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

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

3. 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)

4. 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)

5. Challenges for WMO Weather forecast 23 400 000 Surface temperature
Climate change
Hurricane warning

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

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

8. 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:
instrument inspection date: 01/01/01
instrument type: Magic mercury 1234
Data
Metadata

9. 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

10. 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 ?

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

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

16. 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?

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

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

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

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

21. 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

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

23. 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