1. National Observing Strategy and National WIGOS Implementation Plan
WIGOS Workshop for West Asia
2 - 3 November 2016
(Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates)
Dr. Igor Zahumensky,
WIGOS Project Office, WMO Secretariat

2. Key Role of NMHS Key integrating role at the national
WIGOS implementation for:
strengthening and integrating
national observing systems,
building national partnerships,
providing national leadership on the implementation of GFCS and other WMO key priorities, and
ensuring the ongoing delivery of the fit-for-purpose reliable & trusted observations.
Proactive engagement with all relevant users and partners/stakeholders communicating and demonstrating the value of WIGOS through both formal and informal, regular and ad-hoc, productive two-way communications with all stakeholders is highly needed. All of them should be engage in the design of the observing network/system. It will enable to align observations with their needs.

3. Trusted & reliable Observations
Quality assured,
Quality controlled,
Well documented (i.e. WIGOS Metadata available),
Compatible,
Timely delivered,
Discoverable, accessible and usable,
Delivering value, i.e. meeting the needs of government, the community, industry and stakeholders

4. Role of Members
Implement and operate their observing networks and systems in accordance with the WMO Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49)
(see WIGOS Technical Regulations in: WMO-No (Eng. version: Resolutions 25 and 26 respectively))

5. Role of Members
Develop their National Observing Strategy and National WIP;
Establish national WIGOS governance, coordination and implementation mechanisms;
Nominate national WIGOS focal points and OSCAR/Surface focal points;
Coordinate their WIGOS implementation with the implementation of WIS and other WMO key priorities;
Development of a National Observing Strategy will enable to better meet the user needs and to ensure that NMHS has the best basis for planning of its investment in systems, science and people. It will also permit the NMHS to make informed decisions based on user requirements for future planning purposes. Four key principles that guide the Strategy are as follows: (1) demand- and user-driven products and services; (2) a phased approach to implementation; (3) effective partnerships; and (4) building on core strengths.
N-WIP should build on the National Observing Strategy.
Not a one-size-fits all approach. Every country is different; therefore not a template approach. The Self-assessment (Readiness) Checklist ( already developed will be useful in assessing current maturity of observing systems, their priorities, plans, gaps and capabilities, etc., and will provide the basis for developing an achievable national WIGOS plan.
Members will develop a national WIGOS plan that reflects their national situation, in terms of the mandate of their NMHS, the requirements of their user community and the need to reach out to partners to develop a comprehensive integrated observing system to meet national service needs.
Each plan will be different, both in content and style, and while Members can learn from the plans and experiences of others, through case studies and workshops, it is proposed that Members be provided with guidance materials to assist them to understand what steps they needed to take but not with a specific template that might unduly constrain them.

6. Observing Strategy - What we will do
Strategically guide our observations Program so that we build and operate appropriately.
Develop and manage the Observing System Strategy
Observations change requests
Leases
Strategic planning – where & what next?
Business development

7. Moving Toward Observations Portfolio Management
Portfolio management allows to address trends in the acquisition, use, and management of observations. Guiding principles are:
Mission-Effective
Superior Service and Reputation
Adaptable
Cost-Effective, Affordable & Sustainable
Integrated
Global Context and Commitments
In-House Expertise
Well-governed, Understood & Trusted
Guiding Principles in Managing Observation Investments:
VISION: Achieve and sustain an observing system portfolio which is mission-effective, integrated, adaptable, and affordable
SUPERIOR SERVICE and REPUTATION: Meet or exceed the requirements established to fulfill systems’ current and envisioned missions, and maintain NOAA’s standing as a preeminent leader in the global operational Earth observing enterprise
ADAPTABILITY: Portfolio must adapt to the rapidly-evolving variety of measurement and data sources
COST-EFFECTIVENESS and SUSTAINABILITY: NOAA must embrace cost-effective solutions, including the leveraging of domestic and international partnerships, to operate with its allocated budget
INTEGRATED: Manage the portfolio to make more holistic decisions about priorities and associated investments decisions within and across observing system domains, NOAA Line Offices, operational programs, and partners
GLOBAL CONTEXT AND COMMITMENTS: Uphold commitments to our partners and ensure access to global observations needed to generate accurate forecasts, warnings, and other services
IN-HOUSE EXPERTISE: NOAA must sustain the in-house expertise (including contracted) necessary to support well-managed integrated observing systems
WELL-GOVERNED, UNDERSTOOD & TRUSTED: Manage the integrated observing systems portfolio so that NOAA employees, key decision makers, Congressional resources, and external entities perceive our management system as well-governed, understood, and trusted 2

8. Purpose of National Observing Strategy
The purpose of the Nat. Obs. Strategy is to guide activities of Members, but mainly NMHS as the national Leader over the next period. It will:
enable NMHS to deliver on its mission in a responsive, effective and efficient manner.
recognize NMHS as a strategic national asset that contributes to national security, principal of which are transport, food, water, energy and health (Key Pillars of GFCS) in addition to being vital to sustainable development, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and disaster risk reduction
Development of a National Observing Strategy will enable to better meet the user needs and to ensure that NMHS has the best basis for planning of its investment in systems, science and people. It will also permit the NMHS to make informed decisions based on user requirements for future planning purposes. Four key principles that guide the Strategy are as follows: (1) demand- and user-driven products and services; (2) a phased approach to implementation; (3) effective partnerships; and (4) building on core strengths.
N-WIP should build on the National Observing Strategy

9. National Observing Strategy
Leading role of NMHS in developing the National Observing Strategy will:
Enable NMHS to better meet the user needs and demands, and
Ensure that NMHS has the best basis for planning of its investment in systems, science and people.
It will also permit the NMHS to make informed decisions based on user requirements for future planning purposes, incl. a service/demand-driven observing network.
WMO Members will need to plan locally while thinking regionally and globally to realize the full benefit from the global observing systems.
The full needs of any individual Member cannot be met solely through its own observing system; observations from others are essential, and interdependence on global observations increases more and more as time horizons (from short to longer term weather predictions, and from local to large scale climate prediction) increase.

10. Two basic steps in National Implementation
Development of a National Observing Strategy (the example can be found at: ments/Principal_Docs/OSS_eBook.pdf) and
Development of a National WIGOS Implementation Plan (N-WIP), building on the National Observing Strategy
N-WIP should specify expected deliverables and outcomes, priorities, activities, timeline, resources, responsibilities, etc. needed for:
(a) Establishment of national WIGOS governance, coordination and implementation mechanisms and team;
(b) Development of national partnerships;
(c) Identification and mitigation of critical gaps in the WIGOS component observing systems (national RRR process implementation);
(d) Sustained and standardized operation of national observing networks/systems;
(e) Operational implementation of WIGOS Metadata Standard through populating the OSCAR/Surface database and keeping its content up-to-date;
(f) Monitoring availability and quality of their observations through the WDQMS and taking corrective actions as necessary;
(g) Capacity development of staff managing and operating national observing networks/systems.

11. National Planning
It reflects a national situation, requirements of user community with a goal to meet national service needs,
It links NMHS with their national partners for increased integration and open sharing of observations, incl. those from non-WMO sources

12. National WIGOS Planning
First step of the WIGOS Planning: to understand:
What does it mean to implement a WIGOS concept of integration, partnership, data sharing, culture of compliance, etc.in “our” (NMHS) national approach to observations?
What are future strategic requirements, needs and priorities in front of “us” (NMHS)?
What are the steps to put the national WIGOS Framework in place?
What is the purpose of N-WIP?
What are future national strategic requirements, priorities and biggest gaps in observations, systems, processes, capabilities, etc.

13. N-WIP activities N-WIP will help Members:
To establish appropriate governance and coordination systems,
To build the relationships and partnerships that will help expand and share their national and regional observations to meet needs across relevant disciplines and communities,

14. N-WIP activities N-WIP will help Members:
To implement quality monitoring systems that enable them to respond promptly and effectively to feedback on data availability and quality; and
To implement modern data lifecycle management and practices to ensure they extract full value from their national observing systems.

15. “WIGOS Ready” level
OSCAR/Surface: completed WIGOS metadata of all observing stations across all WIGOS components for which observations are exchanged internationally;
WIGOS metadata compliance achieved;
WIGOS Station Identifiers: implemented;
WDQMS: national process for acting on quality problem information received from the WDQMS in place;

16. “WIGOS Ready” level
National WIGOS governance, coordination and implementation mechanisms established;
Nominate national WIGOS focal points and OSCAR FPs;
WIGOS implementation coordinated with the implementation of WIS and other WMO key priorities.

17. Conclusion
NMHS should (must):
be prepared
take the lead
be proactive
feel commitment
feel ownership
be visible
be an example

18. N-WIGOS-FP TORs
Take, on behalf of their respective Permanent Representative, the lead in communications on WIGOS with the WMO Secretariat (WIGOS Project Office and WMO Regional Office) and the WIGOS related constituent bodies of the respective Region;
Monitor and report on the status of the national WIGOS implementation, taking into account guidance from ICG-WIGOS and the WIGOS Project Office of the WMO Secretariat;
Report to the WIGOS Project Office on issues and challenges that might impact the implementation of WIGOS in the country and seek its advice;
Identify and follow-up on WIGOS-related training and capacity development needs; Participate in relevant WMO meetings in the capacity of a national “Rapporteur”, as required.

19. N-OSCAR/Surf-FP TORs
1. Liaise with the National WIGOS FP in the country/territory to ensure that all the operators of the relevant observing systems in the country/territory are aware of OSCAR and ready to make the required metadata routinely available to OSCAR;
2. Coordinate user account creation in OSCAR for the people accredited, to manage within OSCAR the relevant metadata from the country/territory;
3. Promulgate the WMO Technical Regulations relevant to OSCAR, as well as the guidance and training materials for an adequate use of OSCAR;

20. N-OSCAR/Surf-FP TORs
4. Make all efforts to ensure that all accredited users of OSCAR are well trained to make the right use of the editing tools available in OSCAR;
5. Promote, in collaboration with the WMO Secretariat and in compliance with the required standards, the use of automatic, or semi-automatic, machine-to-machine transfer of information for insertion/updates of metadata within OSCAR, from the relevant observing systems of the Member country/territory;
6. Work closely with the established Regional WIGOS Centre (RWC) of the region/subregion;

21. N-OSCAR/Surf-FP TORs
7. Upon request, provide the Secretariat and the RWC with an overview of the country/territory WIGOS metadata status in OSCAR;
8. Take, without any delay, actions in order to correct any erroneous and/or missing metadata identified in OSCAR, regarding the Member country/territory observing systems;
9. Collaborate with the relevant WMO working bodies and the Secretariat to perform the critical review and gap analysis at national and regional levels, using the OSCAR/Analysis tool.

22. Thank you
Merci