Table of Contents:                                                                                                                                   Page

                 1.  General........................................................................................................................................1

                     1.1  Purpose.................................................................................................................................1
                     1.2  World Weather Watch Program.............................................................................................1
                     1.3  Organization...........................................................................................................................2
                     1.4  Data Provided........................................................................................................................2

             2.  Operational Elements of the WWW..................................................................................................2

                     2.1  Periodic Reviews of Operational Elements...............................................................................2

            3.  Benefits..............................................................................................................................................3

             4.  Plants and Facilities Furnished by the United States............................................................................3

 Exhibit:

           Global Telecommunication System, Configuration of the  Main Telecommunication Network.....................5
 

1.                  General.

1.1               Purpose.  The purpose of this chapter is to describe, in general terms, the primary mission of the World Weather Watch (WWW) program and relate various benefits derived from it.

1.2               World Weather Watch Program.  The WWW makes available to each World Meteorological Organization (WMO) member the basic meteorological data and other related environmental information it requires in order to provide the most efficient and effective meteorological service to its people.  This is especially true of those developing countries that do not have established meteorological services.  The WWW is conceived as a worldwide system composed of the national facilities and services provided by individual members, coordinated, and in some cases supported, by the WMO and other international organizations.

Insofar as necessary, the arrangements for providing specialized meteorological and related environmental information are made by WMO under other WMO programs, or jointly by WMO and other international organizations.

1.3               Organization.  The WWW is an integrated global system, but for many purposes it is convenient to consider it as a three-level system, namely:  the global level (covering the world), the regional level (covering six regional areas of the world plus Antarctica), and the national level (covering individual countries).  The WWW plan contains general directives for the WWW as a whole and pays special attention to the global level and, to some extent, the regional level.

1.4              Data Provided.  The information provided to members includes both observational and processed data.  For operational use, it is essential for the information to be received speedily and in a standard format.  For research purposes, speed is not, in general, of such vital importance, but the information must be readily accessible in convenient form.

2.               Operational Elements of the WWW.  The essential operational elements of the WWW are as follows:

                     a.  The Global Observing System (GOS), consisting of the regional basic synoptic networks and other networks of stations on land and at sea, aircraft meteorological observations, meteorological satellites, and other observational devices.

                     b.  The Global Data Processing System (GDPS), consisting of the meteorological centers and arrangements necessary for the processing of basic observational data (real-time uses) and for the storage and retrieval of data (non-real-time uses).

                     c.  The Global Telecommunication System (GTS), consisting of the telecommunications facilities and arrangements necessary for the rapid collection and distribution of basic observational data and processed information.

2.1              Periodic Reviews of Operational Elements.  The WWW is a dynamic program, flexible enough to be adapted to changing conditions.  Periodic reviews of the above systems are conducted by GOS, GDPS, and GTS Working Groups (WG) in order to incorporate the latest technological developments.  A WG on Data Management provides overview, planning, and recommendations directed at the integration of the three operational elements of the WWW.  New techniques of observation, telecommunication, and data processing are introduced as soon as they have been proven to be sufficiently reliable and economical.

3.                Benefits.  Some specific, actual, and expected benefits of the WWW for member meteorological services are described below:

                     a.  Extended-range forecasts from several days to 1 week ahead will benefit short-term planning, in particular agricultural and hydrological operations.

                     b.  Further extension of the range of general forecasts to 1 month, or possibly longer, will benefit both agriculture and industry for long-term planning and conservation of natural resources such as forestry and water.

                     c.  Meteorological satellite observations, as they become more complete and cover the entire globe in detail, will be of even greater benefit for storm warnings and distress mitigation measures, particularly over ocean areas.

                     d.  Basic data and processed information required for forecasts for long-distance sea and air routes can be supplied by any national meteorological center with little additional expense, thanks to the availability of such information through the WWW upon request.

                     e.  Information concerning the location and availability of quality-controlled data for all parts of the world will be of great benefit to national meteorological centers and other scientific and research institutions.

                     f.  Many aspects of environmental pollution could not be understood adequately, nor remedial action undertaken, without the basic meteorological data and related environmental information provided by the WWW.

4.                 Plants and Facilities Furnished by the United States. The United States, through NOAA, contributes the following plants and facilities to the WWW:

                     a.  Components of the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service's National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, North Carolina; the NWS's National Meteorological Center; the NWS's National Hurricane Center, Miami, Florida, as a regional/specialized meteorological center; and the NWS's Systems Operations Center (SOC), Silver Spring, Maryland, operating the NWS Telecommunication Gateway as a regional telecommunications hub (RTH).

                       b.  64-Kbps circuitry between Washington/Bracknell;  9.6-Kbps circuitry between Washington/Tokyo, Washington/Brasilia, and Washington/Buenos Aires; and 19.2-Kbps circuitry between Washington/Toronto.

                     c.  300-baud circuitry between Washington/Mexico, and
75-baud circuitry between Washington/Central America and Washington/Caribbean.

                     d.  Automated facilities at the SOC/RTH in Silver Spring in accordance with the specialized requirements of the GTS and the WWW.