The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) starts the operation of a Global Information System Centre (GISC) and Data Collection or Production Centres (DCPCs) of the WMO Information System (WIS), as they were designated in the 16th World Meteorological Congress in June 2011.

Overview of WIS

WIS is a new framework for the collection and sharing of information for all WMO and related international programmes. WIS is organized primarily by data management functions and also incorporates the required information exchange functions. The WMO Global Telecommunication System (GTS) is incorporated into WIS.

WIS encompasses the following three types of Centres:

Global Information System Centre (GISC)

GISCs provide comprehensive search based on catalogues that contain metadata describing data and products available across WMO, plus metadata describing dissemination and access options. GISCs provide access to and disseminate WMO data and products intended for global exchange.

Data Collection or Production Centre (DCPC)

Within WIS, DCPCs collect, produce, disseminate, provide access to, and store relevant regional or programme-specific data and products. DCPCs maintain catalogues of their data and products, and provide appropriate parts of these catalogues to the GISCs to ensure comprehensive search.

National Centres (NCs)

Within WIS, NCs, designated by each WMO Member, provide data and products in accordance with their programme responsibilities. NCs provide associated metadata to other WIS Centres to become part of the comprehensive catalogue of WIS data and products.

GISC-Tokyo and JMA DCPCs

The GISC Tokyo starts the official operation of its Discovery, Access and Retrieve (DAR) function on the internet, based on the catalogue that provides the metadata of data and products of all WIS Centres, including those operated by JMA. It also continues providing data and products intended for global distribution through GTS.

JMA's eight DCPCs designated in the Sixteenth 16th Congress (see Tables below) start providing metadata catalogues as a new WIS function, in addition to maintaining their original roles and functions within specific WMO programmes. This will facilitate the search by Members for data and products provided by these Centres through the DAR services of GISCs.

JMA has been participating in the development and implementation of WIS for more than a decade, and it is our great pleasure to start the operation of these Centres. JMA will continue its efforts to support the realization of the full operation of this important information infrastructure of WMO through the operation of the Centres, the coordination with other GISCs, DCPCs and NCs, and technical supports to other WMO Members.