Accelerating Implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services: Developing a Climate Services Toolkit

The WMO Commission of Climatology (CCl) supports the implementation of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS) with a particular focus on the Climate Services Information System (CSIS), which is the core operational component of GFCS at the global, regional, and national levels.  For this purpose, CCl at its Sixteenth Session in 2014 established a dedicated Implementation Coordination Team on CSIS (ICT-CSIS). CSIS is designed for producing, packaging, and operationally delivering authoritative climate information data and products through appropriate operational systems, practices, data exchange, technical standards, authentication, communication, and product delivery. Its functions include climate analysis and monitoring, assessment and attribution, prediction (monthly, seasonal, decadal), and projection (centennial scale) as well as tailoring the associated products to suit user requirements. Thanks to the WMO infrastructure built by its Members over the years, part of CSIS is in place, but there are significant gaps that need to be identified and filled, particularly at the national level in developing countries.  This effort essentially involves a compilation of tools for generating tailored data and products for decision-making, with a special focus on national requirements in developing countries.  In this context, a Climate Services Toolkit (CST), conceived as a suite of guidance, data, software tools, training resources, and examples for enabling climate services at global, regional, and national levels, is considered to be a major enabling factor for CSIS implementation, particularly at the national levels.

The paper will describe international efforts to organize and motivate the climate services community producing climate data, products, and tools for CST demonstration and deployment in selected GFCS-recognized priority countries for their climate services development.  A special discussion will include a process for selection criteria for integrating into the CST the available elements in the public domain, to ensure sustainable, authentic, and quality-controlled development of climate services. In addition, the paper will consider criteria for tracking CST performance and utility.