There has been a universal acclaim for the new WMO Information System 2.0 (WIS 2.0), which is the framework for Earth Systems (meteorological, hydrological, climate and ocean) data sharing in the 21st century. It is based on the principle that no Member should be left behind.
The WIS 2.0 pilot phase started in the December 2022 and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2023. WIS 2.0 supports the WMO Unified Data policy, the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) and makes international, regional, and national data sharing simple, effective, and inexpensive.
WMO has been committed to the free and unrestricted exchange of data throughout its entire existence.
Speakers at the World Meteorological Congress were unanimous in welcoming WIS 2.0, and especially its accessibility to developing and developed countries alike.
These objectives inspire the principles underpinning the WIS 2.0 technical framework, such as adopting open standards and Web technologies to facilitate sharing of increasing variety and volume of real-time data.
"It is a piece of a dream which is coming true," said Michel Jean, President of the WMO Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (INFCOM). "We were dreaming about this in the late 1990s and it is becoming a reality, and its pace is accelerating. This is an extraordinary achievement," he said.
Training and capacity-building workshops are accompanying the rollout of WIS 2.0. Its new data-sharing infrastructure will gradually replace the Global Telecommunication System (GTS).
The users of WIS 2.0 will be able to access data in real-time by subscribing to a Global Broker and receiving notifications when new data are available for download from a Global Cache or from the data provider. They will also be able to access data directly through Web APIs (application programming interfaces), connecting their software (or their browser) and processing or visualising data of their interest.
WMO has developed the open-source software "WIS2 in a box" to support Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States in implementing WIS 2.0.
