WMO

WIGOS from a CAS Perspective

Sandro Fuzzi

National Research Council

Bologna, Italy

WIGOS

WIGOS is an integrated, comprehensive, and coordinated system which is comprised of the present WMO global observing systems

WIGOS is not in itself a new observing system, but a new framework to enable the existing observing systems to provide more efficiently and effectively the data required for delivery of services across WMO's 12 application areas, and for all regions of the world.

ICG-WIGOS is an Inter-Commission Task Teams formed to address WIGOS standardization process, WMO regulatory material issues, and improvement of WIGOS observing components.

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My actions so far...

Sept. 2012 – Requested to represent CAS in WIGOS-ICG

Mar. 2013 – Participated in 2nd WIGOS-ICG Feb. 2014 – Participated in 3rd WIGOS-ICG Feb 2014 – Requested input to the CAS President April 2014 – Webex call with SAG Chairs and CAS

Representatives within WIGOS Task teams

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How/where GAW provides input to WIGOS

1) ICG-WIGOS (Sandro Fuzzi)2) Harmonization of network regulations, TT-

WRM (Ann R. Webb)3) Metadata compatibility, TT-WMD (Joerg

Klausen)4) WIGOS Quality Management, TT-WQM

(Rainer Steinbrecher)5) WIGOS Implementation Plan, TT-WIP

(Emilio Cuevas)

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“Special” features of GAW

In several WMO domains is considered a sort of “alien activity”

A major fraction of GAW stations is managed by Institutions other than NMHS

The different Organizations are in most cases disconnected and in many cases directly competing for national resources

GAW station operators in some case cannot access meteorological data from co-located stations

Rather often, the station coordinates are insufficiently known to match up stations correctly

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Rolling Review of Requirements (RRR) Coordinated strategic planning at all levels will be based on

the RRR process, and will be supported by the WIGOS regulatory material

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The RRR process involves regularly reviewing the observational data requirements for each of the defined WMO Application Areas and all required variables

Actions proposed (input required from MG)

Atmospheric Composition is too broad to have a single set of requirements for each variable

Sub-application areas must be defined before establishing requirements. TT on Metadata is already working on this

In principle GAW observations should become more operational to be more “attractive” for support by NMHSs. Is this realistic?

There is a need for an integrated activity from all SAGs related to RRR

SAG Chairs requested endorsement from MG and GAW SSC for organising an inter-SAG workshop for this purpose

However, a confrontation with stakeholders should be organised first, before the workshop. Time is strict!

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Future needs

Need for recognition and support of GAW stations by NMHSs for observational network to be sustainable (long-term “cultural” and “political” improvement)

WMO assumes that communicating with National Representatives is enough to correspond with the whole national Institutions involved (not always true!)

Direct involvement of Institutions other than NMHSs needed for rationale and positive GAW contribution to WIGOS (procedures needed)

SAGs now operate by thematic areas, inter-SAG operation required to confront with applications that cut across thematics

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Opportunities for GAW within WIGOS

Improved visibility of observational requirements to Members (as requirements for all application areas are summarized in WIGOS requirements database)

Promotion of the GAW observational network extension (encouraging Members to perform atmospheric composition measurements at meteorological & synoptic stations)

Promotion of harmonized approach to Quality Assurance (e.g. reporting of harmonized quality flags)

Promotion of exchange of meteorological information for the stations performing atmospheric chemistry measurements (through cross-reference table of code)

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A final personal request...

In order for me to effectively represent CAS within WIGOS I need contacts with and input from GAW SSC and CAS MG

Ways to implement these contacts need to be decided and arranged

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www.wmo.int

Thank you for your attention

Sandro Fuzzi

Institute of Atmospheric Sciences and Climate

National Research Council

Bologna, Italy

s.fuzzi@isac.cnr.it