WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS)

Integration and Standardization

Integration in the context of WIGOS should be defined as joint efforts by data users and data producers at the national and international levels to establish a comprehensive, coordinated and sustainable system of observing systems, ensuring interoperability between its component systems. It will be a framework facilitating standardization and interoperability and ensuring availability and utilization of, and access to, good-quality data and products, and associated metadata.

WIGOS will build on and add value to WMO’s existing observing systems by coordinating their efforts, addressing shortcomings, supporting their interoperability, while meeting user requirements.

It is envisioned that the integration process will bring about architectural and governance structures as well as processes for WIGOS development, implementation and sustainability. Standardization and interoperability, including data compatibility, are primary factors enabling integration.

A key requirement for success is the standardization in three areas:

The first area of standardization: a sustained, optimized, end-to-end WMO Integrated Global Observing System should encompass homogeneity, interoperability, compatibility, and traceability of observations from all WIGOS constituent observing systems. This should be achieved through meeting the requirements for instruments and methods of observation established by the Commission for Instruments and Methods of Observation (CIMO) and those promulgated by partner organizations including tests, calibration and intercomparisons.

The second area of standardization: Data and information generated by all WIGOS constituent networks should meet a comprehensive, standardized set of WIS data and metadata exchange requirements for all WMO Programmes and co-sponsored programmes.

The third area of standardization: Various end-products generated on the basis of observations/measurements by all WIGOS constituent observing systems and exchanged through WIS should meet quality management framework requirements to ensure the best possible products are delivered to end users.

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