methods of Observation Program. It serves to set technical standards and quality control procedures and provides guidance for the use of meteorological instruments and observation methods. The objectives of this programme are:  
The programme fosters development of new and improved instruments, observation methods, data reduction, and quality control techniques, and embraces all instrumentation including that used for remote sensing. It is carried out under the technical responsibility of the WMO Technical Commission for Instrument and Methods of Observation (CIMO).

4. OBJECTIVES
TO PROMOTE DEVELOPMENT, DOCUMENTATION AND WORLD-WIDE STANDARDIZATION OF METEOROLOGICAL AND RELATED GEOPHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION TO MEET AGREED USER NEEDS FOR DATA; AND
TO ENSURE THE EFFECTIVE AND ECONOMIC USE OF INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION UNDER VARYING WORKING CONDITIONS AND IN DIFFERING TECHNICAL INFRASTRUCTURES, BY PROVIDING TECHNICAL STANDARDS, GUIDANCE MATERIAL, PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND TRAINING ASSISTANCE.

5. LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES
TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND LONG-TERM STABILITY OF OBSERVATIONS AND MEASUREMENTS OF METEOROLOGICAL AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES THROUGH THE COORDINATION AND PROMOTION OF THE USE OF EFFICIENT METHODS AND TECHNOLOGY TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF OPERATIONAL AND RESEARCH APPLICATIONS; AND  
TO ENHANCE THE EFFECTIVE AND ECONOMIC USE OF OBSERVING TECHNOLOGY/SYSTEMS THROUGH TRAINING AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

6. IMPLEMENTATION COMPONENTS
SUPPORT TO IMPLEMENTATION OF GUIDELINES AND RECOMMENDATIONS PROVIDED BY CIMO AND OTHER RELEVANT BODIES TO ENSURE ENHANCEMENT OF THE QUALITY AND LONG-TERM STABILITY OF OBSERVATIONS AND MEASUREMENTS OF METEOROLOGICAL AND RELATED ENVIRONMENTAL VARIABLES FOR OPERATIONAL APPLICATIONS AND RESEARCH;  
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF OBSERVATION THROUGH TECHNICAL CONFERENCES AND TRAINING WORKSHOPS.

7. PROJECT NUMBER 10 STRENGTENING REGIONAL INSTRUMENT CENTERS
DELIVERABLES
TIMELINES
ET/GROUP
POSSIBLE WMO PARTNERS
POSSIBLE OUTSIDE PARTNERS
ADOPTION OF NEW TORs
IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
DEPENDING ON THE FINAL NUMBER OF RICs THE PROCESS MAY REQUIRE MOST OF THE PERIOD FOR COMPLETION
SUFFICIENT FUNDING MAY COULD REQUIRE LESS TIME.
ALL, WITH THE INTENT OF EITHER DEVELOPING STANDARDS OR PROVIDING THE REQUIRED EXPERTISE
ALL COMMISSIONS AND PROGRAMS REQUIRING OBSERVATIONS IN THE PREPARATION OF THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
TBD