The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced on 31 January that its new weather and climate information system has now become operational. Thanks to this important advance, the WMO Information System (WIS) promises to make a critical contribution to international cooperation on Earth observation and to serve as an exemplar component of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

Applying the same interoperability principles as those set out in the GEOSS 10-Year Implementation Plan, WIS has evolved from the close private etwork th t w s WMO’s Glob l Telecommu ic tio System (GTS) to become much more accessible to users outside the traditional WMO community.

World Meteorological OrganizationIn addition to providing the WMO community with access through WMO’s ow systems WIS will make it easier for all GEO societal benefit areas to find and use meteorological observations and products relevant to their activities. WIS can be accessed via the GEO Portal or directly through clearinghouses, known as Global Information System Centres.

WIS is an operational system that is based entirely on the interoperable systems operated and mantained by WMO Members.

Source: SDI-LAC