WIGOS Learning Portal: Editting WIGOS ID Issuer Identifier

Dear All,

I am wanting to enter a new GOS station, and for continuity I would like to use the “Issuer Identifier” 20000 in my WIGOS Identifier. Is this permissible? This group currently defaults to 554 for New Zealand and editing is blocked.

I understand the group 20000 was allocated as the “Issuer Identifier” for observing stations that were transferred over from Volume A to OSCAR.

Thanks

Steve Knowles

Re: Editting WIGOS ID Issuer Identifier

by Timo Proescholdt - Thursday, 6 June 2019, 8:14 AM

Hi Steve,

for "new" stations we recommend that you use the number corresponding to your country (554 for NZ).

We define a new station as one that has not previously exchanged information internationally.

The 20000 value is mainly used to give an identifier to stations that were already known and operating before 2016, when OSCAR was launched.

Do you see any reason not to use a "554" based identifier?

best regards
Timo

Re: Editting WIGOS ID Issuer Identifier

by Sibylle von Löwis - Tuesday, 18 June 2019, 3:05 PM

Hi Timo,

I have a question regarding the definition of a "new" station.

You wrote "We define a new station as one that has not previously exchanged information internationally."

In the WIGOS newsletter (http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/wigos/documents/WIGOS_Newsletter_Vol5_N2_April2019.pdf) is written that "For new stations, i.e. both the ones that didn’t exist before 1 July 2016 (or started to operate after this date), as well as stations that existed before July 2016 but were never affiliated with a WMO Programme (so never received a WMO ID), Members are requested to develop their WSI national schemas –this means using the 3-digits ISO Country code in the Issuer of Identifier (2ndblock) and defining the national rules for distributing the numbers in the Issue Number (3rdblock) and in the Local Identifier (4thblock) for the stations in their territory."

I'm still confused. We have weather stations in our network which are not registered in OSCAR but they existed already before 2016. They got an (internal) WMO ID and data were and are send out with this ID.

When I'm now start to register these stations into OSCAR what shall I use as the "Issuer of Identifier" (20000 or ISO Country code) and what as "Local Identifier" ("old" WMO ID or new identifier )

Kind regards,
Sibylle

Re: Editting WIGOS ID Issuer Identifier

by Luis Filipe NUNES - Wednesday, 19 June 2019, 1:31 PM

Dear Sibylle,

The definition provided by Timo and the description in the WIGOS Newsletter are not inconsistent, actually, they intend to mean the same, in complementing each others i.e.:

- if a station existed before July 2016, but was never affiliated with a WMO Programme, it was never assigned with a WMO ID, so it couldn't have previously exchanged data internationally (at least not officially).

If you have stations which are not registered in OSCAR/Surface but that existed already before 2016, with a WMO ID (internally assigned), those stations "don't exist officially", i.e. WMO is not aware of them if they were never registered in Vol.A; So, now they will have to be registered in OSCAR/Surface as "new stations".

Therefore, the stations you want to register in OSCAR/Surface should be assigned with a WSI containing your ISO country code in the 2nd block (Issuer of Identifier), including those stations that are already sending data onto GTS. The content for the 4th block, local identifier (as well as for the 3rd block, Issue number) is up to national decision, although it is a current practice to use an existing ID (either WMO or national number) in the 4th block.

I hope this helps, but please feel free to contact me directly for further clarifications if needed.

Best regards,

Luis