World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

WMO has a membership of 191 Member States and Territories (on 1 January 2013). It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations in 1951 for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences. WMO facilitates the free and unrestricted exchange of data and information, products and services in real- or near-real time on matters relating to safety and security of society, economic welfare and the protection of the environment. It contributes to policy formulation in these areas at national and international levels.

WMO promotes cooperation in the establishment of networks for making meteorological, climatological, hydrological and geophysical observations, as well as the exchange, processing and standardization of related data, and assists technology transfer, training and research. It also fosters collaboration between the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of its Members and furthers the application of meteorology to public weather services, agriculture, aviation, shipping, the environment, water issues and the mitigation of the impacts of natural disasters.

The World Weather Watch (WWW) Programme facilitates the development, operation and enhancement of worldwide systems for observing and exchanging meteorological and related observations, and for the generation and dissemination of analyses and forecast products, as well as severe weather advisories and warnings, and related operational information. The activities carried out under this Programme collectively ensure that Members have access to the required information to enable them to provide data, prediction and information services and products to users.

The rationale for the Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme is to meet the need to better understand and control the increasing influence of human activity on the global atmosphere.

WWRP is a comprehensive programme which contributes to improving public safety, the quality of life, economic prosperity and environmental quality by serving as an international mechanism for: • Advancing the science of weather-related research with a particular focus on advancing our knowledge of high-impact weather, improving the prediction of these events and measuring the improvements in prediction; • Advancing our understanding of how society is impacted by and reacts to high-impact weather and forecasts of these events in order to improve the utilization of and response to weather information; • Contributing to the advancement of the science of broader environmental prediction through partnerships and collaborative multidisciplinary research; • Promoting and facilitating the transfer of these research advances into the operational practice at NMHSs and among their end-users; • Serving as the weather research underpinning for WMO efforts related to the WMO Natural Disaster Reduction and Mitigation Programme, operational weather prediction, use applications, and thereby contributing to relevant UN Millennium Goals.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

https://www.wmo.int/pages/index_en.html

 

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