The Special Antarctic Monitoring (SAM)
The specific monitoring on the exchange of Antarctic data (SAM) is carried out in January each year. All Antarctic collection stations, NMCs and centres with similar functions located on the principal routes by which Antarctic meteorological data enter the GTS (see Manual on the GTS, Volume II, the Antarctic, figure 2), RTHs and the WMCs operated by Members concerned are requested to participate in the specific monitoring.
The results of the SAM make it possible to compare the availability of the reports received from ABSN/ABCN stations at the collecting centre, at RTHs and at MTN centres. The differences in the availability of data between centres are due to the following main reasons: differences of requirements in the reception of data, shortcomings in the relay of the data on the GTS, data not monitored, differences in the implementation of the monitoring procedures at centres.