World Meteorological Organization EC-69/INF. 6.

2(3)
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL Submitted by:
Secretary-General
Sixty-Ninth Session
8.V.2017
Geneva, 10 to 17 May 2017

ESTABLISHMENT OF SPACE WEATHER SERVICES FOR AVIATION

1. Background

1.1 Decision 33 (EC-68) approved a four-year plan for WMO activities related to space
weather (hereinafter referred to as the Plan) and requested the Commission for Aeronautical
Meteorology (CAeM) and the Commission for Basic Systems (CBS) to establish an Inter-
Programme Team on Space Weather Information Systems and Services (IPT-SWeISS) with
terms of reference as defined at Annex 2 of the Plan.

1.2 Prior to the establishment of IPT-SWeISS, an Inter-Programme Coordination Team

on Space Weather (ICTSW) had worked on space weather issues in WMO since 2010, also
under the auspices of CBS and CAeM. The achievements of ICTSW illustrated the broad field of
activity – including aviation – that could benefit from WMO involvement in space weather,
demonstrated the capability of WMO to effectively facilitate a breakthrough in this area, and
played a recognized role in the international space weather community.

1.3 The interest of aviation in the hazards posed by space weather phenomena grew
during the 2000s, particularly as the number of flights operating on cross-polar and trans-polar
routes increased as well as an increased reliance on satellite navigation. Expert groups of the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) sought to better understand the effects of
space weather on international air navigation and the capability of service providers to observe
and forecast space weather events that have an impact on high frequency (HF)
communications, GNSS-based navigation and surveillance systems and/or pose a radiation risk
to aircraft occupants. At the ICAO Meteorology Divisional Meeting in 2014, held conjointly with
the fifteenth session of the WMO CAeM, recommendation 2/7 called for the development, by
ICAO in close coordination with WMO, of provisions for information on space weather to
international air navigation.

2. Latest developments

2.1 The second meeting of ICAO’s Meteorology Panel (METP) held in October 2016
considered the progress being made within its work stream on space weather, based on
updates provided by the METP Working Group on Meteorological Information and Service
Delivery (WG-MISD). In particular, the METP noted an update to a concept of operations
(ConOps) for space weather, revisions to functional and performance requirements for near-
real-time and forecast space weather information (aligned with the ConOps), proposed
amendments to ICAO Annex 3/WMO-No. 49, Technical Regulations, Volume II – Meteorological
Service for International Air Navigation and other ICAO provisions that would enable an
operational global space weather information service for aviation in the 2018 timeframe, and
guidance on the space weather information provider designation process. The support of
experts from, in particular, ICTSW had been instrumental in the METP being able to reach this
point.

2.2 The METP/2 also proposed that ICAO should formally request WMO to undertake
site assessments and audits of prospective space weather information providers as a key
component of the introduction of the operational global space weather service for aviation.
Going forward therefore, engagement between experts in IPT-SWeISS and METP remains
essential.
 EC-69/INF. 6.2(3), p. 2

2.3 In March 2017, ICAO’s Air Navigation Commission (ANC) reviewed and approved
the dispatch to States and concerned international organizations, including WMO, of the
proposed amendment to ICAO Annex 3/WMO-No. 49, Technical Regulations, Volume II.
States/international organizations are expected to notify of their agreement, or otherwise, of
the proposed amendment by July 2017. Subsequently, ICAO’s ANC will undertake a final
review of the proposed amendment in Q4 2017 prior to making a recommendation to the ICAO
Council in Q1 2018 for adoption of the amendment.

2.4 In parallel with the foregoing, a schedule was developed by the METP/2 (and
subsequently reviewed and updated by the ANC) for the identification, assessing/auditing and
designation of space weather information providers. The indicative schedule is provided in
Table 1 below. It is to be noted that the milestones indicated in Table 1 remain subject to
decisions and recommendations of ICAO’s governing and technical bodies throughout 2017 and
2018.

Start Date End Date Description Responsibility

February 2017 March 2017 Issue State requesting interest in providing the global space ICAO
weather information service

April 2017 May 2017 Respond to State letter indicating ability to meet criteria for Candidate
space weather information providers, including funding for Provider States
site assessment visit and audit (to be conducted by WMO).

June 2017 July 2017 Request WMO assistance to evaluate candidate Provider ICAO
States through site assessment visits and audits

August 2017 December 2017 Conduct site assessment visits and audits of candidate WMO
Provider States for global space weather information
capability

January 2018 February 2018 Complete report to ICAO on candidate Provider States for WMO
global space weather information capability

March 2018 June 2018 Select optimal number of providers of global space weather ICAO
information capability

June 2018 July 2018 Designate provider(s) of global space weather information ICAO
capability

July 2018 November 2018 Commence production and dissemination of global space Space Weather
weather information Provider(s)

Table 1. Indicative schedule developed by ICAO METP for the identification, assessing/auditing
and designation of space weather information providers

3. Next steps

3.1 As alluded to above, one of the key components in the realization of an operational,
global space weather information service for aviation before the end of 2018 is the conducting,
by WMO at ICAO’s request, of site assessments and audits of prospective space weather
information providers. At the time of writing, WMO is awaiting an official letter from ICAO in
this regard. Concurrently, ICAO will request States known to have space weather capabilities
(i.e. members of the International Space Environment Service (ISES)) to register their interest
in becoming a designated space weather information provider for aviation. ICAO will supply
this list to WMO to be used as the basis of organizing and conducting site assessments and
audits.

3.2 In support of the foregoing, appropriate audit procedures and an action plan will be
developed by the WMO IPT-SWeISS, in coordination with the ICAO WG-MISD as necessary.
WMO has emphasized already to ICAO, at METP/2, that it expects to undertake no more than
two site assessments and audits per calendar month and that all costs (travel and subsistence)
associated with the on-site assessments/audits will be borne by the receiving State – i.e. at no
cost to WMO and its Members. IPT-SWeISS experts and any others involved in the site
 EC-69/INF. 6.2(3), p. 3

assessments, audits and reporting to ICAO will be required to retain complete impartiality
through the entire process.

3.3 Once site assessments and audits of prospective space weather information
providers have been conducted, WMO will supply a report on the findings to ICAO. ICAO is
expected to take the information supplied by WMO into account during its determination (i.e.
the ICAO designation) of service providers. ICAO’s designation process will likely include
consideration of the optimum number of space weather centres necessary to provide the
required global space weather information service, given the physical nature of space weather
events, the users’ need for efficient and effective service provision, and the reported capability
of prospective service providers.

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