WMO Information System
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| WMO Information System | |
|---|---|
| Name | WMO Information System |
| Abbreviation | WIS |
| Formation | 2012 |
| Type | Intergovernmental information exchange system |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Parent organization | World Meteorological Organization |
WMO Information System
The WMO Information System is an international framework for the discovery, access, and exchange of atmospheric, hydrological, climatological and related geophysical data and products. It supports integration among national meteorological and hydrological services such as National Weather Service (United States), Met Office, Météo-France, and regional entities like European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, enabling interoperability with global programmes including Global Earth Observation System of Systems and Copernicus Programme. The system underpins operational forecasting, climate monitoring, aviation services, and disaster risk reduction coordinated with organizations such as World Health Organization, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, and International Civil Aviation Organization.
Overview
The WMO Information System provides a federated infrastructure linking national and regional data centres such as NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, ECMWF Data Services, and the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development. It harmonizes exchange using agreed standards developed with partners like International Organization for Standardization, Open Geospatial Consortium, and International Telecommunication Union. WIS emphasizes discoverability via metadata catalogues used by actors such as National Aeronautics and Space Administration, European Space Agency, Japan Meteorological Agency, and China Meteorological Administration while ensuring timely dissemination to stakeholders including International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and World Food Programme.
Architecture and Components
WIS architecture combines interoperable layers: network connectivity connecting regional telecommunication hubs such as GTS (Global Telecommunication System) nodes; metadata catalogue services interoperable with ISO 19115; and large-scale data repositories akin to ECMWF Archive and NOAA NCEI Archive. Core components include National Data Centres, Global Data-Processing and Forecasting Centres like ECMWF, and Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres such as Met Office (London). The system integrates satellite data streams from platforms such as GOES series, METEOSAT, and Fengyun with in-situ observations from networks like Global Climate Observing System, Global Ocean Observing System, Upper Air Network, and Synoptic Stations.
Data Services and Standards
WIS standardizes exchange formats and protocols drawing from BUFR, GRIB, NetCDF, and CF Conventions for gridded and observational datasets, and employs catalogue services compatible with ISO 19115, OGC Catalogue Service for the Web, and WMO-No. 306 guidance. Metadata, discovery, and access are coordinated with Digital Object Identifier policies and persistent identifiers used by archives like PANGAEA and Earthdata. Data policy aligns with principles promoted by Group on Earth Observations, United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), and Global Framework for Climate Services, balancing open access used by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change with licensing regimes of national providers.
Implementation and Deployment
Deployment follows phased national onboarding where services such as National Meteorological and Hydrological Services register data holdings in WIS catalogues, establish connectivity to regional hubs, and configure data exchange nodes interoperable with Global Telecommunication System and cloud platforms operated by Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure when used. Implementation projects have been supported by bilateral initiatives from Japan International Cooperation Agency, World Bank, European Commission, and technical partnerships with EUMETSAT, NOAA, JAXA, and CNES. Capacity-building occurs through programmes hosted at institutes like WMO Regional Training Centres, African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD), and World Meteorological Centre hubs.
Governance and Security
Governance of the system is under the aegis of World Meteorological Congress and operational guidance from the WMO Executive Council and relevant technical commissions such as Commission for Basic Systems. Security and resilience draw on protocols from International Telecommunication Union and cyber-security practices adopted by NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and national CERT teams. Data stewardship responsibilities are assigned to custodial centres consistent with international legal frameworks including treaties such as the Convention on International Civil Aviation for aviation meteorological information and agreements coordinated with United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs for satellite data.
Applications and Use Cases
WIS supports numerical weather prediction workflows used by ECMWF, Met Office, and NCEP models; climate reanalysis projects like ERA5 and MERRA; and hydrological forecasting used by agencies such as Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia. It enables aviation meteorological services for ICAO flight operations, marine forecasting for International Maritime Organization stakeholders, and early warning systems for extreme events coordinated with UNDRR and humanitarian agencies including UNICEF. Research programmes such as World Climate Research Programme and Global Atmosphere Watch rely on WIS for long-term observation datasets, while commercial sectors including Aviation industry, Agriculture industry, and Renewable energy industry consume products for operations and planning.
History and Development
Origins trace to modernization of the Global Telecommunication System and successive WMO congress decisions culminating in formalization in 2012. Development involved collaboration with space agencies NASA, ESA, CNSA, and regional meteorological collaborations such as WMO Regional Association VI (Europe), RA II (Asia) and RA IV (North America, Central America and the Caribbean). Incremental enhancements incorporated lessons from projects like Global Earth Observation System of Systems and interoperability advances promoted by Open Geospatial Consortium; ongoing evolution addresses big data challenges following innovations from ECMWF Copernicus Climate Change Service and operationalization by national agencies.