Globally uniform, high-quality meteorological data are required for accurate weather forecasting and appropriate global climate monitoring. With this in mind, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) recommended the establishment of Regional Instrument Centres (RICs) for each of its six Regions (as shown in the figure below) in 1986 in order to maintain the meteorological instruments of individual countries to a high standard of accuracy and train instrument specialists. At present, the 16 countries listed below actively operate RICs for Regional Associations (RAs).
WMO Regions
RICs
| Regional Associations | Region | Instrument Centres |
|---|---|---|
| Region Ⅰ | Africa |
Algiers (Algeria) Gaborone (Botswana) Cairo (Egypt) Casablanca (Morocco) Nairobi (Kenya) |
| Region Ⅱ | Asia |
Beijing (China) Tsukuba (Japan) |
| Region Ⅲ | South America |
Buenos Aires (Argentina) |
| Region Ⅳ | North and Central America and Caribbean |
Bridgetown (Barbados) |
| Region Ⅴ | South-West Pacific |
Melbourne (Australia) Manila (Philippines) |
| Region Ⅵ | Europe |
Toulouse (France) Hamburg/ Oberschleissheim (Germany) Bratislava (Slovakia) Ljubljana (Slovenia) Ankara (Turkey) |