Aviation | Resources | Newsletters | 2021-2
Newsletter Issue 2/2021 (December 2021)
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- Foreword by Second Vice-Chair of WMO Standing Committee on Services for Aviation
- Highlights of Extraordinary Congress and Executive Council
- Preliminary findings of the 2021 Global Survey on Gender Equality in Aeronautical Meteorology
- Highlights of recent online meetings of SC-AVI expert team: ET-MHS-1 | ET-CCV-1 | ET-ETC-1
- Highlights of 2021 WMO, UK Met Office and Meteorological Service Singapore Aviation Meteorology Training Seminar
- Establishment of a Task Team on the Long-term Plan for Aeronautical Meteorology
- Forthcoming updates to WMO publications in aeronautical meteorology
- Discontinuation of Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume II, Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation
- An informal guide on remote learning
- WMO Capacity Development Strategy: An overview
- News from the ICAO Secretariat
- News from the WMO Secretariat
- Upcoming WMO meetings and events
- Coming up next time
Foreword by Second Vice-Chair of WMO Standing Committee on Services for Aviation
Hello everyone. I am pleased to introduce the second WMO Services for Aviation Newsletter of 2021.
We had hoped that 2021 would bring stability albeit a “new normal”. However, most parts of the world are still battling COVID-19 though international aviation is recovering slowly.
Our WMO Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI) has made significant progress in a number of areas. Some of these will be described in more detail in this newsletter. In fact, our teams have done remarkably well given the pandemic limitations. Although most of our work has always been done remotely, in-person face-to-face meetings provided periodic injections of energy and development of relationships. We realize that we have “spent” most of that relationship energy and we look forward to the day when we can again meet friends and colleagues in person.
The next few years will be very exciting. Meteorological services to aviation were evolving quickly before 2020. The pandemic has been like an anchor in terms of impeding progress. In spite of dragging this anchor, we have maintained momentum in many key areas. We hope that, in 2022, we will “cut the rope” on the anchor. This will result in a rapid acceleration of change.
A key priority of our Standing Committee is the update of the Long-term Plan for Aeronautical Meteorology (LTP-AeM). The updated long-term plan will guide WMO Members through this rapid change. The goal of the long-term plan is 'to provide a framework upon which aeronautical meteorological service providers (AMSPs) in particular, and the broader meteorology and aviation communities in general, can plan a progressive transformation from a conventional “product-centric” approach to a modern “information-centric” approach to service provision for aviation through to 2030 and beyond'. It will mention aspects such as recovery from the pandemic and emerging services relating to space weather. The updated Long-term Plan for Aeronautical Meteorology will also address challenging issues that are interrelated including digitization, automation and the role of humans in meteorological observing and forecasting. Clients are demanding optimization of both the benefits of machines (numerical weather prediction, remote sensing) and added value of humans (vulnerabilities, impacts).
I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead a new Task Team responsible for the update of the Long-term Plan. My co-chair, Kaspar Bucher-Studer (MeteoSwiss), and I will be supported by experts from all WMO Regional Associations. You can find out more about the Task Team in an article below. The updated Long-term Plan will provide a path to the future for aeronautical meteorology. We may not know exactly where the path will take us but the overall direction is clear. The future is a bit scary but, at the same time, very exciting. Let’s find our way together and navigate along the path with our international colleagues and our industry partners.
Thank you for your continued contributions to aeronautical meteorology. Specifically, thanks in advance for your contributions to and support of the updated Long-Term Plan for Aeronautical Meteorology.
Kent Johnson
Meteorological Service of Canada
Second Vice-Chair of WMO Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI)
Highlights of Extraordinary Congress and Executive Council
Submitted by Greg Brock, WMO Secretariat
In October 2021 WMO convened an Extraordinary Session of the World Meteorological Congress, Cg-Ext . (2021). Owing to the prevailing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, this was the first time ever that a session of Congress had been convened as an entirely online session.
Congress adopted 12 resolutions in total. Three noteworthy resolutions concern a new WMO Unified Data Policy (or the 'Unified Policy for the International Exchange of Earth System Data' to give it its full title), the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) and a Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF). Individually and collectively these resolutions, complemented by technical regulations and other enablers, are intended to significantly improve the provision of weather and climate services through enhanced availability of and access to observational and forecast data from around the world.
The WMO Unified Data Policy establishes clear commitments for the free-and-unrestricted exchange of Earth system data. Meanwhile, the GBON represents a new approach to the design of the basic surface-based observing network. And the SOFF will provide dedicated access to long-term grants and technical assistance, especially targeting least developed countries (LDC) and small island developing States (SIDS), thereby helping to build long-term sustainability and Members' compliance with the WMO technical regulations.
Congress also adopted resolutions linked, for example, to hydrological and water issues, including a 'Water Declaration' comprising a Water and Climate Coalition to promote the sharing of and access to integrated hydrological, cryosphere, meteorological and climate information.
Immediately following the Extraordinary Congress, the Seventy-Fourth Session of the Executive Council was held online. EC-74 formulated two resolutions and five resolutions in total on matters that included an amendment to the rules of procedure for WMO regional associations as well as the addressing of challenges the mitigation of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The next regular sessions of Executive Council and Congress will take place in mid-2022 and mid-2023 respectively.
Preliminary findings of the 2021 Global Survey on Gender Equality in Aeronautical Meteorology
Submitted by Claudia Ribero, SC-AVI Thematic Coordinator for Gender Mainstreaming in coordination with Stéphanie Wigniolle, WMO Secretariat and Marina Petrova, SC-AVI Thematic Coordinator for Communications and Outreach
Having gained stimulus at the Sixteenth Session of the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology (CAeM-16) in 2018, especially through Resolution 6 (CAeM-16), the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI) of the Services Commission (SERCOM) continues to advance gender equality issues. Following WMO Governance Reform, the level of participation of women in the work of WMO in the aeronautical meteorology domain has remained largely unchanged at around one-fifth of the total number of experts nominations by Permanent Representatives of WMO Members to support the Services for Aviation (AVI) application area (approximately 50 out of 250 nominees).
To fill the gender gap, in mid-2021 the Standing Committee conducted a global survey to obtain feedback on the status of gender equality in aeronautical meteorology across the WMO Regions. The survey was designed to collate information on respondents’ experience regarding gender equality and empowerment of women in the aeronautical meteorology domain. Staff and management working in this domain, including observers, forecasters, researchers and service managers, from the public and private sector were encouraged to complete the survey.
The development of the survey was led by the SC-AVI Thematic Coordinator for Gender Mainstreaming, Ms Claudia Ribero, with the assistance of other members of the Standing Committee (including the Thematic Coordinator for Communications and Outreach, Ms Marina Petrova) and external collaborators. The survey, in the form of a questionnaire, was distributed in the English language only, however some Members took the initiative to make translations available locally to increase the response rate. The SC-AVI Coordinator for Communications and Outreach assisted in promoting the survey across the regions and sharing the reminders.
The 2021 Global Survey on Gender Equality in Aeronautical Meteorology was launched on 25 June and closed on 31 August. The survey questionnaire was disseminated via email to approximately 900 individual recipients. In order to further promote the survey, a Circular Letter to Permanent Representatives of WMO Members was also issued. In total, 516 responses were received, of which 44% of responses were from women working in the aeronautical meteorology domain. According to age range, 26% of respondents were under 34 years of age, 29% were aged 35 to 44, 26% were aged 45 to 54, and 19% were aged 55 or older. Of the 193 WMO Members canvassed, responses were received from persons working in 94 States and Territories (49%). In terms of numbers of Members in each Region, responses were received from persons in one-third of Members in RA I (Africa), half of Members in RA II (Asia), three-quarters of Members in RA III (South America), two-fifths of Members in RA IV (North America, Central America and the Caribbean), one-third of Members in RA V (South-West Pacific) and two-thirds of Members in RA VI (Europe).
Figure above: Female-only responses to the question: In your current workplace environment, have you ever felt that your day-to-day activities were negatively impacted because of your gender?
(Sample size: 230 female-only responses out of 516 total responses)
The final comprehensive results of the survey, on a global and regional basis, are currently being analysed by SC-AVI. Findings and recommendations arising from the survey will be published in 2022 as part of the WMO Aeronautical Meteorology (AeM) Series of publications. The results of the survey will be used by SC-AVI to devise strategies to increase the involvement of women and to promote them to higher positions of responsibility, in the work of WMO in the aeronautical meteorology domain and will help integrate a holistic gender equality perspective into both SERCOM and WMO’s gender action plans and related initiatives.
Notification of the publication of the report on the survey will appear via the news feed section of the WMO Services for Aviation website.
Highlights of recent online meetings of SC-AVI expert teams
ET-MHS-1, 13 and 15-16 September 2021, Online
Submitted by Stéphanie Wigniolle, WMO Secretariat, in coordination with Sharon Lau and Matt Strahan, SC-AVI ET-MHS Co-Chairs
The Expert Team on Aeronautical Meteorological Hazards Science (ET-MHS) held its first meeting (online) on 13, 15 and 16 September 2021 through three 2-hour sessions, each of them having a different time slot.
The meeting opened with a series of very informative presentations by expert team core members about recent scientific and technological developments in the aeronautical meteorology domain within their organizations and supporting the information services provided to the aviation community locally (airport), nationally or internationally. Key points arising from the presentations included the good level of collaboration and liaison between meteorological and aviation stakeholders in research and development activities supporting the co-design of new service offerings, and the predominance of tailored products or services which go far beyond what’s currently regulated by ICAO, in particular those over the terminal area. Many good practices in translation of MET information into air traffic management (ATM) impacts were also showcased.
ET-MHS-1 also considered Phase 2 of the WMO Aviation Research and Development Project (AvRDP2), jointly governed by the Research Board's World Weather Research Programme (WWRP) and the Services Commission's Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI). AvRDP2 will be focusing on severe convection. Moreover, a summary of the hazardous weather information service (HWIS) concept under development within the ICAO Meteorology Panel was provided during the meeting. As it is expected that AvRDP2 could serve as a demonstrator for the HWIS concept for convection, ET-MHS discussed some HWIS-related topics to be further explored and discussed by ET-MHS and the AvRDP2 project in the context of this demonstration. ET-MHS-1 aimed at identifying the key elements of the team’s contribution to AvRDP2 and the HWIS concept.
The third main discussion topic of ET-MHS-1 was dedicated to the WMO Aeronautical Meteorology Scientific (AeroMetSci) conference expected to be held in 2023 or later and a series of pre-cursor web-based seminar ('webinars') planned for 2022. The priority in the next few months is for the finalization of a concept note supporting the webinars, including the definition of the theme and programme.
In addition to the necessary updating of the operating plan of the expert team, the Expert Team also recognized the need to foster the preparation for the AeroMetSci webinars and action was taken to progress plans for these events. The final report of the ET-MHS-1 is available here (under 'Expert Teams of SC-AVI').
ET-CCV-1, 1-3 December 2021, Online
Submitted by Stéphanie Wigniolle, WMO Secretariat, in coordination with Lei Gu and Ping Cheung, SC-AVI ET-CCV Co-Chairs
The Expert Team on the Impact of Climate Change and Variability on Aviation (ET-CCV) held its first meeting (online) on 1, 2 and 3 December 2021 through three 2-hour sessions. The meeting reviewed all expected outputs within the expert team’s operating plan.
The meeting opened with a series of presentations by expert team core members about research and developments on the climatological variation of aviation hazards and extreme weather events and their impacts on aviation. Hazardous weather and phenomena such as jet stream, turbulence, convection, warmer temperatures and sea level rise were considered. It appeared that more and more research activities and studies have been conducted by academia and aeronautical meteorological service providers, aiming at ascertaining the effects of the changing climate on these phenomena and on aviation hazards, and their impacts on aviation. Results of these investigations have showcased these impacts: for instance, warmer temperatures would have a negative impact on take-off performance, meandering jet streams would change flight durations and/or distances, occurrence of severe turbulence events may increase, sea level rise may threaten coastal airports. The meeting recognized that some uncertainties on the extent and timeline of impacts remained and would need further investigations.
ET-CCV-1 also reviewed past, recent and foreseen awareness-raising events, publications, and communication and outreach activities addressing the impact of climate change and variability on aviation. Good scientifically sound communication towards ICAO and other aviation stakeholders was deemed essential to allow them to elaborate mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures associated with climate change.
In addition, expert team members discussed initial ideas for contribution of ET-CCV to the next WMO Aeronautical Meteorology Science (AeroMetSci) conference expected to be held in 2023 or later. Members recognized that for the success of the coming AeroMetSci conference in relating impacts with actions, active engagement of the user community would be critical.
The Expert Team agreed to prepare an update to its operating plan based on the outcomes of the meeting. The final report of the ET-CCV-1 will be published here in January 2022 (under 'Expert Teams of SC-AVI').
ET-ETC-1, 6-8 December 2021, Online
Submitted by Greg Brock, WMO Secretariat, in coordination with Kathy-Ann Caesar and Andrea Henderson, SC-AVI ET-ETC Co-Chairs
The Expert Team on Education, Training and Competency (ET-ETC) held its first meeting (online) on 6, 7 and 8 December 2021 through three 2-hour sessions. The meeting was an opportunity to review progress of the Expert Team over the past 18 months, to discuss key issues, and to plan activities for the next 2 years.
The Expert Team discussed WMO’s Capacity Development Strategy and the role of ET-ETC in providing capacity development, especially amongst least developed countries and small island developing States. The Expert Team also reviewed education and training resources it maintains, including a competency assessment toolkit (CAT), a competency training mapping database (TMD) and a Moodle training portal. The Expert Team agreed to scope a plan of action that will allow the CAT and TMD to be migrated to Moodle. The Expert Team held intensive discussion on competency assessor training needs, including ‘Train-the-Trainer’ approaches as well as mentoring/coaching strategies, resources and activities. Engagement with and leadership by the WMO Regional Training Centres in these respects was identified as an essential need.
The Expert Team considered service delivery transformation and the progressive move from traditional products and services towards contemporary, data-driven impact-based information services. The impacts of change on the future role and responsibilities of aeronautical meteorological personnel – observers (AMO) and forecasters (AMF) in particular – were discussed.
Also, the Expert Team prepared a proposed amendment to the competency and qualification requirements contained in Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume I, General Meteorological Standards and Recommended Practices and the Compendium of WMO Competency Frameworks (WMO-No. 1209) designed to: 1) place a greater emphasis on AMF competencies as a requirement, while the Basic Instruction Package – Meteorology (BIP-M) will still provide useful instruction for AMF to underpin the required background skills and knowledge described in the competency standard; and 2) make the AMF and AMO competencies more flexible insofar as the observing and forecasting of other (non-meteorological) environmental phenomena are concerned, such as volcanic ash. These proposals will be socialised with the Capacity Development Panel (CDP) and the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI) early in 2022.
The Expert Team agreed to prepare an update to its operating plan based on the outcomes of the meeting. The final report of the ET-ETC-1 will be published here in January 2022 (under 'Expert Teams of SC-AVI').
Highlights of 2021 WMO, UK Met Office and Meteorological Service Singapore Aviation Meteorology Training Seminar
Submitted by Greg Brock, WMO Secretariat
In November 2021, the United Kingdom Met Office (UKMO) and Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) in collaboration with WMO conducted an Aviation Meteorology Training Seminar. Owing to the prevailing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seminar was conducted entirely online, making use of a Moodle training portal and videoconference facilities.
The 2021 seminar focussed on three main topics, namely: 1) Production of SIGMET; 2) The competency framework for aeronautical meteorological personnel; and 3) Service delivery transformation.
Nearly 150 nominations were received from more than 50 countries across WMO regional associations I (Africa), II, (Asia), V (South-West Pacific) and VI (Europe). From these nominations, the organizing committee shortlisted 50 participants from 49 countries to participate in the seminar, with a priority given to nominees from least developed countries (LDC) and small island developing States (SIDS). More than one-third of the participants were female. A majority of the participants were aeronautical meteorological forecasters working at aerodrome meteorological offices and meteorological watch offices. The average age of participants was 37.
Despite the challenges or shortcomings that can often be associated with conducting training online rather than in person, overall the seminar was deemed a great success. Participants appeared to really welcome the opportunity to view a series of pre-recorded video presentations, engage in discussion forums, quizzes and exercises, and interact with other participants 'live' during a series of online sessions.
In view of the clear demand for such training, WMO together with the UKMO and MSS will explore the feasibility to run the same or a similar type of event in 2022. Information will appear in the news feed section of the WMO Services for Aviation website if/when applicable.
Establishment of a Task Team on the Long-term Plan for Aeronautical Meteorology
Submitted by Greg Brock, WMO Secretariat
The Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI) has embarked on the development of a 2023 update to the Long-term Plan for Aeronautical Meteorology (LTP-AeM). The LTP-AeM was first published in 2019 as WMO Publication AeM SERIES No. 5 in response to calls from WMO Members for support them in navigating the ongoing and foreseen transformation from a traditional "product-centric" approach to service delivery towards an "information-centric" approach, consistent with advances in science and technology as well as the needs and expectations of aviation users envisioned in the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
In 2019, the Eighteenth Session of the World Meteorological Congress, through Resolution 28 (Cg-18), Members agreed that the LTP-AeM should be a 'living document' that is kept under regular review and periodic update (WMO-No. 1236 refers). In this connection, SC-AVI has recently established a Task Team on the Long-term Plan for Aeronautical Meteorology (TT-LTP) to support the development of a new 2023 edition. The TT-LTP will comprise expert representation from all six WMO Regions. Experts from the regions currently include Mr Kent Johnson (Canada/RA IV), Mr Kasper Bucher-Studer (Switzerland/RA VI), Ms Naoko Komatsu (Japan/RA II), Ms Shu Jing Tham (Singapore/RA V) and Mr Alexander Melgarejo (Colombia/RA III). An expert from RA I (Africa) will be identified soon.
TT-LTP's task will be to review the current LTP-AeM, to consider the relevance of other strategic or long-term plans such as the WMO Strategic Plan and ICAO GANP as well as global drivers for change or disrupters such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and to prepare a draft 2023 update to LTP-AeM in time for consideration at the Second Meeting of the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI-2) scheduled for March/April 2022. Subsequent to SC-AVI-2, the update to the LTP-AeM is expected to be reviewed by the Second Session of the Services Commission (SERCOM-2, October 2022) prior to endorsement by Congress or Executive Council in mid-2023 and then publication.
Updates on the progress of the update to the LTP-AeM will appear in future editions of this newsletter and/or via the news feed of the WMO Services for Aviation website.
Forthcoming updates to WMO publications in aeronautical meteorology
Submitted by Greg Brock, WMO Secretariat
Over the past 6 months WMO has been actively working on the preparation of updates to several key publications of relevance to the provision of aeronautical meteorological services. With the assistance of two consultants plus experts in the WMO Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI), major updates to WMO-Nos. 732 and 904 are nearing completion, together with a minor update to WMO-No. 782.
WMO-No. 732, Guide to Practices for Meteorological Offices Serving Aviation, which was last updated in 2003, will be completely updated and rebranded as a new 'Guide to Services for Aviation'. Meanwhile WMO-No. 904, Guide to Aeronautical Meteorological Cost Recovery: Principles and Guidelines, which was last updated in 2007, will see major improvements made to the general principles and procedures for allocating costs as well as the country-profile case studies annexed within the Guide.
WMO-No. 782, Aerodrome Reports and Forecasts: A Users' Handbook to the Codes will be brought into line with Amendment 80 to ICAO Annex 3, Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation and the corresponding 2021 update to Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume II.
It's anticipated that the updates to WMO-No. 732 and 904 will be published in 2023 (after review by the Services Commission then approval by Congress or Executive Council), while the update to WMO-No. 782 will be published in 2022.
A comprehensive list of and links to WMO and ICAO regulatory and non-regulatory publications associated with aeronautical meteorological service provision can be found on the WMO Services for Aviation website under 'Resources' (or access directly here).
Discontinuation of Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume II, Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation
Submitted by Greg Brock, WMO Secretariat
At Eighteenth Session of the World Meteorological Congress in 2019 (Cg-18), through Resolution 27, WMO Members endorsed the proposed discontinuation of Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49), Volume II, Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation. The Cg-18 resolution was consequential to outcomes of a bilateral meeting between the WMO Secretary-General and ICAO Secretary General in April 2017, a Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology Management Group (CAeM MG) meeting in January 2018 and the CAeM-16 Session in July 2018, specifically Recommendation 5 (CAeM-16).
For decades WMO-No. 49, Volume II has reproduced the content of Annex 3 to the Convention of International Civil Aviation, Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation. Parts I and II of WMO-No. 49, Volume II duplicate, largely word-for-word, ICAO Annex 3. And while Parts III and IV of WMO-No. 49, Volume II are unique to the WMO publication, they have not been updated in many years.
The discontinuation of WMO-No. 49, Volume II involves several stages. For example, any material of continuing relevance has to be reviewed before being transferred to other (new or existing) regulatory or guidance material of WMO or ICAO. Any WMO or ICAO regulatory and/or guidance material that cross-references WMO-No. 49, Volume II has to be appropriately amended. And, there is a need to explore means to enable free access, preferably online, to relevant ICAO regulatory and guidance material by all WMO Members and their national meteorological and hydrological services providing meteorological service for international air navigation.
In this connection, a consultant will be assisting WMO over the coming months to progress each of these stages. At present, it's envisaged that WMO-No. 49, Volume II will be discontinued in the 2022-2024 timeframe. This timeframe is considered desirable and necessary given the major update to ICAO Annex 3 and reintroduction of Procedures for Air Navigation Services - Meteorology in 2024. Delaying the discontinuation of WMO-No. 49, Volume II beyond 2024 would result in a more complex regulatory framework than exists today.
News on the progress to discontinue WMO-No. 49. Volume II will appear on the WMO Services for Aviation website in due course. Additional forms of communications are also envisaged over the next year or so to keep Members and their service providers apprised of the forthcoming changes.
An informal guide on remote learning
Submitted by Paul Bugeac, ET-ETC core expert
"Training during COVID!!! What am I going to do???"
This was the challenge for trainers and the persons responsible for maintaining competencies from the beginning of the pandemic. The sudden switch from face-to-face learning to fully remote learning was - and still is - the greatest challenge to maintain aeronautical meteorological personnel competencies and deliver training.
Most training institutions are familiar with face-to-face delivery, with the majority of 'train-the-trainer' courses focused on classroom training. Moreover, remote learning presents challenges globally, including cultural and technological differences. So, what is to be done to provide support?
There is not enough time to deliver 'train-the-trainer' courses for remote learning to satisfy all needs. Time becomes more and more pressing in terms of maintaining competencies, and a lot of trainers are 'learning by doing'.
Being committed to offering support to the aeronautical meteorology community, the Expert Team on Education, Training and Competency (ET-ETC) of the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI) has made efforts to find resources and information to be shared for increasing the quality of remote learning. The result? An informal guide on remote learning!
Access the guidance material on remote learning via our Moodle training platform here (free to register).
Well… is it necessary? Of course! And this is not because some people think so, but because even if a lot of information was learned or discovered, some improvements to the process might be found in this document. It includes not only aspects of the design and planning of a training event, implementation, or quality assurance, but also some psychological issues that might occur in such an event.
If you don't believe me... just take a look at the Moodle training portal. Look for the guide. You might find more useful training resources!
WMO Capacity Development Strategy: An overview
Submitted by James Lunny, SC-AVI Thematic Coordinator for Capacity Development
Review of the WMO Capacity Development Strategy (CDS)
The Capacity Development Panel of the WMO Executive Council (EC CDP) was tasked, last year, to review the WMO Capacity Development Strategy (CDS) and Implementation Plan (WMO-No. 1133 refers). WMO-No. 1133 was published in 2015. The Strategy includes an implementation plan which takes into account the needs and guidance of Members and subsequently provides focus for WMO efforts in the coordination and cooperation of technical assistance. The CDS focusses on the needs of developing countries in four WMO global priority areas, one of which is aviation. The capacity development activities of the aeronautical meteorology programme are included at Annex 4 of the CDS. A large part of these activities traditionally has been considered part of the education and training community, such as assisting national meteorologic and hydrological services (NMHSs with quality management systems (QMS) and supporting implementation of competency assessments. The Expert Team Education, Training and Competency (ET-ETC) of SC-AVI is considering the resources required to support education, training and competency that contributes to sustainable capacity development initiatives. Aligned with this, SC-AVI has provided comment on the draft outline of the new CDS, and expects to provide comment/input to the draft Strategy once it becomes available.
New Capacity Development Coordinators from RA I and RA III
In September 2021, the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI) welcomed Wilfred Idowu (Nigeria) and Rodrigo Fajardo (Chile) to serve as Thematic Coordinators on Capacity Development, primarily for RA I (Africa) and RA III (South America) respectively, in addition to James Lunny (New Zealand) for RA V (South-West Pacific). Wilfred is Chief Meteorologist at the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, while Rodrigo is Chief of the Aeronautical Meteorology Section at MeteoChile. Both have a wealth of experience, and all three will be instrumental in assisting SC-AVI’s efforts to build the capacity of WMO Members and their aeronautical meteorological service providers.
News from the ICAO Secretariat
Submitted by Jun Ryuzaki, Technical Officer, Meteorology, ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Meteorology Panel (METP) held its fifth meeting (METP/5) virtually between 7 and 18 June 2021, It was attended by 106 member experts from 17 States and 6 international organizations. The meeting agreed on wide range of developments since the previous meeting (METP/4, September 2018) including the restructured Annex 3 and a new Procedures for Air Navigation Service for Meteorology (PANS-MET), improved definition of meteorological authority and introduction of a new definition of meteorological service provider, enhancement of the space weather information services, the world area forecast system (WAFS), the international airways volcano watch (IAVW), the introduction of quantitative volcanic ash information, and the ICAO meteorological information exchange model (IWXXM).
The outcomes of the meeting and associated proposed amendments to Annexes/PANS will be reviewed by the Air Navigation Commission (ANC) for the preliminary review by Contracting States during 2022. One of the important highlights of the meeting was that the meeting elected the Panel’s new Chairperson, Mr. Pat Murphy (FAA, United States member) upon retirement of former Chairperson, Mr. Peter Lechner (CAA, New Zealand member). The meeting also re-elected Mr. William Maynard (Transport Canada, Canada member) as the Deputy Chairperson. The meeting appreciated Mr. Lechner’s leadership and achievements and agreed to further continue the Panel’s proactive activities under Mr. Murphy’s leadership.
In addition, I am pleased to share an update information — the thirteenth edition of Manual of Aeronautical Meteorological Practices (ICAO Doc 8896), well-known as a basic fundamental manual on aeronautical meteorological services, has been published and now become available at the ICAO STORE and the ICAO Secure Portal (authorization required). This major update version covers the 80th amendment to ICAO Annex 3, which became applicable in 4 November 2021.
News from the WMO Secretariat
Submitted by Greg Brock, WMO Secretariat
In the last newsletter (Issue 1/2021 available here), WMO announced the arrival of Ms Stéphanie Wigniolle as a Scientific Officer within the Services for Aviation (AVI) Division. WMO is now pleased to announce the recent arrival of another new member of the team, namely Ms Adriana Oskarsson. Adriana occupies the role of Associate Programme Officer, AVI Division. Adriana together with Stéphanie support Mr Greg Brock, Head of the AVI Division, in fulfilling the WMO Secretariat duties and responsibilities in the aeronautical meteorology domain, including but not limited to support to the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI) and responding to the needs of WMO Members, aeronautical meteorological service providers and partners concerned. This is the first time in nearly 4 years that there has been three Secretariat staff dedicated to addressing aeronautical meteorology issues within WMO. The team is available to respond to any question you may have. Please contact the team via email (aviation@wmo.int).
Upcoming WMO meetings and events
Note: All information given here is subject to change.
Second Meeting of the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation (SC-AVI-2), 29 March to 1 April 2022, Hybrid (Geneva and Online)
Seventy-Fifth Session of the Executive Council (EC-75), 20 to 24 June 2022, Hybrid (Geneva and Online)
Second Session of the Services Commission (SERCOM-2), 17 to 21 October 2022, Hybrid (Geneva and Online)
Coming up next time...
In the next issue of the newsletter readers can look forward to:
- Progress on the update to the Long-term Plan for Aeronautical Meteorology;
- Key outcomes of the Second Meeting of the Standing Committee on Services for Aviation; and
- Detailed findings and recommendations stemming from the 2021 Global Survey on Gender Equality in Aeronautical Meteorology.
...and more!
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