1. 5. STATUS OF THE PRIORITY AREAS IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PLAN FOR THE WIGOS PRE-OPERATIONAL PHASE (PWPP)
5.2 WIGOS Regulatory Material complemented with necessary guidance material to assist Members with the implementation of the WIGOS technical regulations
ICG-WIGOS-7, Geneva, January 2018
Russell Stringer
Chair, WIGOS Editorial Board

2. Contents Background Progress Achieved
Matters for ICG-WIGOS consideration and/or decision
Future programmatic structure

3. Background Brief summary of plans for WIGOS Regulatory Material:
Manual on WIGOS (WMO-No. 1160):
updates to EC then the 2019 edition to Congress-18,
fully integrate material from the Manual on the GOS (WMO-No. 544) enabling Congress-18 to retire it,
The new standards and recommendations to include RBON, remote sensing, data quality monitoring.
Guide to WIGOS:
Initial version quickly, priorities to include OSCAR/Surface, WIGOS Metadata, Station Identifiers.
Further material and fully developed for Congress-18.

4. Progress achieved
(a) Manual on WIGOS (WMO-No. 1160): EC-69 adopted all changes recommended by CBS-16; Drafting a new edition of the Manual on WIGOS, including the transition of the Manual on GOS (WMO-No. 544): under progress; (reported under Agenda Item 4.2) (b) Initial Version of the Guide to WIGOS (WMO-No. 1165) published; (c) Technical guidance “Establishing a Regional WIGOS Centre in pilot mode” endorsed by EC-69, available under WIR; (d) “Guidance on WIGOS Data Partnerships” further developed (e) Draft timeline for further development of the WIGOS Regulatory Material for the manual on WIGOS and the guidance material for the Guide to WIGOS identified.

5. Progress achieved Time Manual on WIGOS Guide to WIGOS 4th Q 2017
Draft Manual and Vol. I, Part I
Draft Guidance on WIGOS Data Partnerships
ICG-WIGOS-7
( )
Status Draft Manual and Vol. I, Part I considered by ICG-WIGOS for recommendations;
All available drafts guidance material for feedback;
March 2018
Draft Vol. I, Part I and Manual submitted to P-TCs for the “technical” review by all TCs
June 2018
Feedback from TCs incorporated
(EC-70)
Status (the draft as INF) submitted (for guidance/recommendations)
Draft Guidance on WIGOS Data Partnerships submitted for approval
June-Aug 2018
Draft Vol. I, Part I and Manual translated to all WMO languages
Sept 2018
Draft Vol. I, Part I and Manual submitted to WMO Members for review (by 30 Nov 17)
1st Q 2019
ICG-WIGOS-8
Draft Vol. I, Part I and Manual approved by ICG-WIGOS
Draft approved by ICG-WIGOS
New versions submitted for approval by Cg-18
Guide to WIGOS submitted for approval by Cg-18

6. Matters for ICG-WIGOS consideration and/or decision
1. Focal Points
“The need for national RBON focal points was discussed. WEdB was informed of the many existing Focal Points relating to WIGOS observing systems and agreed that a good approach would be to expand the terms of reference of a suitable existing FP. WEdB-2 was not able to quickly obtain all the relevant TORs for FPs, so it was agreed to report on this issue to ICG-WIGOS-7.”
ICG-WIGOS is invited to seek a review of the existing Focal Points relating to WIGOS observing systems and identify the most suitable existing FP to take additional responsibilities for the RBON.

7. Matters for ICG-WIGOS consideration and/or decision (cont.)
CBS OPAG IOS Focal Points
Volume A (Observing Stations)
Regional Basic Synoptic Networks (RBSNs)
GCOS and related Climatological matters (RBCNs)
Weather Radar Metadata (WRM)
Implementation Plan for the Evolution of the GOS (EGOS-IP)
National Focal Points for WIGOS
Also:
OSCAR/surface
Others…. ?

8. Matters for ICG-WIGOS consideration and/or decision
2. Manual on the GOS (WMO-No. 544), Volume II - Regional Aspects
“4.11 WEdB briefly considered the Manual on the Global Observing System, Volume II – Regional Aspects. It noted that this has the status of guidance material and contains mostly common provisions for all the Regional Associations. WEdB agreed to propose to ICG-WIGOS that this material be condensed into a single body of still-relevant material for inclusion in the WIGOS Guide.”
It is proposed that ICG-WIGOS consider making a recommendation to WMO Executive Council that the Manual on the GOS, Volume II - Regional Aspects be discontinued and condensed into material in the Guide to WIGOS.

9. Matters for ICG-WIGOS consideration and/or decision
3. Education and Training
“4.3 …. Technical regulations and guidance should be improved in the area of WIGOS related education, training and competencies. The Guide to the Implementation of Education and Training Standards in Meteorology and Hydrology (WMO-No. 1083), Volume I – Meteorology could be used as the starting point. It may be proposed to ICG-WIGOS-7 that future attention be given to this issue.”
ICG-WIGOS is invited to note the significance of this topic and includes it in its consideration of strategies for the further enhancement of WIGOS in the period after Congress in 2019.

10. Future programmatic structure
The WIGOS regulatory material includes a long list of documents (for example, the list on the next slide is included in the Guide to WIGOS), not simply the Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), the Manual on WIGOS (WMO-No. 1160) and the Guide to WIGOS (1165). To ensure there remains consistency and completeness without duplication or contradiction requires and ongoing mechanism. One approach could be to continue the WIGOS Editorial Board under an appropriate ongoing programme area. However, the optimum mechanism for the future will need to be suited to the new WMO structure for programmes and technical commissions once it is finalized.

11. Future programmatic structure (cont.)

12. Thank you
Merci