World Meteorological Organization

Author: World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

The results of a survey of WMO Members, carried out in 2006 (Fry, 2010), demonstrated significant international concern about the state of historical data records and a need for data rescue activities in almost all countries. Many of them requested assistance with data rescue activities. These guidelines are an important step towards providing that assistance. The survey found that the risks to data records differed from one country to another, so there could be no “one size fits all” solution. There are, however, some broad approaches to data rescue that can be applied in most cases.