World Meteorological Organization

The role of the GCW Best Practices Coordinator is to act on behalf of the GCW AG to facilitate consistency of activities across all cryosphere components to ensure the development and publication of Best Practices Guidelines in the Volume II, Measurement of Cryospheric Variables of the Guide to Instruments and Methods of Observation (WMO-No. 8). The published guidelines should cover observing, measuring and reporting practices, including terminology, and aspects related to data and metadata representation and use, as defined in the GCW Pre-operational plan, Resolution 18 (EC-73). Specifically, the completion of best practices for sea ice, permafrost, glaciers and ice caps, is expected by 2023, the best practices for ice sheets and ice shelves, and lake and river ice are expected to be initiated by 2023, and the Chapter 1 and 2 of Volume II, Measurement of Cryospheric Variables are expected to be revised in the current intersessional period.
Priority activities:
1. Make recommendations to the GCW-AG for establishing short term task teams of experts in each of these domains, which to develop the respective chapters of the Volume II, Measurement of Cryospheric Variables;
2. Provide guidance to the established task teams on the development of best practice guides. This includes addressing specific requirements regarding observing and measurement practices, data representation and reporting practices, reflecting the general guidance defined by the Standing Committee on Measurements, Instrumentation and Traceability (SC-MINT);
3. Coordinate the GCW submissions to the WIGOS and WIS Metadata Representation and make recommendations for engaging appropriate experts;
4. Represent GCW-AG with the SC-MINT Editorial Board regarding the development of the Guide to Instruments and Methods of Observations, Volume II, Measurement of Cryosphere Variables;
5. Facilitate the engagement of a broad community of Members and partners in the pre-publication reviews;
6. Provide the necessary liaisons with other WMO structures and partners to ensure that the task team experts receive the necessary guidance in completing their work (e.g. with relevant experts of SC-MINT, SC-IMT, etc.)
7. Ensure consistency across components, and alignment with the measurement framework, as established by SC-MINT;