WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS): A Brief History and Implementation Phases

1. A brief history of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) Lars Peter Riishojgaard WMO Secretariat, Geneva

2. Outline Introduction to WIGOS The Implementation Phase, the Pre-operational Phase, the Operational Phase Technical tools; OSCAR/Surface and the WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System (WDQMS) Example of impact of WIGOS Regional WIGOS Centers Summary and Conclusions WMO GCW (Reduced) Steering Committee, Davos, Nov 26 2018

3. What is the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)? • WMO foundational activity addressing all observing needs of the weather, climate, water and environmental services of its Members • A framework for integrating all WMO observing systems and WMO contributions to co-sponsored observing systems under a common regulatory and management framework in order to improve effectiveness and efficiency • WIGOS is not replacing or taking over existing observing systems, which will continue to be owned and operated by a diverse array of organizations and programmes, national as well as international. WIGOS homepage GCW (Reduced) Steering Committee, Davos, Nov 26 2018

4. WIGOS Component Systems • Global Observing System (WWW/GOS) • Observing component of Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) • WMO Hydrological Observations (including WHOS) • Observing component of Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) GCW (Reduced) Steering Committee, Davos, Nov 26 2018

5. What do we mean by Integration? • Integrated network design, e.g. across national borders: • Radar and lightning detection networks • Radiosonde networks designed together with those of neighboring countries • Integration across disciplines: Multi-purpose networks • No separate networks for application areas that rely on measurements of the same variables, e.g. weather and climate • Integration across organizational boundaries: • Take advantage of other organizations outside the NMHS that operated observing systems; partner with them where possible

6. What do we mean by Integration? (II) • Integration across technological boundaries; space- and surface-based observing system as one • Space: excellent spatial and temporal coverage • Ground-based: fine-scaled structure, in situ validation and can provide measurements not possible from space • Integration across different levels of performance; concept of tiered networks can include e.g.: • Crowd-sourced data, IoT observations (massive amounts of data, poor or unknown quality) • Standard networks; routine, operational quality data • Reference data; traceable to SI standards (sparse, high quality) • Operate networks as an integrated system; • Common data formats, common display systems; • All data available at common access points;

7. WIGOS Implementation Phase (2012-2015)(decided by Cg-16 in 2011) • WIGOS Regulatory Material, including a WIGOS Metadata Standard • Formal adoption of Rolling Review of Requirements • Initial development of RRR tools, i.e. OSCAR databases • OSCAR/Requirements • OSCAR/Space • OSCAR/Surface • Concept development of WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System • Plan for WIGOS Pre-operational Phase 2016-2019

8. The Implementation Phase (II) • Due to lack of resources (Cg/EC decided to rely primarily on voluntary contributions), very little beyond the new WIGOS Regulatory Material was actually implemented in this phase; • WIGOS PO not fully staffed until mid-2014, one year prior to Cg-17; • Awareness among PRs and NMHS staff of WIGOS and its implications was almost universally poor, wide-spread scepticism; • Most of the resources (human and financial) went to: • Regional Workshops on WIGOS; to build awareness and collect requirements and excectations from Members (very useful); • Laying the foundation for the WIGOS technical systems, OSCAR and WDQMS (absolutely critical); • Planning for the Pre-operational phase of WIGOS; (important); • Regional WIGOS Implementation Plans (perhaps not our most fruitful investment).

9. The WIGOS Pre-Operational Phase (2016-2019)decided by Cg-17 in 2015 • Increased emphasis on regional and national activities • Five main priority areas: • WIGOS Regulatory Material, supplemented with necessary guidance material • WIGOS Information Resource, including the Observing Systems Capabilities analysis and Review tool (OSCAR), especially OSCAR/Surface • WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System (WDQMS) • Regional Structure; Regional WIGOS Centers • National WIGOS Implementation, coordination and governance mechanisms Skeleton (above) developed at dedicated planning workshop in 2014; Congress then requested the development of an acual Plan for the Preôperational Phase that was submitted to and approved by EC-69

10. The Pre-operational Phase (II) • Very labor-intensive, both for Secretariat and volunteer experts • Several WIGOS events in each of the six Regions, both general and thematic Workshops, Task Teams, Working Groups, training events, project meetings, some jointly with other program areas; (this is ALWAYS well received and highly appreciated by Members) • WIGOS Technical Systems are maturing and beginning to have significant impact on operations for many WMO Members and collaboration partners (this has been extremely important); • It has definitely not been cheap! • The WIGOS brand is (still) viewed mostly positively, and many NMHSs now have a good understanding of what it implies; • It remains to be seen whether a conservative and mostly NMHS-centric organization like WMO can follow through on WIGOS; this will require revision of certain data policies, as well as a much more proactive strategy vis a vis the outside world, including the private sector.

11. WIGOS Operational Phase (2020 - )to be decided by Cg-18 in 2019 • WIGOS tools now ready to serve Members in operational mode; • WIGOS to become designated as essential WMO Basic Infrastructure; • Exact role will depend on WMO governance structure reform, currently still in development; • Congress-18 will discuss and hopefully adopt a Vision for WIGOS in 2040; • This will become the main driver of the further development of WIGOS

12. WMO Congress: All WMO and WMO co-sponsored observing systems shall use the RRR to design networks, plan evolution and assess performance. Rolling Review of Requirements (RRR) • The RRR is the process used by WMO to collect, vet and record user requirements for all WMO application areas and match them against observational capabilities Rolling Review of Requirements GCW (Reduced) Steering Committee, Davos, Nov 26 2018

13. WIGOS Information Resource (OSCAR) The RRR is supported by three key databases of OSCAR, the Observation Systems Capabilities and Reviewtool : OSCAR/Requirements, in which “technology free” requirements are provided for each application area, expressed in units of geophysical variables (260 in total currently); OSCAR/Space, listing the capabilities of all satellite sensors, whether historical, operational or planned OSCAR/Surface, list surface-based capabilities; developed by MeteoSwiss for WMO, operational since May 2016 OSCAR homepage GCW (Reduced) Steering Committee, Davos, Nov 26 2018

15. WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System (WDQMS) • Real-time monitoring of performance (data availability and data quality) of all WIGOS components, searchable by region, country, station type, period, etc. • Delayed mode monitoring of data quality as measured against reference sources of information will be included for non-real time observations • Incident management component for mitigation of performance issues • The WDQMS will provide a complete description of how well WIGOS is functioning • Current activities • Pilot project on NWP-based monitoring; ECMWF, NCEP, DWD, JMA • RA-I Demonstration Project of monitoring and incident management involving Kenya and Tanzania running through 2018 GCW (Reduced) Steering Committee, Davos, Nov 26 2018

17. What is WMO doing about the problems revealed by the WDQMS Pilot? • To increase observations for global NWP, EC-70 requested: • CBS to develop an overarching design for the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) to meet threshold requirements for Global Numerical Weather Prediction and Global Climate Monitoring (Analysis) as established by the Rolling Review of Requirements Process… • the Intercommission Coordination Group on WIGOS to develop relevant provisions of the Manual on WIGOS regarding the implementation of the GBON and propose them to Cg-18 in 2019 • By WMO standards, this is an extremely rapid development schedule • Testament to the EC view of the importance of this issue!

18. Regional WIGOS Centers (RWC) • Why? • Many WMO Members requesting support from Secretariat for national implementation efforts • Can be addressed more efficiently and effectively at regional level • What? • Initial role of RWC will be to support national WIGOS Implementation efforts, in particular as concerns • OSCAR/Surface; input and updating of metadata, QC • WDQMS; monitoring and coordination of mitigation efforts • How? • Per ICG-WIGOS: To be decided by the WMO Regions –perhaps aligned with existing cultural, linguistic and/or political groupings • The lack of activity in most Regions on the subject of RWCs is currently the most important risk factor for WIGOS!

19. Regional WIGOS Centers; current status • Region I: Many indications of national interest (e.g. Morocco, Kenya, Tanzania, …; limited national resources. RWC pilot to be initiated in East Africa on DFID (UK) project funding, centered in Kenya and Tanzania • Region II: Will be done on a sub-regional basis; China has formally addressed P/RA-II to request recognition of RWC in pilot mode in Beijing; Japan has done the same for Tokyo; indications of interest also from Saudi Arabia and India • Region III: Plans for Virtual RWC maturing, decision to be made at RA-III-17 later this month; Region VI used as model • Region IV: No clear path yet; USA may be willing to help; • Region V: Indications of interest from Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Singapore; was discussed at RA-V-17 in October; • Region VI: successful RWC operating in pilot mode at DWD thanks to EUTMETNET engagement; tentative plans for RWCs also in Belarus and/or Russia (Russian-speaking countries in RA-II and RA-VI) and Croatia (specifcally for marine observing systems). GCW (Reduced) Steering Committee, Davos, Nov 26 2018

20. Summary and Conclusions • WIGOS Pre-operational Phase 70% completed; main technical systems implemented/under implementation; • Already providing powerful diagnostics of the workings of WIGOS/WIS and the compliance of WMO Members with WMO regulatory and guidance material; • Room for very substantial improvement! • This is a limiting factor in the quality of monitoring, forecast and warning products; • Regional WIGOS Centers are a key element in supporting Members in the implementation of WIGOS and in improving the overall performance of WIGOS; • RWCs will be critical also for supporting the development of integrated AWS Networks! GCW (Reduced) Steering Committee, Davos, Nov 26 2018