(b)
(c)
(a)
WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION
___________________________
RA I TROPICAL CYCLONE COMMITTEE
FOR THE SOUTH-WEST INDIAN OCEAN
TWENTY-FIRST SESSION
ST. DENIS, LA REUNION
28 SEPTEMBER – 2 OCTOBER 2015
RA I/TCC-21/Doc.6.1(2)
(20.VIII.2015)
__________
ITEM 6.1
Original: ENGLISH
REVIEW OF THE TECHNICAL PLAN AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME
Meteorological component – WMO Information Systems (WIS)
(Submitted by the Secretariat)
Summary and purpose of document
This document presents summarized information and suggestions to assist the
Committee in reviewing the meteorological component of the Technical Plan to strengthen the meteorological facilities and services in the South-West Indian
Ocean region .
ACTION PROPOSED
The Committee is invited to:
Note the information in this document and consider ways that may lead to strengthening the tropical cyclone forecasting and warning services in the region;
Discuss and up-date the regional requirements for the meteorological component of the Committee's programme in meteorology and for training;
(d)
Propose steps to be taken for obtaining the support needed in regard to those requirements; and
Take into account the information and suggestions given in this document and by participants at the session, to review, update and, where appropriate, revise the meteorological component of the Technical Plan.
__________________

RA I/TCC-21/Doc. 6.1(2), p. 2
DISCUSSION
Introduction
1. Communications systems are a core component of all NMHSs’ infrastructure in RA
I. Their maintenance and development should remain a high priority for all Members. Not only are communications essential for the collection of observations and guidance from within the region to support the functioning of the RSMCs and other NMHSs, they are essential for the access to the guidance and products from outside of the region needed by an NMHS to prepare their forecasts and warnings. The benefits of such guidance has been well demonstrated through the Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project
(SWFDP). Tropical Cyclone monitoring and warning services are very dependent on the quality and timeliness of observations and guidance material that is circulated on the WMO
Information System (WIS).
WMO Information System (WIS)
2. WIS encompasses all communication channels used by NMHSs with a focus on those for international exchange. It provides the communication infrastructure and information management practices that enable this exchange of information globally and for within RA I. WIS has two principal channels of communication in the region, one being the
WMO Global Telecommunications System (GTS) which includes satellite broadcast and data collections systems operated by EUMETSAT, and the second being the Internet which although increasingly making use of high speed terrestrial connections. Both rely on satellite communications systems through VSAT which in turn are dependent on protection of the radio frequencies allocated to satellite distribution and collection system.
Two diagrams in Attachment III 1 show that coastal communities are gaining increasing access to broadband terrestrial networks, with links back to Europe, which benefit the two GISCs, Casablanca and Pretoria, servicing the region. However the second map shows that still much has to be done for central and northern parts of Africa.
The latest approved GTS connections in RA I, known as the RA I Regional
Meteorological Telecommunication Network (RMTN) is shown in Attachment 1. Other WIS communication channels in the region include RANET Africa, and EMWIN (West Africa). RA
I is also supported by GEONetcast operated by EUMETSAT. More details on these systems are provided below.
Global Telecommunication System (GTS) component of WIS
3. The Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) is developing a monitoring system for
WIS which was demonstrated at seventeenth Congress and can be accessed via the WIS
Wiki at http://wis.wmo.int/page=WIS-Monitoring . The status of WIS will be visible through common dashboards available from each GISC. Two examples of monitoring common dashboards are available from GISC Tokyo 2 and GISC Brasilia 3 . The final monitoring system will be able to monitor and report on events for WIS stakeholders such as the Tropical
Cyclone Programme and it will be necessary for each programme to participate in the development of WIS monitoring and to define their own monitoring components.
The current measure of the health and effectiveness in WIS communications across
RA I is monitored through the WMO World Weather Watch monitoring and by the number of active or inactive GTS circuits connecting RA I Members. The World Weather Watch monitoring continues to show significant areas of missing observations across RA I (See
1 Fibre rollout maps are available on wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_terrestrial_fibre_optic_cable_projects_in_Africa
2 GISC Tokyo Common Dashboard for WIS Monitoring ( http://www.wis-jma.go.jp/wcd/top.html
)
3 GISC Brasilia Common Dashboard for WIS Monitoring (http://www.inmet.gov.br/wismonitor/)

RA I/TCC-21/Doc. 6.1(2), p. 3
Attachment 2). Although the WWW monitoring is based on GTS traffic, being unable to differentiate if missing observations are a result of failures in communication systems or in the observations not being taken, the monitoring of the GTS circuits continues to expose major deficiencies in the GTS infrastructure in RA I. Many Members are overcoming the GTS deficiencies by use of the Internet and other WIS communication channels such as
EUMETCast and by ICAO’s AMHS. The objective evidence in WWW and GTS monitoring was supported by many of the participants in the five WIGOS and WIS implementation plan development workshops conducted in 2014 across the African sub-regions, who along with
RA I-16, indicated that a priority has to be given to improving the communications between
NMHS and the GTS across the region. It is essential that the Tropical Cyclone technical and implementation plan address the issues of missing observations, including non-submission of observations into WIS as well as issues with the communication links and practises. It is also important for the plan to include important partners such as EUMETSAT and ASECNA.
Update on other specific communication systems in WIS
4. RA I through a series of meetings in 2014 developed its initial WIS Implementation
Plan 4 which was approved at RA I-16. The WIS implementation has proved to be an essential element of the WIGOS implementation in the region, and is now able to proceed because GISCs Casablanca and Pretoria are now both in pre-operational mode.
5. The Data Collection System (DCS), the Data Collection Platform (DCP) Data
Retransmission and the Meteorological Data Distribution System (MDD) operated by
EUMETSAT are integrated into the RMTN as a complementary means for the national collection of observational data, and for the distribution of observational data and processed information from RTH/RSMCs. EUMETSAT introduced a higher speed service and encourages all NMHSs to take advantage of the DCS which is free to users providing they are members of EUMETSAT or if they allow EUMETSAT to make the data available through
WIS. The Data Collection System operates on METEOSAT-9. Data-distribution is performed by the EUMETCast service which uses Digital Video Broadcast (DVB-S) technology via telecom satellites in C-band radio frequency over Africa. This data distribution includes
Meteosat products (LRIT or HRIT data channels), MDD and DCP data.
Seventeenth Congress approved the establishment of a SATCOM forum which will work with satellite providers and users to further improve the access to DCS, although the status is already well supported in RA I thanks to EUMETSAT.
GEONETCast
6. GEONetcast is a satellite distribution system under GEOSS (Global Earth
Observations System of Systems) of which WIS is a contributing system. Details on this service and its association with WIS are available via EUMETSAT ’s site http://www.eumetsat.int/website/home/Data/DataDelivery/WMOInformationSystem/index.html
New functionality and benefits from WIS
7. Tropical Cyclone monitoring and warning services are very dependent on the quality and timeliness of observations and guidance material that is circulated on WIS. Weather forecasters and users of their services also need to be aware of what is available and how to access information. Thus forecasters and users stand to benefit from the new functionalities of WIS which include Discovery, Access and Retrieval Services. The new functionality of
WIS has been formally operational since January 2012. There are now fifteen operational
Global Information and System Centres (GISCs), including GISC Casablanca and GISC
Pretoria, both of whom are now involved in supporting WIS implementation in Africa as described in the RA I WIS Implementation Plan. For users to fully benefit from WIS, Tropical
4 RA I WIS Implementation – ( http://wis.wmo.int/page=WIS-RA-I )

RA I/TCC-21/Doc. 6.1(2), p. 4
Cyclone service providers will need to make a concerted effort to provide suitable discovery metadata describing their products and services.
8. CBS 5 has identified Competencies for WIS and an associated leaning guide. These were approved by Congress and are now being placed into the WMO Technical Regulations.
To be able to benefit fully from the new functionality of WIS and to contribute to WIS, it will be necessary to include appropriate training addressing the required WIS competencies, especially, on the use and management of metadata for Tropical Cyclone Programme participants and users.
5 CBS Ext(2014) Report and recommendations - http://library.wmo.int/opac/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=17160

RA I/TCC-21/ Doc.6.1 (2) Attachment I , p5

RA I/TCC-21/ Doc.6.1 (2) Attachment II , p6
Effectiveness of the GTS in Region I
Each year, the Annual Global Monitoring (AGM) exercise counts the number of observations for 00Z, 06Z, 12Z and 18Z received by Regional Telecommunications Hubs (RTHs) on the Main Telecommunications Network
(MTN). The percentage of SYNOP reports received during the October 2011 AGM is shown in Figure 1 .
Figure 1 Percentage of required number of SYNOPS from RBSN stations recorded during the AGM monitoring,
1-15 October 2014

RA I/TCC-21/Doc.6.1 (2) Attachment III , p7