WMO 9th Workshop on the Impact of Observing Systems on Numerical Weather and Earth System Predictions and Implications for Observing System Design and Evolution

The ninth WMO Impact Workshop brings together experts to share scientific evidence on how observing systems improve numerical weather prediction (NWP) and Earth system prediction (ESP), and how that evidence should shape the design and evolution of observing networks.

Announcement letters are available in English, Français, Español, عربي, 中国人, Русский

About the workshop

The workshop is organised by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and hosted by the Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC), Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). It will take place at the McGill Faculty Club and Conference Centre, McGill University, Montreal, from 27 to 30 September 2027. The workshop is hybrid, so participants can attend in person or online. It will be conducted in English.

Held roughly every four years, the Impact Workshop series is a key forum for presenting evidence on the impact of surface-based and space-based observing systems on forecasting from short to long range, including climate monitoring. It is held under the WMO INFCOM Standing Committee on Earth Observing Systems and Monitoring Networks (SC-ON) Expert Team on Earth Observing System Design and Evolution (ET-EOSDE). Its conclusions guide how the current global observing system is used and how it evolves.

What's new in 2027

Observing systems and NWP systems have changed significantly since the last workshop. NWP is increasingly coupled with ocean, land, cryosphere and atmospheric composition models in pursuit of full Earth system prediction. Impact assessment now goes beyond observing system experiments (OSEs and OSSEs) to include adjoint- and ensemble-based Forecast Sensitivity Observation Impact (FSOI and EFSOI) and other quantitative techniques.

The ninth workshop will therefore:

• keep NWP at its core while extending impact assessment to all Earth system domains and applications;
• evaluate data from satellites, ground-based remote sensing, private sector providers, the Internet of Things (IoT), Analytics of Things (AoT), uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and citizen science;
• highlight artificial intelligence (AI) as a cross-cutting enabler for impact assessment, forecasting, modelling and observing system design;
• link impact assessment more closely to observational requirements in the WMO OSCAR/Requirements database.

Themes and topics

Theme 1 – Assessing observational needs: current and future

1.1.      WIGOS Rolling Review of Requirements (RRR) outcomes (this will be an opportunity  to present technology agnostic requirements to the community). Increase visibility of RRR

Theme 2 – Assessing the impact of observing systems

2.1.      Regular impact assessment (of Earth-based networks, space-based systems, etc.) on NWP systems.
2.2.      Regular impact assessment (of Earth-based networks, space-based systems, etc.) on non-NWP: High-resolution nowcasting/NWP, hydrology, climate, cryosphere, ocean, Earth system prediction, etc.
2.3.     Data assimilation methods and diagnostics for observation impact assessment.

Theme 3 – Assessing the impact of observing systems using AI

3.1.     Assess and compare impacts using Artificial Intelligence-based global NWP. Comparison with traditional NWP.
3.2.     Assess and compare impacts using various applications that use AI-based global NWP

Theme 4 – Assessing the impact of emerging and new observing systems
4.1.    Internet of Things (IoT).
4.2.    Internet of Animals (IoA), for example, instrumented mammals.
4.3.    Citizen data.

Theme 5 – Local measurement, global impact
5.1.     Test cases of assessing impact of geographically isolated Earth-based measurements on various applications including NWP.
5.2.     This will be an opportunity to highlight the individual stations’ benefits: to increase motivation and show the benefits gained.

Theme 6 – Observing system design and evolution: tools, best practices and links to impact assessment

6.1.     Satellite constellations design and evolution.
6.2.     Earth-based networks design and evolution.
6.3.     Synergistic space and Earth-based systems design and evolution.
6.4.     Exploring AI-based approaches for observing systems intelligent design and evolution.
 

Theme 7 – Impact assessment of global and regional observing networks
Including the Regional Basic Observing Network, Global Basic Observing Network, Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) Surface Network (GSN), GCOS Surface Reference Network (GSRN), GCOS Upper-air Network (GUAN), GCOS Reference Upper-air Network (GRUAN), Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) networks, and other relevant global/regional observing networks.

Expected outcomes

• Impact-based recommendations on where observing systems give the greatest benefit, where gaps or inefficiencies exist, and how to better target future investment.
• Scientific input to observing system design for global, regional and national observing strategies, with attention to coordinating space-based and Earth-based components.
• Stronger links between impact assessment and observational requirements, including feedback on how OSCAR/Requirements is interpreted and applied.
• Closer dialogue across communities: impact and modelling experts, observing system designers and operators, space-based and Earth-based communities, and public and private stakeholders.
• A workshop report with key findings, conclusions and recommendations, published as a WMO technical publication together with the presentations.

Who should attend

The workshop is open to all experts working on observing system impact studies, at NWP centres or in other Earth system prediction communities. This includes academia and the private sector. It is also open to those involved in designing, evolving and optimising observing systems and networks.

We especially welcome contributions from those with impact assessment results. Results will be discussed in plenary sessions, with the aim of reaching consensus and drawing conclusions to guide the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS).

How to participate

Submit an abstract
Experts who wish to present should submit one or more abstracts through this website (you will be asked to create a user account). The Scientific Organizing Committee will review them and select oral and poster presentations. Abstracts should clearly state the type of impact assessment, the amount of evidence gathered and the conclusions it supports.

Deadline for abstract submission: 15 May 2027. 

Important dates