The 4th Session of JCOMM was held in Yeosu, Republic of Korea between 23 and 31 May 2012. (see JCOMM-IV web site on http://www.jcomm.info/jcomm4).
The Session elected Dr Nadia Pinardi (Italy) and Dr Johan Stander (South Africa) as Co-Presidents.
Dr Sissy Iona (Greece) was re-elected Chair of the Data Management Programme Area.
Dr Sergey Belov (Russian Federation) was elected Chair of the JCOMM/IODE Expert Team on Data Management Practices (ETDMP).
Data Management was discussed under agenda items 7.1 to 7.5. Below we show the relevant text (relevant to oceanographic data management) extracted from the summary report and resummarized:
The Commission recalled the priority activities for the Data Management Programme Area during the last intersessional period as decided by JCOMM-III (priority (i) to (ix) of paragraph 7.4, WMO-No. 10490.
(i), the DMPA contributed to the improvement of standardization for ocean data management. In particular, two standards have been published through the JCOMM/IODE[1] Ocean Data Standards (ODS[2]) process, additional standards are currently under review, and additional standards have been identified for submission through the process. The Commission noted with concern that the process of receiving recommended standards from Member States has been very slow. The Commission stressed he importance of standards for all aspects of JCOMM's work and in particular to ensure interoperability arrangements between data systems such as the Ocean Data Portal (ODP) and the WMO Information System (WIS), and emphasized that the success of this process is highly dependent on active participation of all WMO/IOC Members/Member States, programmes and related organizations through submitting suitable standards for consideration. The Commission therefore requested Members/Member States to participate actively in submitting standard proposals through the ODS process. The Commission noted with appreciation that the "Standards Process" was being revised so as to be published during the second semester of 2012, and that priorities for future candidate standards had been identified during the ad hoc Joint JCOMM-IODE Steering Group for the Ocean Data Standards Pilot Project (SG-ODSPP), Oostende, Belgium, 23-25 April 2012 (report available from the JCOMM web site). The Commission requested the DMPA to follow-up on the implementation of the recommended standards by Members/Member States.
(ii), the DMPA supported the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) through collaboration in the JCOMM Pilot Project for WIGOS, focusing on interoperability between the IOC/IODE Ocean Data Portal (ODP) (now progressing to version 2) and the WMO Information System (WIS), contributing to making the IODE ODP and the WIS interoperable as well as other ocean data systems interoperable with ODP and/or WIS. Noting that the ODP provides a simple and cost-effective solution for developing countries to make their ocean data sets visible and accessible to the international community, the Commission requested the DMPA to continue to collaborate in the development of the IODE ODP. The Commission requested the DMPA to continue efforts towards an integrated in situ/satellite data management system, and improve the integration and comparison of satellite and in situ data, e.g. address the climatic and non-climatic requirements for in situ and satellite data, and consider data homogenization and interoperability issues. The Commission recalled that as part of the activities of the JCOMM Pilot Project for WIGOS, a number of datasets have been made discoverable and accessible via the Ocean Data Portal (ODP) and the WMO Information System (WIS) (see list in JCOMM/TR-No. 48). It noted with satisfaction that full interoperability has been built between the ODP and WIS, where the ODP would meet the functional requirements of a WIS Data Collection and Production Centre (DCPC), and thereby contribute ocean datasets from the IODE National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) network to the WIS. The Commission urged Members / Member States, through relevant programmes of WMO and IOC, to support and actively participate in this process (see agenda items 7.1 and 7.3). The Commission also agreed to further develop synergies between ODP and WIS, especially in terms of (i) WMO and IOC data policies, and (ii) implementation of ODP and the implementation of WIS nodes so as to avoid duplication. The Commission encouraged Members / Member States to take maximum benefit from the network of data centres under development for the collection and dissemination of marine data and products. Noting that WIS is open to designation of national centres (Appendix B.3 of the Manual), it invited Members / Member States to consider registering relevant national data or centres and services as NCs and advising the Secretariat accordingly through correspondence from the Permanent Representative. The Commission encouraged Members / Member States to establish regional and sub-regional mechanisms for the exchange of marine related data, and products through DCPCs for specific ocean areas and seas. In this regard, the Commission noted with appreciation the successful initiative by Croatia towards that goal for the Adriatic Sea, as highlighted by the outcome of the WMO Workshop on Establishing WIS-DCPC / WIGOS Marine Meteorological Centre as a RA VI Sub-regional Facility for Adriatic Sea Area (Zagreb, Croatia, 17-18 May, 2012).
(iii), the DMPA Supported the WIS implementation by assisting with the updating of manuals (e.g. Global Temperature Profile Programme – GTSPP – Real-Time Quality Control Manual, Revised Edition, 2010), updating the data management plan, and finalizing the Oceanographer's Cookbook for Submitting Ocean Data in Real Time and Delayed Mode. Changes have also been proposed to the BUFR[3] templates for ocean data (ship-based observations, data buoys) in order to include in the GTS real-time data flow the instrument/platform metadata that are required in real-time by end-user applications. Plans are underway for sharing tools for encoding/decoding software within the oceanographic community, and example of BUFR reports have been produced for training purposes. The Commission requested the DMPA to keep the "Cookbook" under review, and continue to maintain the BUFR templates for ocean data under review so that they continue to take end-user requirements into account. Highlighting the importance of BUFR, the Commission further requested the DMPA to finalize the BUFR Master Table 10 (Oceanographic Data) (See also item 7.4 for more discussion on WIS It was noted that the "Cookbook" has now been documented within IODE OceanTeacher (http://www.oceanteacher.org).
(iv), the Water Temperature Instrument/Platform Metadata (META-T) Pilot Project has been completed, and some key recommendations made in particular regarding the need to collect and distribute the metadata together with the data. The Commission urged Members/Member States to collect, distribute and record instrument/platform metadata together with the ocean observational data, and adopted Recommendation 7/1 (JCOMM-4) – Provision of Ocean/Instrument Metadata.
(v), the Modernization effort of the Marine Climatological Summaries Scheme (MCSS) lead to proposing a Vision and draft strategy for a new Marine Climate Data System (MCDS) to better address in particular the requirements for climate services. The Commission requested the DMPA to lead the development of the MCDS in close cooperation with the IODE. The Commission agreed that a limited number (less than ten) of WMO-IOC Centres for Marine Meteorological and Oceanographic Climate Data (CMOCs) covering specific JCOMM data domains, will form a key component of the MCDS, and will further facilitate interoperability with, and seek to internationally formalize the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) and eventual similar existing domain-specific international archives, within the remit of JCOMM. In order to implement this plan, the Commission concurred with the establishment of a new crosscutting Task Team on MCDS under the ETMC with the Terms of Reference as detailed in the workshop's report), to pursue this objective. The Commission requested ETMC in close cooperation with IODE and the ODP Task Team of the IODE/JCOMM ETDMP, and other appropriate partners such as the ICSU World Data System to review and update the MCDS strategy and to develop an implementation plan (including performance indicators for participating centres) for achieving the Vision for a new MCDS. The role of ODP in the MCDS should also be clarified by DMPA. The Commission adopted Recommendation 7.2/1 (JCOMM-4) – Marine Climate Data System. The Commission strongly supported the MCDS development, viewing it as an opportunity to better integrate existing WMO and IOC data infrastructures serving the requirements for climate applications, including climate services. The Commission decided that China and Germany could begin filling the role of CMOCs on a trial basis immediately. The Commission noted that the CMOC evaluation criteria will have to be adopted by the IODE Twenty-Second Session (March 2013), and documentation further finalized. In the event of subsequent successful evaluation of the CMOC proposals from China and Germany against the approved criteria, the Commission requested the Management Committee to work by correspondence with Members / Member States through a fast-track procedure to seek approval of these two proposals within six months after the IODE Session. Formal approval could then be given by the IOC Executive Council in 2014. The Commission invited France and Canada, and other parties currently performing the functions of DACs and/or GDACs or similar (e.g. GCCs, Argo, OceanSITEs, GTSPP, GDP DAC) to participate in the discussions regarding the develoment of the MCDS strategy and implementation plan with a view to offering MCDS DAC or GDAC functions as appropriate. Meanwhile, the Commission approved the designation of the relevant French and Canadian centers as provisional GDAC for Drifting Buoys under JCOMM and IODE (GDAC-DB) to continue in their present roles until the role of the MCDS GDACs is further clarified as a part of the MCDS strategy. In the context of the assembly of marine data and metadata for delayed mode quality control, the Commission noted with concern that the ship call-sign masking scheme was hampering the efforts of the archive centres and some sectors of the satellite community to match observations to particular ships. This in turn has negative impacts on the ability of Members / Member States to quality control historical data. The masking scheme had been introduced in response to security concerns voiced by the shipping industry to hide the identity of ships reporting observations on the GTS, but it had never been intended to adversely affect the work of the archive and satellite validation communities. The Commission therefore asked the OPA and DMPA to give urgent consideration to this issue, and to accelerate the development of encryption or similar schemes, that could replace the current masking scheme and overcome the difficulties in quality controlling ship data in climate databases while also addressing the ship operators' security concerns. The Commission also noted that the European Environment Agency (EEA) was developing its role as the coordinator of the Global Monitoring for the Environment and Security (GMES) in situ component and has identified and prioritised the in situ marine data requirements in co-operation with the GMES Marine Service (MyOcean) and relevant stakeholders. It had also proposed solutions aimed at ensuring sustainable access to marine in situ data in Europe. The Commission requested the Programme Areas to investigate and promote the possible cooperation between EEA and JCOMM and its relevant groups and expert teams in this regard.
(vi), the Data Management Coordination Group (DMCG) reviewed progress on the implementation details[4] of the Data Management Plan (JCOMM TR No. 40, Rev. 1), as well as the future actions for the realization of the plan. Tasks and future actions for the realization of its objectives were also discussed, and a new version of the Plan and its implementation details were proposed accordingly. The Commission requested the DMPA to keep the Data Management Plan and its implementation details under review, and to update them as needed.
(vii), the DMPA has updated the Catalogue of Standards and Best Practices, and as part of the JCOMM Data Management Plan recommended implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMSs) by Members/Member States in compliance with the WMO Quality Management Framework (QMF). The Commission invited Members/Member States to consider implementing QMSs for their ocean data centres and data management systems if that was not already the case, noting also that the lack of sharable Quality Control tools applicable in different environments will be a barrier for many Members/Member States, especially in these times of financial constraint.
(viii), the DMPA webpages on the JCOMM website have been substantially reviewed and updated to provide useful information to the targeted audience. The Commission requested the DMPA to keep the webpages under review and to update them as needed.
(ix), the third International Workshop on Advances in the Use of Historical Marine Climate Data (MARCDAT-III) was organized in Frascati, Italy from 6 to 8 May, and the workshop's proceedings with recommendations published. The Commission requested the DMPA to proceed with organizing a fourth JCOMM Workshop on Advances in Marine Climatology (CLIMAR-IV) around 2014, and a fourth MARCDAT in 2016.
The Commission was pleased to note the progress of the work of the JCOMM/IODE Expert Team on Data Management Practices (ETDMP) during the intersessional period which had focused on the implementation of the IODE/JCOMM Ocean Data Standards process, the improvement of metadata management, and the development of the IODE Ocean Data Portal (ODP) including participation in the JCOMM Pilot Project for the WMO Integrated Global Observing system (WIGOS).
The Commission noted with appreciation the progress made by the Task Team on Metadata and requested the relevant ETDMP task team to continue the work on comparison of semantic metadata profiles (Marine Community Profile – MCP –, SeaDataNet Common Data Index – CDI –, and the WMO Core Profile) and make recommendations for better interoperability between ODP and WIS.
The Commission welcomed the close and productive cooperation between IOC/IODE and WMO through the JCOMM Pilot Project for WIGOS, and congratulated the participating experts with the achieved results that will contribute to effective interoperability between WMO and IOC data systems. The Commission recommended to continue work on the interoperability of WIS/WIGOS and IODE ODP as these systems further develop and evolve. The Commission congratulated the Russian National Oceanographic Data Centre (NODC) for their considerable contribution towards the development of the IODE ODP as well as the JCOMM Pilot Project for WIGOS during the intersessional period. The Commission recommended that the work of WIGOS be as an interface of cooperation between the WMO WIS and the IODE ODP.
The Commission noted with appreciation the ongoing development, by IODE, of a revised version of the IOC Strategic Plan for Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (2013-2016) as well as a quality management framework for IODE National Oceanographic Data Centres (NODCs) which will be complementary to the WMO Quality Management Framework (QMF). Meanwhile, the Commission noted with concern the low number of data centres providing data through ODP and urged Members/Member State to actively participate in ODP. The Commission also called on other national, regional or international distributed ocean data systems to actively pursue interoperability with the ODP.
The Commission welcomed the offer by the Russian Federation for establishment of a Partnership Centre for IOC/IODE supporting IODE ODP in Obninsk as an "in-kind" contribution of the Russian Federation into the activities of the IOC and JCOMM. The Commission requested the IOC Secretariat to work with the Russian Federation to prepare agreements for the establishment of such a centre.
The Commission adopted Recommendation 7.3/1 JCOMM-4 – The IODE Ocean DataPortal (IODE ODP).
Rec. 7.3/1 (JCOMM-4) — The IODE Ocean Data Portal (IODE ODP)
THE JOINT WMO-IOC TECHNICAL COMMISSION FOR OCEANOGRAPHY AND MARINE METEOROLOGY,
Noting the IODE OceanDataPortal (ODP) is operational and provides a mechanism to integrate marine data from a number of distributed sources both in the network of IODE NODCs and from other systems including JCOMM data systems;
Further noting that the IODE ODP was developed in close collaboration with, and with the guidance of the JCOMM/IODE Expert Team on Data Management Practices (ETDMP) and that IODE ODP technology was used in the successful JCOMM Pilot Project for WIGOS;
Considering the importance of interoperability between the WMO Information System (WIS) and the IODE ODP,
Recommends that:
(1) JCOMM projects and participating organizations (data centres) participate in the IODE ODP operation by providing access to their data resources;
(2) the IODE ODP Project works closely with the WIS to implement a connection between IODE centres participating in IODE ODP and meteorological centres using WIS to ensure mutual access to data and information in their respective data systems;
(3) DMPA and ETDMP further support and assist the IODE ODP operations and development including the technology infrastructure and training activities;
(4) IODE and DMPA to further develop synergies between ODP and WIS, especially in terms of (i) WMO and IOC data policies, and (ii) implementation of ODP and the implementation of WIS nodes so as to avoid duplication.
DMPA priorities for the next intersessional period (2012-2017)
7.5.1 The Commission endorsed the future priority activities for the next intersessional period for the Data Management Programme Area (DMPA) as described below, with no particular order:
(i) Continue to adopt standards/best practices for use by the marine meteorological and oceanographic community through the IODE-JCOMM Ocean Data Standards Process in support of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS), the IOC-WMO-UNEP-ICSU Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), IODE, and the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) implementation;
(ii) Assist in the further development of the IODE Ocean Data Portal, its linkages with other ocean data systems (e.g. SeaDataNet, IMOS, OBIS, GEOSS), its interoperability with the WMO Information System (WIS),and its capacity development activities to ensure full participation of Members/Member States;
(iii) Develop a strategy and implementation plan in the next two years for achieving a vision for a new MCDS and start implementation preparation of the new JCOMM Marine Climate Data System (MCDS);
(iv) Improve the management of instrument/platform metadata;
(v) Organize the fourth JCOMM Workshop on Advances in Marine Climatology (CLIMAR-IV), possibly in 2014, and the fourth International workshop on Advances in the Use of Historical Marine Climate Data (MARCDAT-IV), possibly in 2016.
[1]: IOC International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE)
[2] : http://www.oceandatastandards.org/
[3]: FM-94 BUFR : Binary Universal Form for the Representation of Meteorological Data (used for distribution of time critical data onto the Global Telecommunication System – GTS.
[4] http://www.jcomm.info/dmp-id
