World Meteorological OrganizationEXECUTIVE COUNCILSixty-Ninth SessionGeneva, 10 to 17 May 2017

EC-69/Doc. 3.2(2)Submitted by:

Chairperson of Plenary17.V.2017

APPROVED

AGENDA ITEM 3: DISASTER RISK REDUCTION, RESILIENCE AND PREVENTION

AGENDA ITEM 3.2: IMPACT-BASED DECISION SUPPORT SERVICES

SUMMARY

DECISIONS/ACTIONS REQUIRED:

Adopt draft Decision 3.2(2)/1 - Impact-based decision support services.

CONTENT OF DOCUMENT:

The Table of Contents is available only electronically as a Document Map*.DRAFT DECISION

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EC-69/Doc. 3.2(2), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 2

Draft Decision 3.2(2)/1 (EC-69)

IMPACT-BASED DECISION SUPPORT SERVICES

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL,

Recalling:

(1) Resolution 2 (Cg-17) - Implementation of the WMO Strategy for Service Delivery, in which Congress requested EC to support the further development of service delivery by Members in the area of impact-based forecast and warning services,

(2) Decision 30 (CBS-16) – Provision of multi-Hazard impact-based forecast and warning services, in which CBS decided that efforts needed to be enhanced for more rapid realization of impact-based forecast and warning services by NMHSs,

(3) Decision 9 (EC-68) – Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP), that endorses the critical elements for consolidating the SWFDP into global sustainable operational services,

(4) Decision 58 (EC-68) – Operational implications and requirements for impact-based forecasting,

Acknowledging that:

(1) While much has been done by Members to build infrastructure and improve weather and climate modelling capabilities to enhance forecast products, largely through the GDPFS, developments in understanding the impacts of hazards have not always matched the improvement in such technical capabilities,

(2) The Severe Weather Forecasting Demonstration Project (SWFDP), through its cascading forecasting process and synergy with the Flash Flood Guidance System (FFGS) and the Coastal Inundation Forecasting Demonstration Project (CIFDP), is successfully strengthening capacity in NMHSs in developing and least developed countries; nevertheless, improved products offering from the GDPFS centres to SWFDP to facilitate impact-based forecasting need to be improved to enable every user to assess individual impacts,

Observing that graphical information and products being exchanged don’t meet the evolving requirements for digital data, including probabilistic forecasts, to support impact-based forecasting and applications such as agriculture and hydrology, and to establish synergies with other initiatives, such as the Flash Flood Guidance System and the Coastal Inundation Forecasting Demonstration Project,

Noting that NMHSs need to develop skills and capacities to effectively collaborate with scientific organizations, national governmental agencies, local administrations, civil protection and emergency management authorities and other stakeholders for the collection of data including vulnerability and exposure data, and also noting the opportunities offered by various global initiatives such as the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) Human Planet Initiative that provides human settlement data and the GEO Data Access and Risk Management (GEO-DARMA) Initiative that provides comprehensive data access and risk management services that Members can use in developing impact-based services,

Noting further that WMO Regional Training Centres (RTCs) and Regional Specialized Meteorological Centres (RSMCs) can play an important role in training the staff of NMHSs in the new area of impact-based forecast and warning services in order to provide such skills to NMHSs more rapidly,

EC-69/Doc. 3.2(2), DRAFT 2APPROVED, p. 3

Decides:

(1) To further develop training materials on impact-based forecast and warning services in the curricula of WMO RTCs, taking into consideration the different regional and national cultural approaches and circumstances as well as training materials and guides prepared by the RSMCs and the Public Weather Services Programme;

(2) To develop a mechanism for the collection and processing of impact-related data and information for GDPFS centres to share digital data with SWFDP participants;

(3) To incorporate methods to assess likelihood and risk using numerical weather ensembles into the WMO Guidelines on Multi-Hazard Impact-based Forecast and Warning Services;

Requests:

(1) EC’s Working Group on Education and Training to work with regional associations to elaborate curricula for WMO RTCs and RSMCs on impact-based forecasting and warning services;

(2) CBS to continue to give high priority to the implementation of SWFDP in sub-regions that have not as yet benefited from the demonstration phases;

Requests the Secretary-General:

(1) To facilitate resource mobilization to support training in impact-based forecast and warning services in RTCs and RSMCs as well for the WMO ongoing in-country training and pilot projects for NMHSs;

(2) To the extent that the resources are available, to support the processes for the development of impact-based decision support services.

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