DECISIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Decisions ICG/NEAMTW-XIII
Bucharest, Romania, 26-28 September 2016
The Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation
System in the North-Eastern Atlantic, the Mediterranean and Connected Seas
(ICG/NEAMTWS),
Having met for its 13th Session in Bucharest, Romania, 2628 September 2016,
Having reviewed the progress made in the implementation of the NEAMTWS,
Recalling that Accreditation Teams have been established by the Steering Committee
on the 22nd of March 2016 and, after the submission of all the necessary documentation
by the CTSPs according to the agreed accreditation criteria formulated in the
Procedures for the Accreditation of TSPs, as agreed at the ICG/NEAMTWS-XII, have
performed the evaluation and accreditation procedures from June to September 2016,
Noting the conclusions of recommendations of the Accreditation Teams,
Acknowledging the achievements of TSPs (France, Greece, Italy and Turkey) to fully
meet the functions and requirements,
Expresses its thanks to the Chairs of the Accreditation Teams (Prof. Jrn Behrens and
Dr Alexander Rudloff) and the members of the Accreditation Teams for their work,
Noting the intention of Portugal and Romania to start operations as a CTSPs during
2017,
Urges those Member States who have not yet subscribed through the IOC to the
services of the TSPs to do so as soon as possible;
Requests the Executive Secretary to contact Member States

who have not nominated or verified both Tsunami Warning Focal Points (TWFPs)
and Tsunami National Contact (TNCs),

who have not provided tsunami forecast points, and remind them to urgently do
so;

Encourages the TSPs to finalize their work to produce a harmonized list of Tsunami
Forecast Points (TFPs), including coastal zones of NEAMTWS where no officially
communicated TFPs exist.
Takes note of the Decision EC-XLIX/3.4 approved by the 49th Session of IOC Executive
Council;
Expressing its thanks to the Task Team on Architecture consisting of Trevor Guymer
and Pierluigi Soddu on their work and report [TT Report on Architecture] notes that the
Task Team has completed its work in accordance with the ToR;

Requests the Co-Chairs of the Working Groups and of the Task Teams to prepare, in
consultation with the Members of their respective Working Groups or Task Team, a plan
of action for the intersessional period, and submit it to the IOC Secretariat no later than
the end of November 2016;
Decides:
i.
To continue the activities of the Task Team on Operations with Terms of Reference
as outlined in Annex 1,
ii.
To create a Task Team on NEAMWave17 that will also take on the Task Team on
Communication Exercise and the Task Team on Tsunami Exercise with Terms of
Reference as outlined in Annex 2,
iii.
To accept the conclusions and recommendations of the Accreditation Teams and
acknowledge that the former CTSPs (CENALT, HL-NTWC, INGV-CAT, KOERI-RETMC)
henceforth be referred to as NEAMTWS Tsunami Service Providers (TSP),

iv.

To continue the activities of the Steering Committee during the intersessional

period with the Terms of Reference in Annex 3 hereafter,

v.

To dissolve the Task Team on Architecture and request the Steering Committee to
further reflect on the structure of ICG/NEAMTWS,

vi.

To organise and conduct a tsunami exercise in the 4th quarter of 2017

(NEAMWave17) prepared by the Task Team on NEAMWave17 in cooperation with all
Working Groups and Task Teams,
Recommends:
i.

To increase the participation of Member States in the ICG activities, including the
use of workshops and by ensuring that key documents are made available via the
IOC Secretariat at least one month before next ICG,

ii.

To make available the reports of TOWS meetings to the TNCs and to the ICG/
NEAMTWS Working Groups and Task Teams for review,

iii.

To increase the accessibility of documentation through the use of the collaborative

workspace made available by the IOC Secretariat;

Further recommends:

i.

That each TSP provide threat level information based on their best practices,
including (possibly different) decision matrices, scenario databases or other
methods, these methodologies needing to be documented in the NEAMTWS
Operational Users Guide,

ii.

That all sea level data should be made available to the TSPs and NTWCs using
bilateral agreements, between NTWCs whenever possible,

iii.

That all tide gauge stations should transition to operational, real time status,

iv.

To increase the number of seismic and sea level stations available in the North of
Africa, and for sea level, to reduce sampling and latency to 1 minute or less as far
as possible,

v.

That Member States should encourage the active involvement of their national Civil
Protection Authorities (CPAs) in the routine activities of the ICG, with the aim of
making the ICG products more suitable for meeting the needs and expectations of
those CPAs.

Accepts:
Additional recommendations of Working Groups and Task Teams as outlined in Annex 4;
Acknowledges the importance of the NEAM Tsunami Information Center (NEAMTIC) and
invites Member States through funding and secondments to contribute to its ongoing work,
in particular to developing and maintaining the NEAMTIC website;
Acknowledges the continued support of the EC and Joint Research Centre (JRC) in
capacity development, including infrastructure and research and new sea level
instrumentation and provision of measurements. Notes the new offer from EC-JRC to
install 5 new Inexpensive Device for Sea-Level measurements (IDSL) and invites
interested Member States to inform NEAMTWS Secretariat by the 15th of November 2016;
Agrees to continue exchanging information with ICG/CARIBE-EWS as appropriate and to
invite its Chair to participate in the Task Team for NEAMWave17;
Thanks Romania for hosting the Thirteenth Session of ICG/NEAMTWS.
Annex 1 to Decision ICG/NEAMTWS-XIII
Terms of Reference for Task Team on Operations
Mandate
The Task Team will facilitate improvements and harmonization of operational
implementation of warning centres/systems through:

Continuing to improve the Performance Monitoring Framework for NEAMTWS

upstream components, based on the functions-requirements defined in the
approved accreditation procedure and performance indicators developed for CTEs;
advice on the modalities of operation, interoperability, methods and standards for
the development and issuance of warnings, such as methods and reporting of
magnitudes, and requirements in terms of coordination and operation of
NEAMTWS,
Fostering and propose a technical solution for real-time data exchange among
TSPs and possible new CTSPs,

Advising on arrangements for redundancy and back-up arrangements,

Supporting the update of the NEAMTWS documents, including the Operational

Users Guide (OUG),

Report progress to ICG/NEAMTWS-XIV.

Modus operandi
The Task Team will mainly work by correspondence and will hold a meeting in the first
half of 2017, and if required, another one in preparation for the next ICG meeting.
Membership

The ICG officers,

All TSP Representatives,
NTWC, TWFP and CPA Representatives,
Chairs or co-chairs of existing NEAMTWS Task Teams and Working Groups.

Co-chairs of the Task Team will be appointed by the ICG NEAMTWS Officers and will be
reappointed on a rotational basis every year.
Annex 2 to Decision ICG/NEAMTWS-XIII
Terms of Reference of the ICG/NEAMTWS Task Team on NEAMWave17
Mandate
The Task Team will:
Plan, conduct and evaluate NEAMWave17 together with the existing Working
Groups and Task Teams,
Encourage the use of new communication technologies,
Revise and update NEAMWave17 documents and the supporting documents on
scenario type communication test message,
Contribute to review and propose amendments to the relevant parts of the Interim
Operational Users Guide,
Increase awareness among TFPs, in collaboration with the IOC Secretariat,
concerning their operational role,
Report progress to ICG/NEAMTWS-XIV.
Modus operandi
The Task Team will mainly work by correspondence, will hold one meeting in the first half
of 2017, and if required, another one in preparation for the next ICG meeting.
Membership

The ICG officers,

Chairs or Co-Chairs of existing NEAMTWS Task Teams and Working Groups,
Representatives of TSPs,
Experts designated by Member States having interest in participating in the
system (NTWCs, TWFPs, TNCs, Civil Protection authorities),

 Representatives of relevant organizations working in the NEAMTWS region,

Co-chairs of the Task Team will be appointed by the ICG /NEAMTWS Officers.
Annex 3 to Decision ICG/NEAMTWS-XIII
Terms of Reference of the ICG/NEAMTWS Steering Committee
Mandate
The Steering Committee shall coordinate and integrate the work of ICG/NEAMTWS in the
intersessional periods, as implemented through the various Working Groups and Task
Teams, including but not limited to:

Monitor performance and interoperability of the NEAMTWS and report to

ICG/NEAMTWS,

Implement decisions and recommendations of the ICG and provide strategic

advice on the implementation of the NEAMTWS,

Identify relevant funding sources taking account of the resource implications of

approved activities,

Facilitate implementation at the level of the ICG of relevant resolutions, decisions

and recommendations of the IOC Governing Bodies,

Evaluate the feasibility of implementation of the recommendations of the Working

Group on Tsunamis and Other Hazards related to Sea-Level Warning and
Mitigation Systems (TOWS-WG) in NEAMTWS,
Develop and maintain the NEAMTWS Implementation Plan and Interim Operations
Users Guide,

Examine continuing compliance of Tsunami Service Providers (TSPs) with the

adopted operational and organizational function and requirements,

Implement the procedures as adopted and the Terms of References (ToRs) for the
accreditation of Candidate Tsunami Service Providers (CTSPs),

Nominate accreditation teams, foster the accreditation process during the coming
year and assist in seeking funds for the visits,

Liaise with the Steering Committees of equivalent structures of other ICGs,

Consider the potential re-organization of Working Groups and Task Teams
structure,
Promote increased awareness of NEAMTWS.

Modus operandi
The Steering Committee will mainly work by correspondence, but hold a coordination
meeting prior to each ICG session. Other meetings will be held as needed.

Membership

The ICG/NEAMTWS Officers (Chair and two Vice-Chairs),

The Co-Chairs of ICG/NEAMTWS Working Groups and Task Teams,

Representatives of (C)TSPs

Annex 4 to Decision ICG/NEAMTWS-XIII

Additional recommendations of Working Groups and Task Teams
Recommendations of Working Group 1 and Task Team on Operations
WG1 and TT-Operations:
I.

Recommend to derive a harmonized list of forecast points and coordinate this

effort with Member States and TSPs,

II.

Accept the offer of Italy to provide a technical demonstrator for real time
exchange among (C)TSPs of forecast data and seismic parameters, for further
discussion at the next TT-Op meeting,

III.

Acknowledge new scientific evidence provided by France of improved best

practice on threat level computation based on tsunami amplitude at the coast and
recommends to adopt such improved methods among other best practices,

IV.

Invite TSPs to adopt and implement the Performance Monitoring Framework for
NEAMTWS Upstream Components in its current form in an experimental phase
to be evaluated by the next ICG,

V.

Recommend that each TSP provides information by the next TT-Op meeting on
individual application of best practices to be included in the Interim Operational
Users Guide.

Recommendations of Working Group 2

WG2 recommends:
I.

That Member States should be invited to exchange data openly in real time (or in
the framework of bilateral agreements) in order to maximize the functional capabilities by all centers in the NEAMTWS region,

II.

That the TSPs should monitor the response expected from the ORFEUS-EIDA
management board the committee of ORFEUS (Observatories & Research Facilities for European Seismology) that manages the data archiving of the seismic
network operators regarding the real-time data provision possibly offered through
the ORFEUS-EIDA primary nodes,

III.

That the TSPs and other institutions continue to work towards exploring capability
of real time strong motion networks and their implementation for use in warning
operations,

IV.

That the TSPs and other institutions continue to work towards implementation of
real-time GPS networks and their use for warning operations.

Recommendations of Working Group 4

WG4 recommends:
I.

That the (C)TSPs should harmonize as much as possible the format of the products of their services,

II.

To put in place the TOWS recommendation about a threat level scale in the region,
in line with those of other ICGs,

III.

That NEAMWAVE17 should be aligned with either 5th November 2017 (World Tsunami Awareness Day) or 13th October 2017 (International Day for Disaster Reduction), in order to raise awareness for tsunami risk management and to encourage
greater participation in the exercise,

IV.

A redesign and update of the NEAMTIC website,

V.

That exercises are carried out every year, either as full NEAMWAVE exercises or
scenario-based communication exercises,

VI.

To keep the requirement for enhanced TSP products (e.g. maps), even if its implementation is not foreseen in the short term