1. ICG-WIGOS, eigth session, 24-26 Jan 2019
Report of the Task Team on OSCAR Development
ICG-WIGOS, eigth session, Jan 2019
Simon Gilbert / Thinesh Sornalingam
Co-chairs TT-OD

2. Today Main findings Revised and prioritized TORs
Conclusions and recommendations
Workplan for 2019

3. Main findings

4. Main findings TT-OD to act as User Representative
Collaboration with TT-WMD and OSCAR Project Team needed
Improve usability of OSCAR
Interface with WIGOS data quality monitoring system

5. Main findings: TT-OD as User Rep.
TT-OD to take the User Perspective in OSCAR Development Team
TT-OD to get access to user feedback and contact OSCAR community to solicit feedback
List key stakeholders and identify actual users to be repsresentative of these roles

6. Main findings: interfaces
With TT-WMD: consider maintainability aspects when adding new features
With OSCAR project Team: Share plans and major new features.
TT-OD to be included in specification and testing of major new features, with a view of assessing usability aspects

7. Main findings: usability
Metadata input Templates
Create easy-to-use templates for specific communities (e.g GCW)
Batch operations for common tasks (e.g Close station, change schedules, change contact)
Statistics
Metadata quality and completeness
User behaviour

8. Main findings: WDQMS
Develop interface to include reporting status, obtained by WDQMS
Add qualitative and timeliness indicators later and through the same interface once the indicators are developed

9. Revised and prioritized TORs

10. Revised and prioritized TORs
Item
Priority (High: to be addressed in tranche 1 of the workplan; Medium: to be addressed in tranche 2 and Low: to be addressed in tranche 3
a) To review the functionalities of the OSCAR/Surface web interface and advise on possible improvements and their level of priority;
MEDIUM 
b) To coordinate closely with TT-WMD the implementation of the WMDS updates in the OSCAR/Surface, 
HIGH
c) To advise and coordinate  the evolution of OSCAR/Surface, prioritizing new major features and the integration of the various component observing systems;
d) To advise on issues regarding integration and/or interoperability of the OSCAR/Surface with the WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System (WDQMS);
MEDIUM
e) To coordinate with the ICG-WIGOS Task Team on WDQMS the exchange of information between WDQMS and OSCAR/Surface;

11. Revised and prioritized TORs (II)
f) To promote and coordinate  the migration of the WMO catalogue of radiosondes into OSCAR/Surface;
MEDIUM
g) To liaise with the regional activities related to the operational uptake of OSCAR/Surface, in particular with the establishment of RWCs to support the management of WIGOS metadata;
h) To coordinate and oversee the implementation of the Machine-to- Machine API for OSCAR/Surface;
HIGH
i) To oversee and support the development and provision of training on OSCAR/Surface;
j) To develop the requirements for the OSCAR/Analysis module;
LOW
k) To coordinate and advise on the integration of the various OSCAR modules/databases, in collaboration with CBS/IPET-OSDE (responsible for OSCAR/Requirements) and CBS/ET-SAT (responsible for OSCAR/Space);
l) To contribute to the revision and further development of guidance material related to the use of the various modules of OSCAR for the Guide to WIGOS;
m) To investigate if and how an "open source OSCAR/Surface compatible package" could be made available for Members to be used at a national level. 
n) To report to ICG-WIGOS on the progress made.

12. Main conclusions and recommendation

13. Key messages for TT-WMD
Users must be included as key stakeholders when agreeing improvements to the Standard (TT-OD will be the proxy representing the users)
Recommendations for easy to use templates for different stations/types
OSCAR will be responsible for implementing the WMDS, so close liaison between the two teams (TT-WMD and TT-OD) is essential

14. Relevant recommendations/conclusions
TT-OD to act as User representative. Explore ways to review concepts that particularly affect users before they are implemented. Possibly involve in UATs, too.
Establish communication channel with OSCAR community (forum, webinar, survey). Share user feedback from training events, webinars and others with TT-OD.
Identify key user types/roles to provide expert advice/review particular Use Cases

15. Relevant recommendations/conclusions
Roles and responsibilities/Terms of Reference/WMO Governance of key OSCAR stakeholders (OSCAR NFP, WIGOS NFP, Network NFPs national and global, users representing external and/or international organizations) and current OSCAR user role editing capabilities should be reviewed
New or improved features to be considered
Apply selected changes (assign contacts, change schedules, close stations, run/save queries) in batch mode to defined groups of stations – ‘My Station List’ export all/selected features of a station
Stripped down ‘quick start’ template to assist Members when creating stations of a particular type e.g. radiosonde, surface synoptic, etc
More recommendations will be suggested for consideration from TT-OD in the future

16. Relevant recommendations/conclusions
WDQMS interface should be developed in line with the following principles:
exchange format to be defined to include information on availability, quality and timeliness (by station, variable and month, history to be kept by OSCAR)
implement data analysis visualization step-by-step
Explore how official WIGOS Guide/OSCAR User Manual can be kept consistent with documentation supporting the most current release of OSCAR
API
Provide guidance on correct usage to users (testing, pre-analysis, update status, verification of changes)
Backup & restore functions

17. Workplan 2019

18. Task description
Who is responsible
Delivery date
Status
Link to Terms of Reference
1) Expand the User Profiles document to include the relevant Use Case Requirements
Simon Gilbert
(a)
2) Draft templates for standard classes of metadata record in line with the WMDS to include manned surface synoptic, Automatic Weather Station, Radiosonde, GCW
Karl Monnick, Lars-Peter Riijshogard
(b)
3) Develop proposals for Usability and Functionality Assessments including definition of metrics. Propose methods to measure metrics through logfiles/analytics/queries
Thinesh Sornalingam
4) User Outreach and analysis of Feedback. Propose improvements ?
(i),(j)
5) Ensure that the OSCAR user manual within the Guide to WIGOS is aligned with the most up to date material available
WMO Secretariat (Timo)
(l)
6) Circulate report of TT-OD meeting to user community through forum and webinar
Co-Chairs and Secretariat
End of January 2019
(i)
7) Contribute to the specification of user requirements, acceptance of finalised developments etc.
All members, specifically members of the user communities identified under Task 1.
In line with OSCAR development team roadmap
(c)
8) Work closely with TT WDQMS on data exchange between the WDQMS and OSCAR/Surface
(e)
9) Provide guidance on correct usage of the M2M API to users
(h)

19. Thank you