1. The WIGOS Pre-Operational Phase
ICG-WIGOS-4 (doc. 9.1 with appendices)   Geneva, February  
Dr L.P. Riishojgaard,
WIGOS Project Manager, WMO Secretariat

2. WIGOS Implementation Phase
Implementation of WIGOS decided by Cg-16 (2011)
Key deliverables for Cg-17 (MayJune 2015):
Draft WIGOS Part of WMO Technical Regulations (link to English version)
Draft "Manual on WIGOS" (link to English version)
Metadata Standards
Draft WIGOS Metadata Standards (link to English version)
Regional Implementation Plans
Plan for the Pre-Operational Phase of WIGOS ( )
Many elements will follow later
Guidance material
Quality management
National Implementation Plans …
(Actual implementations)

3. The WIGOS Pre-Operational Phase (2016-2019)
Over-arching goal is to prepare for a fully operational WIGOS starting in 2020
Increased emphasis on regional and national activities
Five main priority areas:
Further development of Regulatory Material and associated guidance material
Observing Systems Capabilities analysis and Review tool (OSCAR), especially OSCAR/Surface
WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System (WDQMS)
Regional Structure; WIGOS Regional Centers
Regional and national coordination and governance mechanisms

4. 1. Regulatory Material and Guidance Material
The “Guide to WIGOS” will include material on (as matters of priority):
WIGOS Information Resource (WIR), including OSCAR/Surface
WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System (also data availability)
WIGOS Regional Centres; roles and responsibilities, establishment, partners, review and accreditation process ..
Development of National Partnerships, with both public and private enties, integration of third-party data
Development of a National Observing Strategy
Design, procurement and operation of observational networks, especially AWS
Integration of space-based observations …

5. 2. OSCAR/Surface
Modern, electronic, searchable inventory of all observational assets (stations/platform)s under the WIGOS umbrella
Developed jointly by WMO and MeteoSwiss, with MeteoSwiss providing the major part of the funding
Available in prototype mode by Cg-XVII
This will replace Volume A and will include information from similar inventories for other (non-GOS) components of WIGOS
Education and training Members in populating, editing and using OSCAR/Surface is a major focus area for
Will require full implementation of
Metadata standards
WIGOS Station Identifiers

6. 3.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, updated regularly (e.g. GOS every 6 hours)
This will allows us to monitor regional and national (actually station-level) performance of all WIGOS components, and analyse trends over time
Pilot project with ECMWF and NCEP are underway
Delayed mode monitoring of data quality as measured against reference sources of information.
Fault management system for tracking and mitigation of performance issues.
Resources to develop and implement this and/or operational partnership(s) hereby solicited!

7. With WDQMS, WMO can monitor and
document (every 6h) what is being
provided and analyze trends over time

9. 4.WIGOS Regional Centers
Members already now requesting guidance and support from the WIGOS PO; some of this could be provided more efficiently and effectively by a regional entity, e.g. WIGOS Regional Centers
General role of WRC would be to monitor, coordinate and support the implementation activities in the Region (or sub-Region)
Specific areas of responsibility may be any or all of the following:
Regional performance monitoring of WIGOS networks (data availability).
Regional monitoring of observational data quality, especially for observations not used for global NWP (climate, atmospheric composition, hydrology, etc.)
Fault management, i.e. follow-up with data providers in case of data availability or data quality problems.
Regional network design.
Regional coordination of WIGOS implementation activities and projects.
Coordination of regional calibration activities.
Training.

10. 4.WIGOS Regional Centers (II)
Centers can be run by a single Member, or they can be virtual, established by two or more Members in collaboration under Memorandum of Agreement
Existing WMO Centers with responsibilities that are aligned with WIGOS goals (e.g. RICs, RTCs, …) may apply to become recognised as WIGOS Regional Centers
Successful implementation of this will require
Strong support from Members, Regions, and the WMO Secretariat
Resources; primary responsibility of Members, but WMO (DRA and the WIGOS PO) can help identify opportunities for finding additional resources
Strict auditing and approval process
Benefits are huge: More effective WIGOS, capacity development within host country

11. 4.WIGOS Regional Centers (III)
The WRC acts under the overall guidance provided by its Regional Task Team (or Working Group) on WIGOS/Infrastructure (R-TT- WIGOS), and it should provide support to all WMO Members in the Region or designated sub-Region.
The activities of the WRC should be reported annually to the R-TT- WIGOS and the RA Management Group.
NOTE: This assumes that the Region will have established a TT- WIGOS with regular meetings
Ongoing technical support for the work of the WRC and as the response to their requests (subject to availability of resources/funds) will be provided by the WIGOS Project Office in close coordination and collaboration with DRA, the respective WMO Regional Office and respective technical commissions.

12. 5. Regional and national coordination and governance mechanisms
The leadership role of NMHSs in integrated observing systems and is central to the success of WIGOS implementation. The following key items with milestones are proposed:
Guidance to assist Members to access, share and integrate WIGOS data from all sources; to be made available progressively from mid-2016;
Guidance on governance mechanisms and partnership arrangements to support the incorporation of observations (WMO and partners) across all WIGOS component observing systems; available by 2017;
Tools and guidance for Members to plan, deliver, expand and evolve their national WIGOS implementation; available by 2018.

13. In conclusion
During the Implementation Phase ( ), WIGOS has delivered the initial building blocks (Regulatory Material, Metadata Standards, Global Regional and Implementation Plans, …)
WIGOS is now ready for the Pre-Operational Phase ( ), focusing on regional and national level efforts, and with the following priority areas:
Further development of Regulatory Material and associated guidance material
Observing Systems Capabilities analysis and Review tool (OSCAR), especially OSCAR/Surface
WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System (WDQMS)
Regional Structure; WIGOS Regional Centers
Regional and national coordination and governance mechanisms

14. In conclusion (II) WIGOS provides opportunities for NMHSs to
Enhance or rehabilitate national observing networks
Increase sharing of observations (both ways!)
Strengthen role of NMHS as a central hub in a national network of networks
The decision on WIGOS implementation obligates the WMO Members as a whole, not just their NMHSs
Strengthen national mandate and authority on standardizing, acquiring and disseminating observational data