ECMWF is in the process of joining the OpenWIS Association as an associate member. OpenWIS is an international non-profit organisation which aims to facilitate collaboration on the development, promotion and sharing of open source software for the exchange of global meteorological information.
The founding members of the OpenWIS Association are Météo-France, the UK Met Office, the Korean Meteorological Administration, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and Météo-France International. The US National Weather Service and the Finnish Meteorological Institute have since joined the association.
The main software package in the OpenWIS Association’s portfolio is also called OpenWIS. It is designed to implement the technical requirements of the WMO Information System (WIS). ECMWF has played an active role in the creation of the WIS. In 2011, it was endorsed by the WMO’s Executive Council as a Data Collection and Production Centre (DCPC). The Centre relies on the OpenWIS software to fulfil that role.
Being an associate member will allow the Centre to attend the OpenWIS Technical Committee. This will give us an opportunity to provide input into future developments of the OpenWIS software. ECMWF will also be able attend the OpenWIS Association Steering Committee meetings as an observer.