Announcements

Dear WIGOS community,

The fourth session of the Commission for Observation, Infrastructure and Information Systems (INFCOM-4) will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 23 to 27 November 2026. Among many important infrastructure related topics, INFCOM-4 will discuss also WIGOS pertinent activities, notably the following ones:

• Capacity development coordination within the Infrastructure Commission (Draft Decision 4.1.2/1, as part of Document-1 Agenda and Organization of the Session - General Summary and Draft Decisions)
• Approach to the WIGOS metadata standard and the replacement of the present OSCAR/Surface solution for sharing and cataloguing (Draft Decision 4.2.5/1, as part of Document-1 Agenda and Organization of the Session - General Summary and Draft Decisions, and INF.4.2.5 on the Status of the Update of the WIGOS Metadata Standard (WMO-No. 1192) and the Development of an OSCAR/Surface Replacement)
• Approach for the evaluation and designation of Regional WMO Integrated Global Observing System Centres (Draft Decision 4.2.6/1, as part of Document-1 Agenda and Organization of the Session - General Summary and Draft Decisions and INF.4.2.6 on Report of RWCs Audit Process and Lessons Learned)
• Proposed amendments to Technical Regulations (WMO-No. 49) Volume I (Draft Recommendation 4.1.1/1 and Annex)
• Draft amendments to the Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No. 1160), (Draft Recommendation 4.2.3/1 and Annex, and INF.4.2.3 with Additional information on the amendments to the Manual on WIGOS)
• Draft update of the Guide to the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WMO-No. 1165), (Draft Resolution 4.2.4/1 and Annex, and INF.4.2.4 with Additional Information on the update of the Guide to WIGOS),
• Draft update of the Technical Guidelines for Regional WIGOS Centres on the WIGOS Data Quality Monitoring System (WMO-No. 1224), (Draft Resolution 4.2.4/2 and Annex)
• Vision for the WMO Integrated Global Observing System in 2050, (Draft Recommendation 4.2.1/1 and Annex)
• Road map for the Global Basic Observing Network expansion, (Draft Recommendation 4.2.2/1 and Annex, and INF.4.2.2 with a Study Paper on the Global Basic Observing Network Expansion)

The key WIGOS documents are scheduled to be discussed on Tuesday (24 November) in the afternoon and on Wednesday (25 November) in the morning (Geneva time). 

Information about all INFCOM-4 organizational matters, as well as access to all documents can be found at INFCOM-4 - Session Information.

To familiarize wider communities with the topics to be discussed during INFCOM-4, a series of online pre-INFCOM-4 information sessions have been organized, which are open to everyone.

WIGOS community is encouraged to participate, in particular, in the following online sessions:

Information about all pre-INFCOM-4 online information sessions, together with Zoom links to join them, can be found at  Pre-INFCOM-4 Information Session.

Luis

(on behalf of the Secretariat team supporting the INFCOM Standing Committee on Earth Observing Systems and Monitoring Networks)