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WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION COMMISSION FOR BASIC SYSTEMS
SECOND MEETING OF THE INTER-PROGRAMME EXPERT TEAM
ON DATA REPRESENTATION AND CODES
FINAL REPORT BRASILIA, BRAZIL, 31 AUGUST - 3 SEPTEMBER 2010
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Executive Summary The second meeting of Inter-Programme Expert Team on Data Representation
and Codes (IPET-DRC) was held at the headquarters of INMET, Brazil from 31
August to 3 September 2010. The meeting reviewed the current status of validation of the proposals
on GRIB edition 2 (GRIB2), BUFR and CREX at or before the first
meeting of IPET-DRC (Geneva, 15-18 September 2009), and confirmed that
the following proposals have been validated. The meeting agreed those
for operational use. GRIB2 templates 3.44 (for WAFS data), 3.130 (for irregular
latitude/longitude grid), 4.32 (for synthetic satellite data), 4.51/4.91
(for categorical forecasts) and 4.44/4.45/4.46/4.47 (for atmospheric
aerosol data), and their relevant Code tables,
BUFR/CREX descriptors for volume (3D) radar data (Table B), ATMS data
(Tables B/D), JASON2 OGDR data (Table B/D), IASI data (Tables B/D), NDVI
data (Tables B/D) and lightning data (Table B/D) (for pre-operational
use), and their relevant Code/Flag tables The meeting discussed a lot of proposals on additions and
modifications to tables and templates of GRIB2, BUFR and CREX, and
agreed the following proposal for operational use as well as new
entries in Code/Flag tables and Common Code tables; BUFR descriptors for all sky radiance data and VIIRS data The meeting discussed the issue of different versioning between BUFR
and CREX. The existing master tables of BUFR and CREX are in common
use but have different version numbers for identification. The meeting
agreed to use same version number for same master tables of BUFR and
CREX, and the number should be incremented fully synchronously when
the tables updated. The meeting agreed the amendments to the Regulations for Reporting
Traditional data in TDCF, i.e. B/C Regulations, to include
instantaneous data from regional or national requirements in BUFR
reports and to clarify reporting of high resolution sounding data. In
addition, the meeting agreed the proposal to delete B/C35 for CLIMAT
TEMP and CLIMAT TEMP SHIP based on the decision by the fifteenth
session of the Commission for Climatology (CCl-XV) on discontinuation
of the monthly upper-air CLIMAT TEMP reports. Regarding traditional alphanumeric codes (TAC), the meeting reviewed
the proposal by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and
agreed the amendments to the aeronautical codes, FM15, FM16 and FM51
in compliance with the amendment 75 for ICAO Annex 3/WMO Technical
Regulations [C.3.1]. The meeting reviewed the procedures for adoption of amendments to the
Manual on Codes and agreed that fast track procedure could be twice a
year (at present, generally once a year). Instead, the meeting was of
the opinion that the procedure for pre-operational use should be
limited to urgent requirements. The meeting also agreed that new
entries for validation, which need approval by the president of CBS at
present, could be allocated by IPET-DRC, taking into account the facts
that entries for validation are possibly changed or even withdrawn in
validation process and approval by the president of CBS is
indispensable, after all, for operational use after validation
process. The meeting discussed again the task to identify the observation
practice elements contained in the Manual on Codes and to pass them to
OPAG-IOS for inclusion in observing standards documentation. The
meeting expressed its concern about several aspects of this issue. The meeting noted that current status of migration to TDCF derived
from the WWW Monitoring exercises conducted in July 2009, October
2009, January 2010 and April 2010, which showed: The numbers of stations, for which BUFR surface and upper-air data were
expected or received, were 1062 out of the 4362 RBSN surface stations (24
per cent) and 239 out of the 791 RBSN upper-air stations (30 per cent),
respectively. Regarding the difficulty that WMO Members were experiencing in meeting
the deadline of November 2010 to complete the migration of the data
category 1, the meeting was of the opinion that the target dates in
the original migration matrix should not be extended, because to do so
would detract from the urgency of the migration and convey a sense
that these dates, and indeed the migration itself, were not to be
taken seriously. It would also be unfair to the WMO members which made
the effort to adhere to the original target dates. However, to
acknowledge the reality that many WMO Members will not meet the
original target dates for Category 1, the meeting agreed that dual
dissemination of TAC and BUFR could, if needed, continue past the
original target dates and agreed to add the deadline of November 2014
to stop dual dissemination of Category 1 TAC and BUFR data. The
meeting also agreed to add the deadline of November 2014 to stop dual
dissemination of Category 4 TAC and BUFR in the same manner as
Category 1, as a logical consequence. The meeting was informed the progress in developing electronic
publication of the Manual on Codes, incorporating files exported from
the database of tables of GRIB2, BUFR and CREX in the Secretariat.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
1. ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING
1.1 Opening of the meeting 1
1.2 Approval of the agenda 1
Annex to paragraph 1.2 - Agenda and list of participants A.1 2. GRIB
2.1 Status of proposals at or before the IPET-DRC-I 1
Annex to 2.1 A.6
2.2 Amendments to GRIB (common aspects)
2.2.1 GRIB Calendar Identification 2
2.3 Additions and modifications of templates and tables
2.3.1 Encoding wave spectra in GRIB Edition 2 2
2.3.2 Waves parameters 2
Annex to 2.3.1 and 2.3.2 A.6 2.3.3 GRIB2 parameters for Fire Weather Products 2
Annex to 2.3.3 A.8 2.3.4 GRIB Variable GRID Definition Templates 3 2.3.5 Logarithmic hybrid coordinate 3 2.3.6 GRIB2 parameters for Climate Forecast Products 3
Annex to 2.3.6 A.9 2.3.7 GRIB2 parameters for Ice Analysis and Forecasting Products 4
Annex to 2.3.7 A.9 2.3.8 GRIB2 parameters for Storm Prediction 4
Annex to 2.3.8 A.10 2.3.9 Generalized vertical height coordinate in GRIB Edition