1. WMO REGULATORY MATERIAL Standards & Best Practices
World Meteorological Organization Working together in weather, climate and water
WMO
WMO REGULATORY MATERIAL Standards & Best Practices
ICG-WIGOS TT on Regulatory Material
(Geneva, November 2012)
Dr M. Ondráš
Chief, WMO Observing Systems Division
WMO/OBS

2. WMO Organigram
WMO Convention came into force on 23 March 1950 = 62 years
Its predecessor International Meteorological Organization (coordination of observations & instrument standardization only) from 1873 to 1950 = 77 years
Together: 139 years of history
WMO has 189 Member States and Territories

3. WMO Convention (Part II, Article 2, Purposes)
To facilitate worldwide cooperation in the establishment of networks of stations for the making of meteorological observations as well as hydrological and other geophysical observations related to meteorology, and…; …
(c) To promote standardization of meteorological and related observations and to ensure the uniform publication of observations and statistics;

4. General Regulation of WMO ( Annex III, Structure and TOR of TCs)
I. Basic Commissions
CBS – (A)
CIMO – (A)
CHy – (A)
CAS – (B)
II. Applications Commissions
CAeM – (C)
CAgM - (C)
JCOMM - (C)
CCl - (C)
(A) Basic operations and facilities
(B) Research in Atmospheric sciences
(C) Applications to economic and social activities
Develop, for consideration by the Executive Council and Congress, proposed international standards for methods, procedures, techniques and practices in meteorology and operational hydrology including, in particular, the relevant parts of the Technical Regulations, guides and manuals.

5. WMO Regulatory Material http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/manuals.html
Technical regulations
Manuals (Standard pr.)
Guides (Recommended pr.
See: Doc & 7.2.1

6. WMO Regulatory Material
Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49) (Mandatory publication):
Volume I: General Meteorological Standards & Recommended Practices
Volume II: Meteorological Service for International Air navigation
Volume III: Hydrology
Volume IV: QM
Seven Annexes: WMO Manuals

7. WMO Regulatory Material
A. Manuals (standard practices “SHALL”):
International Cloud Atlas (WMO-No. 407), Volume I - Manual on the observations of clouds and other meteors
Manual on Codes (WMO-No. 306)
Manual on Global Telecommunication System (WMO-No. 386)
Manual on Global Data Processing and Forecasting Systems (WMO-No. 485)
Manual on Global Observing System (WMO-No. 544)
Manual on Marine Meteorological Services (WMO-No. 558)
Manual on the Implementation of ETR standards
B. Guides (recommended practices “SHOULD”):
Guides on GOS, GDPFS, GTS,
Guide to Met. Instruments and Methods of Observation
Guide to Hydro Practices
Guides to Practices or Services for different app areas, such as Climatology, Agrometeorology, Aviation, Marine
C. Other Technical Documents needed for general understanding, such as GAW Reports

8. WMO Regulatory Material
International Meteorological Vocabulary
Aimed at standardizing the terminology used in this field and at facilitating communication between specialists speaking different languages
1st edition in 1967,
Last hard copy edition (3500 terms in four languages)
Further updates in digital : METEOTERM

9. WMO Regulatory Material
METEOTERM
42000 terms in six languages
Includes:
International Meteorological Vocabulary
International Glossary of Hydrology
Terms from related sciences that
Metadata: Information about meteorological and climatological data concerning how and when they were measured, their quality, known problems and other characteristics. (IPCC 4th Assessment Report, WG 1 Glossary)

10. Partnership & Standardization
Working agreements:
UN: such as FAO and UNESCO
Intergovernmental: such as ESA and EUMETSAT
Nongovernmental: such as IUGG, ICSU
Working agreements - standardization:
International Organization for Standardization (ISO), as of 2008
International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM), as of 2002

11. Partnership in Standardization
Cooperation Agreement with ISO (2008):
Development of joint ISO/WMO tech standards
WMO existing standards can become ISO standards
WMO retains primary control of its own standards
Underlines authority of WMO standards and enhances international recognition WMO standards
Need for any WIGOS standards to be promoted to ISO standards ?
Working Arrangements with CIPM (2002):
Ensuring traceability of measurements to SI
Part of MRA: mutual recognition of standards & calibration & measurement certificates
Need for WIGOS measurements to be traceable to SI ?

12. Partnership in Standardization (ISO)

13. Partnership in Standardization (CIPM)

14. Manual on the Global Observing System, WMO-No. 544
Part I. General Principles Regarding the Organization, Design and Implementation of the Global Observing System
Part II. Requirements for Observational Data - WMO Rolling Review of Requirements
Part III. & Part IV Surface- and Space-based Subsystems: Composition & Implementation of Elements
Part V. Quality Control
Are some of these practices relevant to all WIGOS component observing systems?
WIGOS Regulatory Material

15. WMO Global Observing System (GOS) (Design & Evolution)
A process named the Rolling Review of Requirements (RRR) has been instituted for continuously reviewing the requirements of Members and international programmes.
Through RRR WMO generates guidance to Members, named Statements of Guidance.
The Vision of the GOS provides high-level goals to guide the evolution of the Global Observing System in the coming decades (currently Vision for 2025).
Responding to the above Vision, the Implementation Plan for the Evolution of global observing systems (EGOS-IP) is a key document providing Members with clear and focused guidelines and recommended actions in order to stimulate cost-effective evolution of the observing systems to address in an integrated way the requirements of WMO programmes and co-sponsored programmes.
As a general principal, the evolution of the system is based on proven techniques and represents the best mix of observing elements that:
satisfies to the maximum extent the data requirements in respect of accuracy, frequency and spatial resolution;
is operationally and technically feasible;
meets the cost-efficiency requirements of Members;
is able to meet long-term needs of relevant WMO Programmes and a wide variety of purposes;
covers ocean and data-sparse areas adequately;
permits making new technologies available at affordable costs, so that all Member countries can maintain and satisfactorily operate their national components of the system and benefit from them in a sustainable and self reliant manner;
permits the availability and accessibility of data for operational, research and educational purposes. 

16. WMO Rolling Review of Requirements
Similar approach for all observing components?
Long-term vision of the GOS
Requirements
Implementation Plan for Evolution of the GOS All applications synthesis Recommendations for the observing system
Critical Review
Statements of guidance per application
Monitoring surface/space observing capabilities and plans
WMO Members’ Space Agencies and partner organizations’
Programmes

17. RRR - Design and Evolution http://www. wmo
Application Area
Global NWP
Ocean Application
HR-NWP
Agricultural Met.
Nowcasting & VSRF
Hydrology
S&IA Forecasts
GCOS
Aeronautical Met.
Climate Applications
Atm. Chemistry
Space Weather

18. How URs are specified in WMO RQ DB
For each application & each geophysical variable:
(i) Horizontal and (ii) Vertical resolution, (iii) Accuracy, (iv) Observing cycle, and (v) Timeliness
For each parameter:
“min” (or threshold), represent the value below which observations are worthless
“max” (or goal), represents value beyond which improvement gives no additional value
“breakthrough” (or optimum), represents optimal cost/benefit

19. Performance-benefit curve for an obs. system

20. Should Instrument Practices be included in the WIGOS Guide?
Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation, WMO-No. 8
Comprehensive und up-to-date guidance on the most effective practices for making meteorological observations and measurements
Describes instruments, systems and techniques in regular use from the simplest to the most complex
Does not describe instruments and methods to be used only for research or experiments
1st edition 1954
7th edition 2008
Supplement to 7th edition: 2011
Should Instrument Practices be included in the WIGOS Guide?

21. STANDARDIZATION – harsh (cold) environment
Issues:
Large amounts of snow
Power - significant periods of no data
Herschel Island AWS
Courtesy: Darren Tessmer, MSC

22. STANDARDIZATION – harsh (cold) environment
Whistler Mountain
High Level
Elevated plateau may not always be a solution
Courtesy Bill Scott, MSC

23. Task Team on WRM to discuss:
the scope, content and the form of WIGOS Regulatory Material
Develop a proposal of WIGOS-RM for the consideration by ICG-WIGOS

24. Thank you World Meteorological Organization 7bis, avenue de la Paix
CH-1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland
Thank you 24