Report on the WMO 56th Executive Council, June 2004

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) 56th Executive Council
This meeting was held was held on 8-18 June 2004 in Geneva.

This report focuses on Items the HMEI Secretariat considered as of particular interest for HMEI members and is not intended to be definitive.
Note: Text below in italics is indicative of the HMEI Secretariat observations on the Item and possible further action by HMEI.

Tuesday, June 8th

The opening session included the Council's noting of the departure of Dr. Zillman as the Australian representative on the Executive Council and the welcoming of Dr. Love as his replacement. Dr. Love is the new Director of the Bureau of Meteorology in Australia.

Item/Doc 2.2
The Report of the WMO Secretary General.
In his report the WMO Secretary General, Michel Jarraud, acknowledged the contribution of HMEI to the progress the Instruments and Methods of Observation Programme has made in the area of Training and Capacity Building.
Other items of note in his presentation were the emphasis placed on Cross Cutting Issues, Climate and Disaster prevention, and on Training. Also of note was the reporting of the WMO's strong involvement in the ad hoc Group on Earth Observations' draft framework document and its associated 10-year plan.

Item/Doc 3.1
Report from WWW CBS.
Amongst other points the possibility was noted that radiosondes may be able to be replaced by profilers in some services/parts of the world community.
The possibility of CBS being involved in Development of worldwide standards for forecasting systems is being considered. A response to this issue will be given at next years Executive Council.

Ben Dieterink the Chairman of HMEI, amongst other members at the meeting, was invited to make comment on the report. Mr. Dieterink stated:

The presentation by the acting president and secretary about the excellent work of CBS has been interesting and informative. I would like to state that the Association of HMEI is alive and ready to support all the programs discussed here, where measurements and instrumentation are necessary. HMEI is ready to participate in increasing the expertise and know-how in applying modern instrumentation and technologies for observing the required parameters. The Association is looking forward to a fruitful cooperation with WMO, Meteorological Institutes and other parties in the market.

The CBS report was highly informative and gave numerous indications of points where HMEI can be involved. These was not only in regard to meteorological instruments in the classic sense but also the newer areas with which meteorology and hydrology are now involved with. These will be followed up by the HMEI Secretariat.

Item/Doc 12
Report on the WMO Space Program.
The strong support for this WMO programme from members suggests that this is an area of strong growth in WMO.

The HMEI may wish to follow up on this by actively encouraging the inclusion of such manufacturers in its membership and acting as their connection to WMO.

Item/Doc 2.3
Regional Reports by their presidents.
18 speakers reported and commented on the reports.

The member from the African region noted the change to digitalization of Barometers being used in the region.

Some HMEI manufacturers may be interested to follow up on this information.

Items/Docs 13.1
The Evolving role of WMO.
This report was submitted by the Chairman of the EC ad hoc Group on the Evolving Role of WMO. Item 13.1- 8.g considered that one role of the WMO should be "Development of strong and on-going partnership and alliance with international agencies, as well as the broader meteorological and hydrological communities involved (including private sector and civil society) in areas of high priority to WMO;" and in Item 13.1 - 11.d the report notes that with regard to structure, there should be "Structure-related consideration on the involvement of private sector (e.g., through an "umbrella" organization from the sector);". The Annex to this report placed the issue on "involvement of private sectors" in WMO's work as of "High Importance" and "High Feasibility". It also considered the involvement of an "umbrella private sector Association" as of "High Feasibility" and of "Medium Importance".

HMEI obviously considers that we are the "umbrella Association" they are looking for and to that end the Executive Secretary will be drafting correspondence to the WMO Secretary General, Michel Jarraud, to officially nominate HMEI as the appropriate Association to work on the private sector behalf with WMO (as indeed we are already doing).

Item/Docs 14
Long Term Planning
Item 14.5 this focused on the relationship between WMO and NMHSs, and the private sector, with a view to ensuring "appropriate and effective partnership". Items 14.6 & .7 noted the need to product quality management and costs issues.

These are obviously areas in which which the private sector needs to be consulted. It is to be hoped that with the recognition of HMEI as the "umbrella" Association for the private sector, which WMO deals with, the work that the HMEI manufacturers have already commenced with WMO will continue and expand into all areas that WMO and the industry have in common.

Items/Doc 2.6
Report of the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The issues were raised of whether the climate is too political and whether climate change is applicable as a phrase and whether climate and atmospheric pollution should be treated separately.

In the context of Climate Change the areas of Climate, Pollution, Agriculture and Environment are highly political and can obviously bring political funding to the developments there. It will probably come as no surprise to manufacturers that 'buzz words' such as: Green House Gases; Global Climate System, Forestry; Ozone Layer; Carbon Dioxide (capture and storage); Seasonal Variability; have the ability to raise the interest and possibly the money to fund developments involving these phrases.

Item3.4/Doc 19
Lecture on " Vision on the use of new observation technologies for meteorology and hydrology in the next decade "
This lecture addressed the idea of a Sustained Integrated Earth Observing System. The ad hoc Group on Earth Observations (GEO) proposes the above as a “system of system” vision. Combining all the major areas of the earth observations and the institutions/agencies who use or process them. And that there should be common agreed standards and formats, so that data from different areas can be easily integrated at need and an overall picture of the Earth as a system gained.

This raises the question for HMEI of where could the Association of Hydro-Meteorological Equipment Industry fit into such a scheme. Would the Association of HMEI have a vested interest in concerning itself with a wider area of environmental industries than those which fit strictly under the term Hydro-Meteorology?

Item/Doc 4.4
World Climate and Impact Assessment and Response Strategies.
This report noted that National Meteorological Services (NMS) should be involved in Climate Program and Response strategies, but they often so far are not.
It is advisable for WMO to provide support and guidance for NMSs to get involved in WCP.
The importance of NMS involvement in WCP is that they have the real data and the ability to give a clear picture and awareness on Climate Change. Otherwise the data could be manipulated and misused/misrepresented by other vested interest parties including the political arena.
NMS involvement is vital also for the dissemination of response-warnings, public health on so forth.

Item/Doc 6.2.
Agriculture Meteorology Programme (CAgM) Report.
Strong Internet interest expressed in this report, as a method of communication/information dissemination.
WAMIS an important internet site for all interaction and information dissemination in the Agro-Meteorological sphere.
CAgM's Expert Teams, Training Workshops and Technology exchange, were reported on.
The HMEI representative commented at the session that its membership has much expertise to offer this area and the programs and are prepared supportive to the CAgM's work where suitable.

HMEI should consider having internet links with the WAMIS internet site. The Executive Secretary can follow up the liaison with CAgM.

Item/Doc 3.2
Instruments and Methods of Observations Report by CIMO Acting President.
In the CIMO Acting President's presentation HMEI's support was noted in regard to:
The Radiosonde Intercomparison (The manufacturers participating in Mauritius 2005 were listed and their high financial and staff input appreciated);
The HMEI's help in the organization of the upcoming Rainfall Instrument Comparison.
The HMEI member companies who participated in Training workshops held last year as part of WMO's capacity building programme;
The HMEI's participation and interest in standards issues.

Mention was also made of the “Flexible U/A Systems’’ which is an InterMet system (InterMet being a HMEI member) and that the system will be demonstrated in Tanzania (2004-2005) and will also participate in the WMO Mauritius Radiosonde Intercomparison in Mauritius 2005.

In the iscussion resulting from the CIMO Report:
The CIMO web page was appreciated as a good resource for WMO members;
The CIMO work with Intercomparisons was appreciated by several member speakers as valuable work for WMO;
It was requested that more work be done on extending affordable technologies in different areas which CIMO has influence over;
The WMO Instrument Catalogue made by China was appreciated as useful to members;
The work with the Flexible upper air system was appreciated as a vital way to reduce costs;
The relevance of the Intercomparisons was noted for other communities particularly in the Climate area; and
It was suggested that CIMO such take steps to make its Intercomparison results know to such areas.

The HMEI Executive Secretary confirmed to the WMO Council, HMEI’s continuing support for CIMO and expressed HMEI's satisfaction in already having had HMEI members successfully participating in training workshops and Intercomparisons. The Executive Secretary also brought to the attention of the meeting the HMEI Catalogue of Members Products and its potential usefulness to WMO members.

The representative of the Hydrological Commission brought to the attention of the meeting its up-coming Flow Measurement Intercomparison and invited the participation of CIMO and HMEI. The representative also expressed its desire for a closer interaction between the Hydrological Commission and HMEI.

A request was made from the meeting that a call be put forward to manufacturers that they continue to produce and support older equipment that was still being used by some countries, so that these countries could still carry out their observations.

The RMTC Buenos Aires expressed its wish that the funds for the 2007 training go ahead and offered RMTC Buenos Aires support in the Spanish translation of documents and providing Spanish translators for the training.

Comment was made that in RA3 (the South American Region) radars are being used but there are lapses in measurements of radar parameters. The Region needs info and/or trainers to help them with these sort of measurements.

There are a number of points listed above which may be of interest to HMEI members to follow up on and the Secretariat will also be following up on some of these points as appropriate.

Doc/Item 6.4
Marine Meteorology and Oceanography Programme Report.
This report was presented by the Co-President of JCOMM. The report gave a general overview of the joint commission's work.

Whilst the report did address the issue of instrumentation, the HMEI Secretariat will be investigating possibilities for HMEI to interact with this commission.

Item/Doc 3.4
GEO and the System of Systems. A continuation of the topic referred to in the Lecture on Thursday June 10th.

The Internet website earthobservations.org was give as a resource for further information on GEO.
The possibility of private sector involvement was mentioned in development of the GEO initiative. There will be a sub-committee on this in future.

HMEI may wish to ensure that it keeps abreast of the GEO developments and, as a representative of the private sector, consider becoming involved in the future.

Note:
The remaining days of the WMO Executive Council were mainly concerned with the so called "Pinks" (drafts of the final report) and the financial matters of the WMO.
The Final Report of the 56th WMO Executive Council, once it is published, will indicate the final resolutions in regard to the considerations, including those noted above, of the WMO Executive Council.