Report of the Global Collecting Centres

1. Report of the Global Collecting Centres Elanor Gowland, GCC UK SOT-IV, 16th - 21st April 2007

2. Overview • GCC - current • MCSS – need to change • Proposed changes to IMMT and MQCS • Task Teams to revise work

3. Current set-up Under the current set-up of the Marine Climatological Summaries Scheme (MCSS) there are: • 41 potential Contributing Members (CMs) • 8 Responsible Members (RMs) with separate areas of responsibility for storage & provision of data • 2 Global Collecting Centres (GCCs) to process submitted data to the WMO Minimum Quality Control Standards (MQCS) and distribute to RMs

4. Summary of 2006 annual report • 2006 was the 13th year of GCC operations • Just under 1 million observations submitted from 16 Contributing Members • More than half the data received was from the last 2 years (2005 & 2006) • VOSClim contributions on the increase • IMMT-3 format is being used for nearly two thirds of observations • On land and duplicate data decreasing

5. Highlights & Issues – Responsible Members • All RMs receive the • global dataset via FTP • This means • there are • potentially 8 • different versions • of the same • observation that • could be officially • provided

6. Highlights & Issues – Contributions An ever increasing proportion of data is being submitted: • in IMMT-3 format • with flags, having been checked to MQCS • with fewer duplicates • with fewer on land positions • with VOSClim elements (more later) • from the recent past • without invalid characters • with masked callsigns X

7. “SHIP” problem

8. Highlights & Issues – VOSClim (1) • 9 CMs are registered with VOSClim project, 5 submitted data in 2006 • Amount of data increasing (%age of total obs): 1% in 2003; 4% in 2004 and 2005, 9% in 2006 (distribution below)

9. Highlights & Issues – VOSClim (2) • Not all VOSClim ships report the extra elements • Some un-registered ships are submitting VOSClim elements

10. Highlights & Issues – GCCs • The MQCforCMs software package was updated for IMMT-3 and MQCS-V. It also gives the option of separating duplicate obs. Version 3 of the software has been distributed to 22 CMs, at their request. • The DWD have updated their GCC website www.dwd.de/gcc • The Met Office have created a GCC website www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/interproj/gcc/

11. Future plans for MCSS The MCSS system was set up in 1963 and current process has been in place since 1993. It is time to modernise the data flow, so we can make use of the increase in IT capabilities, so globally better use can be made of the data we collect. Consider:- • Collection (electronic logbooks, BUFR / IMMT) • Processing (MCQS, real-time and delayed-mode) • Storage (higher QC, number of data centres) • Access to data (using internet, single point of contact) • Products produced (centrally / individual members)

12. IMMT International Marine Meteorological Tape & MQCS Minimum Quality Control Standards

13. Introduction Since 1993 the Global Collecting Centres for marine climatological data have been responsible for the International Maritime Meteorological Tape (IMMT) and Minimum Quality Control Standards (MQCS) format and contents. These have undergone a number of changes, most recently because of the VOS Climate project.

14. Changes to create IMMT-4 (1) There have been some minor changes to the IMMT format to ensure syntax is correct: • The code for wind direction has been corrected to lower case (“dd”) • The versions of IMMT and MQCS have been updated in line with these suggested changes Description of elements have been updated: • Element 40, source of observation, revised to specifically refer to electronic logbook software • Quality control indicator, flags 6 & 7 have been updated to reveal their use by GCCs

15. Changes to create IMMT-4 (2) The reason for the change is mostly to tidy up the VOSClim elements and flags, whose set-up did not follow the same pattern as the standard VOS elements: • Elements 91 and 92 – the sign has been separated from the value of the “departure of reference level from actual sea level” • This has a knock on effect to subsequent VOSClim element numbers • The QC indicator for the sign of the “departure of reference level from actual sea level” has been removed – no other signs of values had a flag

16. Changes to create MQCS-VI • Checks on the range of values for some indicators added (cloud height and visibility - element 9; version of FM-13 code – element 64; version of IMMT format – element 65) • Increase in maximum height of deck cargo above summer maximum load line (element 90) to 35 metres • Flags on VOSClim elements (and not signs of values) updated to take into account re-numbering of VOSClim elements

17. Changes to IMMT code suggested at ETMC • Above recommendations from GCCs agreed • Further, more radical, changes suggested including: • Fractional hour • Wind speed to have better resolution • Unique identifier • Dew point recommendations • Depth of SST • Element 30 indicator for SST measurement, e.g. add infrared, micro-wave, or indicate the wavelength. But the ETMC considered that this might be considered in the Pub47. For radiation thermometer, it is the height that needs to be considered. • Elements 7 and 8 (lat/lon): increase resolution • Element 41; add identification for VOSClim ship • Task Team to pick up these issues plus links to IMMA format

18. Actions from ETMC • TT-DMVOS (Delayed Mode VOS) • TT-MOCS (Marine and Oceanographical Climate Summaries) These groups will be tackling all the issues I’ve mentioned in this presentation plus more, so it is essential there is input from SOT and other teams to tackle these cross-cutting issues (coding formats, data availability, submissions of VOS / VOSClim, etc)

19. Questions?