Tim Oakley, GCOS Network Manager

1. Global Climate Observing System WDQMS OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES OSCAR/Surface (User Perspective) 12th – 14th December 2017, ECMWF, UK TT-WDQMS-2 Tim Oakley, GCOS Network Manager

2. My use of OSCAR/Surface and WDQMS CBS-LC-GCOS GCOS ‘GOS’ Networks Climate Networks

3. OSCAR/Surface

4. Discussion Points • Contents of OSCAR/Surface • Reporting schedule • WIGOS ID’s • Metadata Task Team (TT-WMD)

5. Contents of OSCAR/Surface • Significant proportion of the current Metadata for Surface and Upper-Air is still taken from the WMO Volume A (flat-file) • Resulted in many gaps, inconsistencies and errors. • Many Members and Centres are waiting for the machine-to- machine interface, both for inputting and outputting Metadata.

6. Example of inconsistency • GCOS Surface Network (GSN) 1023 – Agreed stations list of GCOS 986 – GSN network affiliation in OSCAR/Surface • GCOS Upper Air Network (GUAN) 177 – Agreed stations list of GCOS 166 – GUAN network affiliation in OSCAR/Surface

7. Look at OSCAR/Surface

8. Metadata Task-Team (TT-WMD) Draft Recommendations from TT-WMD-6; Zurich 27th – 30th Nov. • ICG-WIGOS to provide clarification about the transition phase for WIGOS Station Identifiers; The session recommends that, in order to engage all the non-NMHSs contributors to WIGOS, a more flexible way of assigning WIGOS SIs should be adopted, e.g. “issuer of identifier” field could be delegated to Programmes/Network, instead of using Member countries’ code, for certain Programmes. • The issue of the accuracy and maintenance of WIGOS metadata should be clearly considered, e.g. to be under the responsibility of Regional WIGOS Centres (RWCs). • To consider ways to improve the issue of PRs understanding the scope of their mandate includes all observing networks including those outside the NMHS, particularly in relation to WIGOS and WIGOS metadata.

9. Metadata Task-Team (TT-WMD) Draft Recommendations from TT-WMD-6; Zurich 27th – 30th Nov. • WIS is not able to provide the schedule of international reporting – one of the main reasons is that there is no way to know which parameters are contained in the reports exchanged, therefore, a metadata element is needed in the WMDS to capture that. • One new element was agreed to be added to the WMDS: “Schedule of International Exchange”. • The OSCAR/Surface development team is recommended to add a new field, which will be needed to capture the output from the WDQMS, i.e., the real performance of the stations. The details are still to be discussed with the TT-WDQMS.

10. Conclusion • WIGOS Metadata Standard (WMS) is comprehensive description of the required metadata across all WIGOS component observing systems. (But is still being developed) • OSCAR/Surface has implemented much of the capability to record the mandatory WMS metadata. (But is still being developed and as yet lacks a long-term home) • But the use and benefit of WMS and OSCAR/Surface is dependant on the uptake by WMO Members and critically the accuracy of the metadata • Similar to WDQMS, WMS has the challenge of defining the standard and the process, whilst at the same being implemented into the operational world.

11. THANKYOU