World Meteorological OrganizationEXECUTIVE COUNCILSeventieth SessionGeneva, 20 to 29 June 2018

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1)Submitted by:

Vice-President of WMO28.VI.2018

APPROVED

AGENDA ITEM 7: OBSERVATIONS AND DATA EXCHANGE

AGENDA ITEM 7.2: WMO INFORMATION SYSTEM (WIS)

WMO INFORMATION SYSTEM (WIS)

DRAFT RESOLUTIONS

Draft Resolution 7.2(1)/1 (EC-70)

PUBLICATION OF THE SATCOM HANDBOOK

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL,

Recalling Resolution 31 (Cg-17) that established the WMO-IOC International Forum of Users of Satellite Data Telecommunication Systems (SATCOM User Forum) to facilitate access to satellite data telecommunication,

Noting that:

(1) The SATCOM User Forum had developed the Satellite Data Telecommunication Handbook (SATCOM Handbook) to assist Members in procuring and using satellite data telecommunication,

(2) The handbook had been presented to the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) Technical Conference (TECO) held from 26 to 29 March 2018, and is in Annex 1 to this draft Resolution,

Decides to:

(1) Publish as a stand-alone attachment to WMO-No. 1061 Guide to the WMO Information System the SATCOM Handbook (https://wis.wmo.int/SATCOM-Handbook);

(2) Designate the whole SATCOM Handbook as technical specifications and authorize the fast track (simple) procedure to be used to amend the SATCOM Handbook;

(3) Amend the text of WMO-No. 1061 Guide to the WMO Information System as in Annex 1 to the present resolution;

Authorizes the Secretary-General to make editorial amendments to the SATCOM Handbook and consequential editorial amendments to WMO-No. 1061 Guide to the WMO Information System;

Encourages Members to refer to the SATCOM Handbook when considering the use of satellite data telecommunication.

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Annex: 1

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 2

Annex to draft Resolution 7.2(1)/1 (EC-70)

TEXT TO REFER TO THE SATCOM HANDBOOK FROMWMO-NO. 1061 GUIDE TO THE WMO INFORMATION SYSTEM

Add the following text in Part I of the WMO-No. 1061 Guide to the WMO Information System:

1.7.6 Guidance on the use of satellite telecommunication systems is provided in the document SATCOM Handbook (WMO-No. xxx; https://wis.wmo.int/SATCOM-Handbook) that is an Attachment to this Guide.

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EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 3

Draft Resolution 7.2(1)/2 (EC-70)

AMENDMENT TO WMO-NO. 386MANUAL ON THE GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL,

Recalling that Recommendation 18 (CBS-16) Annex 2 concerning the description of connectivity of the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) with the WMO Information System (WIS) had not been endorsed by the Executive Council at its sixty-ninth session (EC-69),

Noting that the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) Management Group met on 29 March 2018 and recommended modified text following discussions during the CBS technical conference (TECO) 2018,

Decides to amend WMO-No. 386 Manual on the Global Telecommunication System as specified Annexes 1 and 2 to this draft Resolution;

Authorizes the Secretary-General to make editorial amendments to the text and diagrams in Annexes 1 and 2 to this draft Resolution.

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Annexes: 2

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 4

Annex 1 to draft Resolution 7.2(1)/2 (EC-70)

AMENDMENT TO WMO-NO. 386REGIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION HUBS OF

THE GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM

RTH(DCPC)28: Beijing*

RTH(DCPC)25: Tokyo*26: Bangkok

RTH(DCPC)12. Nairobi62: Norrköping64: Offenbach*67. Prague*66: Rome68: Vienna69. Sofia*

WIS Responsibility Roadmap

RTH(DCPC)51: Melbourne*52: Wellington

RTH(DCPC)41: Washington*

RTH(DCPC)63: Toulouse*16: Algiers*

DCPC(RTH)61: Exeter*

RTH(DCPC)23: Novosibirsk

24: Khabarovsk 65: Moscow*GISCExeter

GISCOffenbach

GISCToulouse

GISCMoscow

GISCBeijing

GISCSeoul

GISCTokyo

GISCMelbourne

GISCWashington

GISCJeddah

GISCNew Delhi

GISCBrasilia

GISCTehran

GISCCasablanca

GISCPretoria

RTH(DCPC)11. Cairo15. Dakar*17. Brazzaville18. Niamey

RTH(DCPC)14: Pretoria

RTH(DCPC)31: Brasilia*, 32: Buenos Aires*33: Maracay

RTH(DCPC)27: New Delhi*

RTH(DCPC)21: Tehran

RTH(DCPC)29: Jeddah*

WIS Core Network

22: Tashkent,

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 5

____________

Amendments to WMO-No. 386 if the procedure to transfer RTH Tashkent to use GISC Moscow has been completed

1. Amend Part 1, Attachment I-2 by replacing the existing diagram with the following diagram (Figure 1 WIS RTH responsibility) as follows

Attachment I-2. Responsibilities in the WMO Information System for the main telecommunication network

Figure 1: WIS RTH responsibility plan

Note: data flow does not always follow the same path as the responsibilities.

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2. Amend Part 1, Attachment I-3 as follows

ATTACHMENT I-3. RESPONSIBILITIES OF REGIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION HUBS CENTRES ON THE MAIN TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF OBSERVATIONAL DATA AND PROCESSED INFORMATION

1. RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE COLLECTION, EXCHANGE AND DISTRIBUTION OF OBSERVATIONAL DATA OF WMCs AND RTHs LOCATED ON THE MAIN TELECOMMUNICATION NETWORK

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 6

The responsibilities are

[Replace the table under 1. with the following table shown in Figure 2 (RTH - Areas of Responsibility)]

RTH Region

RTH Reference No.

RTH City (Country)(*=RTH/MTN)

RTH's Principal GISC

RTH's Backup GISC

RTH’s Area of Responsibility

1 11 Cairo* (Egypt) Casablanca Toulouse Egypt, Sudan, Libya, adjacent sea areas

1 12 Nairobi* (Kenya) Offenbach Moscow / Tokyo

Kenya, Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Uganda, Rwanda, Somalia, La Réunion, United Republic of Tanzania, adjacent ocean areas

1 13 Lusaka (Zambia) Pretoria Exeter Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi1 14 Pretoria (South

Africa)Pretoria Exeter South Africa, Angola,

Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, La Réunion, Zimbabwe, and the following centres via La Réunion: Antananarivo, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, Amsterdam island, Kerguelen, adjacent ocean areas

1 15 Dakar* (Senegal) Casablanca Toulouse Senegal, Ascension Island, Cabo Verde, Canary Islands, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Madeira, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, St. Helena, Gambia, adjacent ocean areas

1 16 Algiers* (Algeria) Toulouse Exeter Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Tunisia, adjacent sea areas

1 17 Brazzaville (Congo)

Casablanca Toulouse Congo, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, São Tomé and Príncipe, Democratic Republic of the Congo, adjacent ocean areas

1 18 Niamey (Niger) Casablanca Toulouse Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ghana, Niger, Nigeria, Togo

2 21 Tehran (Islamic Republic of Iran)

Tehran TBD Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, other territories in the Arabian Peninsula, adjacent sea and ocean areas

2 22 Tashkent (Uzbekistan)

Moscow TBD Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan

2 23 Novosibirsk (Russian Federation)

Moscow Offenbach / Toulouse

Mongolia, Russian Federation (in Region II)

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 7

RTH Region

RTH Reference No.

RTH City (Country)(*=RTH/MTN)

RTH's Principal GISC

RTH's Backup GISC

RTH’s Area of Responsibility

2 24 Khabarovsk (Russian Federation)

Moscow Offenbach / Toulouse

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Russian Federation (in Region II), adjacent sea and ocean areas

2 25 Tokyo* (Japan) Tokyo Beijing / Offenbach / Melbourne

Hong Kong(China), Japan, Macao(China), Republic of Korea, adjacent sea and the Pacific Ocean areas

2 26 Bangkok (Thailand)

Tokyo Beijing / Offenbach / Melbourne

Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam, adjacent sea and ocean areas

2 27 New Delhi* (India)

New Delhi TBD Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, adjacent sea and ocean areas

2 28 Beijing* (China) Beijing Tokyo China, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Viet Nam, adjacent sea and ocean areas

2 29 Jeddah* (Saudi Arabia)

Jeddah TBD Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, other territories in the Arabian Peninsula, adjacent sea and ocean areas

3 31 Brasilia* (Brazil) Brasilia Washington / Pretoria

Brazil , Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, ships’ and aircraft reports

3 32 Buenos Aires* (Argentina)

Brasilia Washington / Pretoria

Argentina, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, ships’ and aircraft reports

3 33 Maracay (Venezuela)

Brasilia Washington / Pretoria

Colombia, Ecuador, French Guyana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela, ships’ and aircraft reports

4 41 Washington* (United States of America)

Washington Brasilia Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, British Caribbean Territories, Canada , Cayman Islands, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Monserrat, Nevis, Nicaragua, Panama, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 8

RTH Region

RTH Reference No.

RTH City (Country)(*=RTH/MTN)

RTH's Principal GISC

RTH's Backup GISC

RTH’s Area of Responsibility

5 51 Melbourne* (Australia)

Melbourne Tokyo / Seoul

Australia and outlying islands, Brunei Darussalam, Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna

5 52 Wellington (New Zealand)

Melbourne Tokyo / Seoul

New Zealand and outlying islands, Cook Islands, Niue, Pitcairn, Tokelau

6 61 Exeter* (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland)

Exeter Toulouse Gibraltar, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, United Kingdom, ocean weather stations (OWS)

6 62 Norrköping (Sweden)

Offenbach Moscow / Tokyo

Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden

6 63 Toulouse* (France)

Toulouse Exeter Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Monaco, Portugal, Spain

6 64 Offenbach* (Germany)

Offenbach Moscow / Tokyo

Germany, Jordan, Israel, Switzerland

6 65 Moscow* (Russian Federation)

Moscow Offenbach / Toulouse

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Russian Federation (in Region VI), Ukraine

6 66 Rome (Italy) Offenbach Moscow / Tokyo

Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Turkey

6 67 Prague* (Czechia) Offenbach Moscow / Tokyo

Czechia, Poland

6 68 Vienna (Austria) Offenbach Moscow / Tokyo

Austria, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia

6 69 Sofia* (Bulgaria) Offenbach Moscow / Tokyo

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Syrian Arab Republic, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

Figure 2 RTH - Areas of Responsibility (* denotes RTH on the MTN)

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EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 9

Annex 2 to draft Resolution 7.2(1)/2 (EC-70)

AMENDMENT TO THE SPECIFICATION OF THE FUNCTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF REGIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION HUBS OF THE GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATION

SYSTEM IN WMO-NO. 386

Amend WMO-No. 386 Manual on the Global Telecommunication System as follows.

1. Amend Part 1, Section 1, paragraph 1.1 as follows:

1.1 Functions

The functions of the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) as a key component within the WMO Information System (WIS) shall be to facilitate the flow of data and processed products to meet the WWW requirements in a timely, reliable and cost-effective way, ensuring that all Members have access to data and products in accordance with approved procedures and within the limits of the agreed WWW system.

Note: It also gives telecommunication support to other programmes as a part of WIS and as decided by the WMO Congress or the Executive Council, within the limits of its primary objectives.

2. Amend Part 1, Section 1, paragraph 1.2.1 as follows

1.2.1 The Global Telecommunication System shall be so organized as to accommodate the volume of meteorological information and its transmission within the required time limits as the core network of WIS and to meet the needs of World, Regional Specialized and National Meteorological Centres, resulting from the implementation of the WWW.

Insert note after paragraph 1.2.2(c) to read

1.2.2 The GTS shall be organized on a three-level basis, namely:

… (c) The national telecommunication networks.

Note: The components of the MTN connecting the WIS Global Information System Centres is also referred to as the WIS Core Network (See the Manual on the WMO Information System WMO-No.   1060)

3. Amend Part 1, Section 3 as follows

3. FUNCTIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NETWORKS OF THE GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEM

3.1 The Main Telecommunication Network (MTN)

3.1.1 The MTN shall be an integrated system of circuits linking together the GISCs on the WIS Core Network WMCs and designated RTHs. The circuits which directly link WMCs and/or RTHs situated on the MTN may, at the request of Members concerned, be designated as circuits of the MTN.

Note: The names of these centres, together with a diagram indicating the configuration of the MTN, are given in Attachment I-2.

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 10

3.1.2 The MTN shall be designed in such a way that the traffic originating from each centre (WMC, designated RTH) will be routed selectively towards the addressee centre(s). Each centre on the MTN shall ensure selective relay of the traffic which it receives towards the circuit(s) which it serves.

3.1.3 The MTN shall have the function of providing an efficient, reliable communication service between the designated centres, in order to ensure:

(a) Rapid and reliable exchange of observational data required to meet the GDPFS requirements;

(b) Exchange of processed information between the WMCs, including data received from meteorological satellites;

(c) Transmission of processed information produced by the WMCs, to meet the requirements of RSMCs and NMCs;

(d) Transmission of other observational data and processed information required for interregional exchange.

Note: Responsibilities of RTHs, including those centres located on the MTN, for the transmission of observational data and processed information are given in Attachment I-3.

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EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 11

Draft Resolution 7.2(1)/3 (EC-70)

AMENDMENT TO WMO-NO. 1060 MANUAL ON THE WMO INFORMATION SYSTEM

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL,

Recalling that:

(1) Appendix B of WMO-No. 1060 Manual on the WMO Information System records those centres that are approved WMO Information System (WIS) centres,

(2) The Council reviews Appendix B taking into consideration the recommendations of the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) on the compliance of WIS centres with the technical specifications defined in Part IV of the Manual on the WMO Information System,

Noting that CBS had assessed compliance with WIS requirements of proposed WIS centres and had assessed those listed in the annex to the present resolution as conforming to the requirements,

Decides to amend WMO-No. 1060 Manual on the WMO Information System as specified in the annex to the present resolution;

Authorizes the Secretary-General to make editorial amendments to the text of the annex to the present resolution.

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Annex: 1

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 12

Annex to draft Resolution 7.2(1)/3 (EC-70)

INCLUSION OF WIS CENTRES INWMO-NO. 1060 MANUAL ON THE WMO INFORMATION SYSTEM

Add the following rows to table 2 in Appendix B to WMO-No. 1060 Manual on the WMO Information System in the appropriate position taking into account alphabetic order of the first two columns.

Table 2: Data Collection or Production Centres

WMO Member or contributing organization

Centre name Centre location region/city Function

Technical commission/programme

GISC

France Copernicus Regional Air Quality Data

Centre

VI Toulouse Copernicus Regional Air Quality Data

Centre

RA VI Toulouse

Singapore ASEAN Specialized

Meteorological Centre (ASMC)

V Singapore Regional monitoring and alerting

of transbounda

ry smoke haze

CBS Melbourne

Modify the entries for Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in table 3 in Appendix B to WMO-No. 1060 Manual on the WMO Information System by editing the current row and introducing a second row as shown below. Deleted text is indicated using red strikeout and added text using green dashed underline.

Table 3: National Centres

Member or organization Centre name GTS

functionCentre

Region locationPrincipal

GISCConstituent

body

Kazakhstan Kazhydromet National

Meteorological and Hydrological Service (Almaty)

NMC II Almaty Moscow CBS

Kazakhstan

National Meteorological

and Hydrological Service (Astana)

NMC II Astana Moscow CBS

Uzbekistan Uzhydromet NMC II Tashkent SeoulMoscow

CBS

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EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 13

Draft Resolution 7.2(1)/4

WMO INFORMATION SYSTEM 2.0

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL,

Recalling that:

(1) The future WMO Information System (WIS) was first envisaged by the Commission for Basic Systems in 1992, the concept adopted by Congress XIV (2003) and approved by Resolution 2 (Cg-XV), and

(2) The first operational Global Information System Centres (GISCs) began in 2012,

Noting that WIS development, in addition to creating the new functionalities of discovery and access, was confined to be an evolution of the Global Telecommunication System (GTS),

Noting further that:

(1) the current architecture of the WIS was developed almost 12 years ago, and that there are many new technologies, architecture designs and industry solutions that were not available at the time,

(2) Members have made considerable progress in moving from a telecommunications architecture to data centric infrastructure built on the GISCs,

(3) some Members are keen to ensure that WIS 2.0 be developed without such restrictions, making full use of the new information technology and the public/private partnerships environment and practices available to achieve the requirements of Members for the full cycle of information management building on the investments of Members in the initial development and roll-out of WIS,

Requests the Commission for Basic Systems, in collaboration with the private sector and involving those Members who currently operate GISCs, to analyze the data exchange needs for WIS in order to provide reliable data access to all users considering the availability of new technologies, architectures and communication techniques including cloud based solutions, web services, application programming interfaces, modern messaging protocols etc., and to study how they would support or contribute to the evolution to WIS 2.0 and report back;

Requests the Secretary-General to provide the resources to support this work;

Urges Members to provide resources for development of potential solutions and feasibility studies.

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EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 14

DRAFT DECISIONS

Draft Decision EC-70/7.2(1)/1

The Executive Council requests the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) to complete development of the amendments to technical regulations as listed in the Annex to this decision and to consult with Members in preparation for their recommendation to eighteenth World Meteorological Congress (Cg-18), and decides to include those amendments on the agenda of Cg-18.

See the Annex to the present decision.

_______

Decision justification: CBS Management Group, following discussion at the 2018 Technical Conference of the CBS, recommended that these amendments be discussed by Cg-18.

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Draft Decision EC-70/7.2(1)/2

The Executive Council noting the WMO Information System 2.0 Strategy, endorsed by Resolution 8 (EC-69) and the Draft WMO Information System 2.0 implementation approach as described in the document presented to the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) Technical Conference (TECO) 2018 (CBS-TECO-2018-Inf-5(1)-WIS2-Implentation-approach_draft1),

Noting further that CBS Management Group recommended EC-70 consideration for referral to Congress,

Requests the CBS:

(1) To consult with Members on amendments needed to further develop the Strategy and Implementation Approach and specific design requirements;

(2) To provide Congress with the updated Strategy and Implementation Approach and a plan to document specific design requirements;

(3) To provide more information to Members about the technical infrastructure supporting WIS 2.0 and a comparison of the functional architectures for the original WIS and WIS 2.0;

Encourages Members to provide feedback to CBS on amendments needed to further develop the Strategy and Implementation Approach;

Agrees to consider the status of WIS 2.0 at Cg-18 with a view toward implementation and;

Decides to request from Congress to authorize EC to make a decision on implementation once the updated documents, including design requirements, are submitted by CBS.

_______

Decision justification: CBS Management Group, following discussion at the CBS TECO 2018, recommended that WIS 2.0 be discussed by Cg-18.

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EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 15

Draft Decision EC-70/7.2(1)/2 bis

The Executive Council notes that the current architecture of the WIS was developed almost 12 years ago and that there are many new technologies, architecture designs and industry solutions that were not available at the time, further noting that Members have made considerable progress in moving from a telecommunications architecture to data centric infrastructure built on the Global Information System Centres,

Requests the Commission for Basic Systems, in collaboration with the private sector and involve those Members who currently operate GISCs, to analyze the data exchange needs for WIS in order to provide reliable data access for all users considering the availability of new technologies, architectures and communication techniques including cloud based solutions, web services, application programming interfaces, modern messaging protocols etc. and how they would support or contribute to the evolution to WIS 2.0 and report back,

Requests the Secretary General to provide the resources to support this work, and

Urges Members to provide resources for development of potential solutions and feasibility studies.

_______

Decision justification: The future WMO Information System was first envisaged by CBS in 1992, twenty six years ago, and the concept adopted by Congress XIV (2003), approved by Congress XV (2007), and the first operational GISCs in 2012. However, WIS development in addition to creating the new functionalities of discovery and access, was confined to be an evolution of the GTS. Some Members are keen to ensure that WIS 2.0 is developed without such restrictions, making full use of the new information technology and public/private partnerships environment and practices available to achieve the requirements of Members for the full cycle of information management building on the investments of Members in the initial development roll-out of WIS.

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 16

Draft Decision EC-70/7.2(1)/3

The Executive Council noting that the secretariat Secretariat should only coordinate and not operate such aoperational systems,

Further noting the potential requirement for procurement and contract management by the Secretary-General of services for shared use by Members and partner organizations,

Requests the Secretary Secretary-General to explore the financial and regulatory mechanisms for provision of such services and report to Congress.

_______

Decision justification: The strategies for WIGOS, WIS and the DPFS are built on an expectation of increased sharing of service provision by Members. The experience of WIS in the provision of the Main Telecommunication Network using a commercial provider of telecommunication system is that requiring Members and partner organizations each to enter into a contractual relationship with the provider is not possible because of differing national constraints. The Commission for Basic Systems has proposed an approach in which the Secretary-General procures a service, to be funded by Members and partner organizations, the contract for which is managed by the Secretary-General, but the service is used and monitored by Members and partner organizations.

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Draft Decision EC-70/7.2(1)/4

The Executive Council noting the work of the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) in the development and prototype prototyping of a clearing house for the rapid exchange of information and discovery metadata between Members operating Global Information System Centres (GISCs),

noting Noting further that a pilot capability will be hosted and managed by a Member or partner organization,

Requests all Members operating GISCs to participate in this pilot project;

Requests the Secretary Secretary-General to explore financial mechanisms for the establishment and long-term provision of such a shared service in the future.

_______

Decision justification: The three-year pilot providing a clearing house for the exchange of information and discovery metadata between GISCs is expected to deliver the following direct benefits to members operating GISCs:

Reduction in the number of telecommunication connections that need to be operated by each GISC;

Transfer of information between GISCs in situations where direct telecommunication connections are physically or politically difficult;

Ability to scale the technology to match the level of demand; Reduction in the end-to-end delivery times of high priority warning messages.

EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 17

Lessons learned from this pilot will be used when procuring a longer-term operational service.

WIS 2.0 (draft Decision EC-70/7.2(1)/2) would rely on systems that are shared between Members and make extensive use of cloud technologies. Cloud technologies themselves are commonplace in the IT market and are used by an increasing number of Members for their internal operations. WIS 2.0, however, would require those technologies to be applied in situations where the costs and operational management of the services need to be shared between Members with differing national constraints on procurement and information technology policies. In addition to its operational benefits, phase I of the cache in the cloud project aims to demonstrate the technical, financial and procurement practicality of operational use of cloud services that are shared by Members. This project was discussed by the 2018 technical conference of the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS), and endorsed by the CBS Management Group at its meeting on 29 March 2018. Additional background material is provided in the report of the CBS Expert Team on Communication Techniques and Systems on the topic.

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EC-70/Doc. 7.2(1), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 18

Annex to draft Decision EC-70/7.2(1)/1

The topics to be included on the agenda for Cg-18 shall include:

1. Amendments to WMO-No. 1060 Manual on the WMO Information System and WMO-No. 1061 Guide to the WMO Information System concerning:

(a) A generic on-site audit process that could be applied to the audit of specialist centres of any WMO programme against the requirements of that programme as described the CBS TECO 2018 document CBS-TECO-2018-Doc-5(3)-Annex1-Audit_draft1;

(b) Management of risks to the WMO Information System of cybersecurity incidents through the introduction of a procedure for responding to cybersecurity incidents as described in the CBS TECO 2018 document CBS-TECO-2018-Doc-5(3)-Annex2-SecurityProcedure_draft1;

(c) Operational monitoring of the WIS infrastructure as a “GISC watch” that would be implemented as described in issue 5(3)/4 of CBS TECO 2018 document CBS-TECO-2018-Doc-5(3)-WIS-Operations_draft1;

(d) Escalation procedures to resolve operational issues that cannot be decided by mutual agreement between the parties involved as described in issue 5(3)/5 of CBS TECO 2018 document CBS-TECO-2018-Doc-5(3)-WIS-Operations_draft1;

(e) Coordination of GISC activities as described in issue 5(3)/3 of CBS TECO 2018 document CBS-TECO-2018-Doc-5(3)-WIS-Operations_draft1;

(f) Introduction of standards and guidance on information management for centres supporting WMO programmes (“WIS Part C”) as described in the CBS TECO 2018 information paper CBS-TECO-2018-Inf-5(4)-WIS-Information-Management;

(g) Introduction of standards and guidance on operation of information and communications technology in support of the activities of WMO programmes as described in the CBS TECO 2018 information paper CBS-TECO-2018-Inf-5(2)-WIS-ICT-Operations_draft1;

(h) Plan for removing WMO-No. 386 Manual on the Global Telecommunication System and transferring any of its content that remain necessary to WMO-No. 1060 Manual on the WMO Information System or WMO-No. 1061 Guide to the WMO Information System.

2. Amendments to WMO-No. 306 Manual on Codes Volume I.3 Part D – Representations derived from data models to implement the XML representation of WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) metadata including substantial improvements on the draft in Decision 8 (CBS-16).

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