Brussels: 18 to 24 September 2009

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regional Association VI (Europe) held the fifteenth session in Brussels from the 18th to the 24th September 2009.

Agenda item 6 of the Conference considered emerging issues and specific challenges, which included:

• Socio-economic challenges
• Cooperation with private sector
• Aeronautical meteorology
• Data policy

supported agenda item 6 and states:

“6.2 COOPERATION WITH PRIVATE SECTOR (agenda item 6.2)

6.2.1 The Association noted that there is an active private meteorological sector in Europe, primarily providing services to fee-paying commercial customers. Despite the lack of reliable figures, it can be assumed that private service providers are playing an ever increasing role in many economic sectors.

6.2.2 The Association noted further that the relationships between the private meteorological sector and the NMHSs were variable and somewhat dependent on the individual NMHS’s commercial activities. NMHSs with a commercial arm usually provide their commercial services in a non-discriminatory manner, according to their national legislation. However, in some cases, the competition with private service providers has led to conflicts. Among the key issues that cause concern are access to NMHSs data and information and possible reduction of services provided by NMHSs.

6.2.3 A number of NMHSs of RA VI Members are also members of the economic interest grouping ECOMET. ECOMET promotes common regulations and practices aimed at ensuring non-discriminatory access to data and products of its members in line with the regulations of the Commission of the European Union. Also, ECOMET obliges its members to maintain a “level playing field” with regard to the delivery of commercial services.

6.2.4 Most of the RA VI NMHSs are recognized by their governments as the single authoritative voice in their respective countries when it comes to the provision of warnings for high impact weather. However, in other service areas competition between the private sector and the NMHSs may lead to improved and more efficient service provision for some users.

6.2.5 The Association, by taking note of the growing private sector for provision of weather, climate and water services to users in the Region, considered the need for enhancing the partnership between the NMHSs and the private service providers and developing a harmonized framework, including data access and charging polices, compliant with WMO resolutions and relevant national and international regulations. Such a framework should address concerns of some Members regarding potential negative impacts for the NMHSs of the growing private sector.

6.2.6 The Association requested the Management Group and the newly established Working Group on Service Delivery and Partnership to put high priority on the development of a regional framework for cooperation and partnership with the private hydrometeorological service provision sector.”

The background material on page 7 of the document states:

2. COOPERATION WITH PRIVATE SECTOR

2.1 The studies conducted in connection with the development of the RA VI Strategic Plan indicated that the increased demand for new and improved services from users was leading to a greater involvement of private sector service providers.

2.2 Development of common legislation by the European Commission necessitates review of the traditional practices of service provision by the NMHSs of the EU member countries. In the field of competition and the open market concept, the practices of the NMHSs need to be harmonized with the European Law. To respond to this challenge, 20 Members of RA VI formed an Economic Interest Grouping of the National Meteorological Services of the European Economic Area (ECOMET). The primary objectives of ECOMET are to preserve the free and unrestricted exchange of meteorological information between the NMHSs for their operational functions within the framework of WMO regulations and to ensure the widest availability of basic meteorological data and products for commercial applications. Further objectives of ECOMET are: to guarantee the access to meteorological data and products for public or private sectors; and, to recover part of the infrastructural expenses of the European NMHSs by a contribution from all commercial users, in order to maintain and improve the meteorological infrastructure.

2.3 Concerns have been expressed by some Members with regard to possible impediments for the NMHSs as a result of the growing private sector for hydrometeorological service provision. These concerns are related to unfair competition, non-participation of the private sector in the cost recovery for the infrastructure, reducing services traditionally provided by the NMHSs with negative impact to their budget and visibility.

2.4 In order to address the above concerns, guidance should be developed and exchange of best practices between Members should be utilized, to establish an environment of cooperation and partnership between the NMHSs and the private sector.

6.4 DATA POLICY (agenda item 6.4)

6.4.1 The Association noted that the Members participating in the Network of European Meteorological Services (EUMETNET) have agreed on the so called “Oslo Declaration” which defines the data policies of the EUMETNET members, ECMWF and EUMETSAT and the related development of on-line services. These policies are based on the legal framework provided by the European Union, including the directive on the re-use of public sector information (PSI), and the directive on establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE).

6.4.2 The Association noted further that the EUMETNET Oslo Declaration took into consideration the development of Internet and web technologies which changed radically the expectations of the general public and the ways to access and share public data and products. Therefore, the agreed data policies by the EUMETNET members were aimed at facilitating direct access to meteorological data and products on a non-discriminatory basis in compliance with relevant WMO resolutions, as well as national and international regulations. The declaration also encourages further development of on-line services and expansion of graphical products made available to the public, while continuing licensing polices for the underlying digital data and products.

6.4.3 The Association agreed on the need to develop harmonized data policy throughout the Region and recommended that this task be included in the work programme of the Management Group, while the technical aspects of the issue be addressed by the newly established Working Group on Technology Development and Implementation. The Association agreed that the EUMETNET Oslo Declaration could be used as a reference in preparing the future regional data policy, taking due account of the legal frameworks of all RA VI Members.

The background material on page 8 & 9 of the document states:

4. DATA POLICY

4.1 The directors of the EUMETNET NMHSs met in March 2009 in Oslo to discuss data policy matters. The outcome of this meeting was formulated as the “Oslo Declaration”, which is reproduced in the Annex.

4.2 The EUMETNET Oslo Declaration outlines the data policies of the EUMETNET members, ECMWF and EUMETSAT and the related development of on-line services. These policies are based on the legal framework provided by the European Union. Including the Directive on the reuse of public sector information (PSI Directive, November 2003) and the directive on establishing an Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE Directive, March 2007).

4.3 The Oslo Declaration clarifies that the data policies of the EUMETNET members and the related on-line services are aimed at facilitating direct access to basic meteorological data and products on a non-discriminatory basis under well-documented licensing conditions in compliance with relevant national and international regulations and with WMO resolutions. The data policies should be harmonized to achieve greater transparency and improve accessibility for re-users within the constraints of legal frameworks and respective economic models of the NMHSs.

4.4 In addition, the declaration calls for regular review and progressive expansion of the NMHSs’ sets of “essential” data and products; development of on-line services providing user-friendly access to the catalogued data and products in order to facilitate the re-use of public meteorological information and maximize the societal benefits; expansion of the set of graphical products accessible free of charge to the public for general purposes, whilst continuing the licensing for underlying digital data and products.

______________

Annex: 1

ANNEX

Oslo Declaration

At their Meeting in Oslo, Norway on 26-27 March 2009 to discuss data policy matters, the directors of the EUMETNET National Meteorological Services,

Recognizing that:

• Significant investments and sustained funding are necessary at national level to maintain and develop the basic components of the European Meteorological Infrastructure required to fulfill the general needs of the public, the decision makers and the European economy;
• National governments can meet this basic requirement under different funding policies associated to different economic models for NMHSs and variations in data policies;
• Although their NMHSs operate under different official mandates and economic models and accordingly run different activity portfolios, all are committed to provide the best possible contribution to protection of life and property under their Public Weather Service mission, directed at national authorities and the general public;
• The Internet and the web technologies have changed radically the expectations from the general public and the access to and possible sharing and use of data, products and services;
• The ongoing development of the WMO Information System will take advantage of these innovative technologies;
• The legal framework provided by the EU including the INSPIRE and PSI Directives places new expectations on the way the NMHSs provide their services.

Have reached consensus on the following:

1) Data policies of the EUMETNET members, ECMWF and EUMETSAT and the related development of on-line services, should:

• Facilitate direct access to basic meteorological data and products on a non discriminatory basis, under well-documented licensing conditions, in compliance with relevant international and national regulations and with WMO resolutions;
• Be harmonized as far as possible to achieve greater transparency and improve accessibility for re-users within the constraints of the legal frameworks and respective economic models of the NMHS, taking into account relevant discussions in the context of EUMETNET, ECMWF, ECOMET and EUMETSAT bodies.

2) The evolution of the basic output of NMHSs, as a result of advances in science and in observation and numerical weather prediction and technology, should lead to regular reviews at NMHS level, and, when appropriate, to progressive expansions of:

• Their set of “Essential” data and products made available on a free and unrestricted basis;
• Their catalogue of data and products licensed for re-use by the private sector, under the PSI directive where applicable.

3) In the same spirit, NMHSs should also consider adapting their licensing conditions with the objective of delivering more information per price unit, if financial constraints allow.

4) The EUMETNET members should continue to develop, individually and jointly through EUMETNET programmes, on line services giving user-friendly access to these catalogued data and products, in order to facilitate further the re-use of public meteorological information and to maximize the societal benefits.

5) In the spirit of the INSPIRE directive, the EUMETNET members should expand the set of graphical products accessible free of charge to the public for general purposes, through the viewing services of their respective web sites, whilst continuing to license as appropriate the underlying digital data and products.

6) In the context of GMES, meteorological data and products required by the operators of the GMES Core Services to deliver new, non meteorological public good services, could be licensed to them at no information cost to fulfill their production duties, subject to commitment from EU and national authorities to fund these Core Services on a sustainable basis.

The published attendance list for the conference shows that the PRIMET General Secretary Dr Richard Pettifer attended as an observer as part of the UK delegation.

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