Future WMO Information System (FWIS) Hiroyuki Ichijo (Japan Meteorological Agency) WMO/WSIS Session on Reducing Natural Disaster Risk through Technical Opportunities of Information Society -Applications of ICT in Natural Disaster Risk Reduction (Kobe, Japan, 21 January 2004)

Argo Maritime Safety Pollution response Introduction There are various WMO programmes. Each programme has traditionally worked independently with each information system.

Furthermore evolving technology accelerated the needs. However the needs of a coordinated common system rapidly expanded because of demerits of system multiplicity and emerging new crosscutting programmes. On the background, the innovative FWIS project was born in 1999.

1. Vision The Future WMO Information System (FWIS) will be a single coordinated global infrastructure for collecting and sharing information to support all WMO and related international programmes. The FWIS will meet information exchange requirements of all WMO programmes without information incompatibilities, inefficiencies, duplication of effort, limitation in sharing valuable information and higher overall costs. The FWIS will provide a flexible and extensible structure that allows National Meteorological or Hydrological Services (NMHSs) to enhance their capabilities as their national and international responsibilities grow.

2. Roadmap With the latest breakthroughs in Information Communication Technology (ICT), the FWIS concept has been developed. The concept provides a common roadmap to guide the orderly evolution of the information system functions performed by current WMO Programmes into an integrated system. Implementation Pilot Projects Concept Currently various pilot projects on promising technologies with prototype evaluation are under progress towards early implementation. Renaming from “FWIS” to “ WIS (WMO Information System)” is expected. FWIS WIS

3. Main challenges Interoperability of information systems Providing online catalogue and metadata of all information Standardization/Harmonization of information formats Providing functions to discover and share information in distributed information sources Supporting real-time, quasi real-time and non-real-time information exchange Smooth and coordinated transition Building upon the most successful components of existing WMO systems Scalable and sustainable system Supporting various standard communication protocols and links Using international industry standards and off-the-shelf hardware and software systems

4. FWIS structure and functions GISC Portal site for request/ request GISC Portal site for request/ request Synchronization of all information GISC: Global Information System Center with Portal site for request/reply DCPC: Data Collection or Product Center NC NC: National Center Core network DCPC data collection Routine dissemination Ad hoc request/reply Authorized user National authority

5. Promising technologies IP-VPN with MPLS provides any to any connectivity within a VPN group, a guaranteed quality of service, reliability, scalability of capacity and full security. Closed IP network by a provider Core Router VPN group VPN group IPdataLabel IPdata Label IPdata IPdata IP-VPN with MPLS : Virtual Private Network (VPN) over a managed network by a single provider

Internet VPN : Virtual Private Network (VPN) over the Internet Internet VPN provides cost-effective connectivity with moderate security. Internet Internet VPN (IPsec) Access with authentication

Satellite-based telecommunications VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) DVB (Digital Video Broadcast) DAB (Digital Audio Broadcast) One Way VSAT system is used for broadcast/multicast. Two Way VSAT system is used for combination broadcast/multicast and peer-to-peer communications.

Data GRID : uniform and integrated access to heterogeneous and distributed information sources Data GRID provides secure access to distributed information sources. Information Source Grid Server - authorisation - metadata service - data and resource management - information services Grid Server - authorisation - metadata service - data and resource management - information services Metadata database Climate database Database Job Runner and Database Information Provider Database Job Runner and Database Information Provider Database Wrapper Grid Client - authentication - data requests Grid Client - authentication - data requests Information Source Grid Server - authorisation - metadata service - data and resource management - information services Grid Server - authorisation - metadata service - data and resource management - information services Metadata database Climate database Database Job Runner and Database Information Provider Database Job Runner and Database Information Provider Database Wrapper Information Source Grid Server - authorisation - metadata service - data and resource management - information services Grid Server - authorisation - metadata service - data and resource management - information services Metadata database Database Job Runner and Database Information Provider Database Job Runner and Database Information Provider Database Wrapper Portal site

6. Examples of pilot projects NWP products Satellite data Updated Application software Prototype application NC (National Centre) Gathering data from different data sources Internet Software updating Application portal Data portal Satellite data Reference information Data sources VPN XML metadata E1A10FE00112A0B0AA BUFR country name Reporting observational data NC (National Centre) RJTD Office code Metadata creation Conversion to BUFR Secure connection (VPN or HTTPS) Internet Input data on Web SNJP70 RJTD SYNOP 36010KT / = Dew_temp Date/Time WIND_deg WIND_sp View Temp Pressure Information sources Portal Site Data GRID VPN Information source Request/Reply with authentication Matadata Catalogue Internet Request/reply with Data GRID technologies

7. Benefits of FWIS Information management Information exchange/access SecurityCost aspect For WMO programmes Expanding of provision and use of potential information Collaboration between programmes Meeting requirements on timeliness (time- critical), reliability, and traffic volume. Coordinated full security under FWIS security policy Great cost benefit Reducing development cost and human resources For NMHSs (and national disaster prevention authorities linked with NMHSs) Improvement of information discovery and availability Easy handling of standardized information Strengthening mission-critical exchange (e.g. WWW operation. and distribution of emergency information) Consolidation of exchange procedures Coordinated full security under FWIS and/or national security policies Further cost- effective operation with saving recurrent costs Reducing development cost and human resources For authorized users (e.g. academic and research communities) Improvement of information discovery and availability Easy handling of standardized information Flexibility in communication options Simple access procedures Appropriate security mechanism under security policies of FWIS and/or each information source Availability of convenient services for minimum costs