This checklist is for National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) to self-assess progress with respect to climate services implementation and identify areas where support is needed. The checklist refers to the Country-focused results based framework for WMO contribution to the GFCS approved by the 68th WMO Executive Council (abridged report pp. 82-92).
The checklist consists of “YES/NO” self-assessments as to the degree to which actions have been taken or outputs generated.These actions or outputs are grouped into the categories of:
·        Governance
·        Basic Systems
·        User Interface
·        Capacity Development
·        Provision and Application of climate services 
·        Monitoring and Evaluation.

Within each grouping, actions or outputs are listed under the “Basic, Essential, Full, Advanced” headings. Ideally simultaneous actions will be taken in all categories, moving from left to right, from “Basic” to “Advanced”.

Key next steps, where such actions or outputs have not been completed, may be candidates for further effort and/or technical support.  Please review each section and select the option that applies by checking the respective box (YES or NO).

Objective: Institutional, technical, financial, and human resources mobilized for climate services planning, implementation and results monitoring targeting climate-sensitive national priorities

*1.Country(Required.)

AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAndorraAngolaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBhutanBolivia (Plurinational State of)Bosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBritish Caribbean TerritoriesBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCabo VerdeCambodiaCameroonCanadaCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCosta RicaCôte D'IvoireCroatiaCubaCuraçao and Sint MaartenCyprusCzech RepublicDemocratic People's Republic of KoreaDemocratic Republic of the CongoDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFijiFinlandFranceFrench PolynesiaGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGreeceGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaGuinea BissauGuyanaHaitiHoly SeeHondurasHong Kong, ChinaHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran (Islamic Republic of)IraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People’s Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacao, ChinaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMauritaniaMauritiusMexicoMicronesia (Federated States of)MonacoMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalQatarRepublic of KoreaRepublic of MoldovaRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth ‎SudanSpainSri LankaState of PalestineSudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTajikistanThailandThe former Yugoslav Republic of MacedoniaTimor-LesteTogoTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandUnited Republic of TanzaniaUnited States of AmericaUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)VietnamYemenZambiaZimbabwe

GOVERNANCE

Does the NMHS in your country participate in the identification of climate-sensitive national development priorities in:

2.Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the Paris Agreement

YES

NO

3.National Adaptation Plan (NAP)

YES

NO

4.National Development Policy or Strategy

YES

NO

5.National Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Strategy

YES

NO

6.National sectoral policies and strategies (e.g. food security, health, etc.):

YES

NO

Has the NMHS in your country participated in the capacity assessment of key stakeholders (including NMHSs and NHSs) by:

7.Identifying key stakeholders for improving climate-related outcomes in priority sectors (UIPs - User Interface Platform - focused on GFCS - Global Framework for Climate Services - priorities: health, agriculture and food security, WRM - Water Resource Management, energy, DRM):

YES

NO

8.Identifying key climatic factors of socio-economic significance at the national levels, establishing baseline knowledge based on capacity assessments and co-define with stakeholders climate information needs for sectoral decision-making at national level:

YES

NO

9.Identifying feasible climate services for meeting priority needs and capacity needs/requirements for their development and delivery:

YES

NO

Does the NMHS in your country participate in the implementation of national plans/frameworks (e.g. NAPs or national action plans) by:

10.Verifying status of and consulting/supporting development and/or implementation of NAP and other plans listed in point 1 above reflecting priority needs:

YES

NO

11.Co-developing national action plan for climate services (if appropriate, depending on status of/prospects for NAP) in response to priority needs:

YES

NO

12.Establishing institutional mandates for providing climate services as well as for using climate services, with the aim to mainstream efficient and well-informed climate risk management practices at all levels:

YES

NO

Has the NMHS in your country undertaken resources reviews of relevant ongoing and planned partner projects by:

13.Consulting lists of planned or ongoing major adaptation (and mitigation) investment programmes (GEF - Global Environment Facility, GCF - Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, PPCR - Pilot Program for Climate Resilience, development banks, RECs - Regional Economic Commissions):

YES

NO

14.Jointly meeting with national government Ministries/Departments and their counterpart(s) major international organizations (UNDP – United Nations Development Programme, IFIs – International Financial Institution, WFP – World Food Programme, FAO - United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, WHO - World Health Organization etc.) as necessary to articulate NMHS needs to support development decisions:

YES

NO

15.Negotiating access to financing from ongoing programmes and/or contributing to the development of new proposals to address identified needs:

YES

NO

Does the NMHS in your country participate in national planning, coordination, information sharing and monitoring structures by:

16.Identifying/establishing/engaging in an appropriate national governance mechanism to ensure coordination for climate services (there may already be one for NDCs, NAPs, DRM, etc.):

YES

NO

BASIC SYSTEMS (observing networks, data, data management, monitoring, and forecasting systems)
Note: see Table 1 on categorization of NMHSs

Adequate observing networks, data, data management, monitoring, and forecasting systems:
Note: The capabilities are incremental by moving from left to right columns in the table (i.e. competencies related to the category “Essential” include the ones related to “Basic” etc.)

17.Establish an internal management structure to integrate all basic systems into a functioning observing system:

YES

NO

18.Establish national requirements for observational needs to support climate services:

YES

NO

19.Perform gap analysis by matching observational needs against existing national capabilities:

YES

NO

20.Develop national observing strategy for weather and climate in order to address identified gaps:

YES

NO

21.Aware of GCOS - Global Climate Observing System - climate monitoring principles:

YES

NO

22.Adhere to GCOS climate monitoring principles:

YES

NO

Observing networks:
Note: This section refers to the assessment of observing networks in the context of climate services

23.BASIC

YES

NO

Operate and maintain adequate national observing systems, in support of the weather-related  application areas of the WMO Rolling Review of Requirements:

YES

NO

Develop complete inventory of existing national observing systems and their metadata by completing and updating national entries in OSCAR - Observing Systems Capability Analysis and Review Tool/Surface:

YES

NO

24.ESSENTIAL

YES

NO

Undertake to improve station density based on established and known national requirements:

YES

NO

Improve observations through compliance with WIGOS regulatory and guidance material: 

YES

NO

Observing network delivers against ECVs  - Essential Climate Variables:

YES

NO

Formal partnership agreements established with external (non-NMHS) entities operating third party; observing networks under guidance on minimum set of requirements for use in local climate services:

YES

NO

25.FULL

YES

NO

Adoption of long- term strategy for managing observing network and change, including relocation of stations, establishment of automated observations meeting climate observation requirements/standards, and protection  of long-term observing stations:

YES

NO

26.ADVANCED

YES

NO

Improve and strengthen national observing network based on national observing strategy, the relevant Regional WIGOS - WMO Integrated Global Observing System, Implementation Plan and the EGOS-IP:

YES

NO

Data and data management:

27.BASIC

YES

NO

Collect and store data and metadata in relational databases  (OSCAR/Surface):

YES

NO

Conduct data rescue:

YES

NO

Apply quality control to processes to climate data:

YES

NO

Conduct data management including weather forecasting and warnings, quality assurance/quality control, using Quality Management Framework principles:

YES

NO

Apply when necessary spatial temporal interpolation to ensure data continuity:

YES

NO

Create, archive and document climate datasets of the appropriate length, time resolution and units:

YES

NO

Assess climate data homogeneity and adjust inhomogeneous time series where possible:

YES

NO

Comply with the standards set and the recommendations made by WMO:

YES

NO

28.ESSENTIAL

YES

NO

Historical as well as real time observations in the atmosphere, the oceans, over land and ice of the ECVs prepared by GCOS and partners for climate purposes, exchanged freely for use in RCCs for at least one Global Surface Network site:

YES

NO

Adopt well documented strategy including vision and operating manual for ensuring security, integrity, retention policy  and technology migration for data archival process and systems:

YES

NO

Register data in WIS - WMO Information System:

YES

NO

29.FULL

YES

NO

Ensure all further observations are accumulated into time series: 

YES

NO

Identify additional required data that can be accessed from regional and global sources:

YES

NO

Document and register rescued and non-rescued data in the WMO-GFCS I-DARE - International Data Rescue - portal:

YES

NO

Use Data Management Systems that are compliant with WMO Specifications as recommended by the Commission for Climatology:

YES

NO

30.ADVANCED

YES

NO

Identify and engage research to improve data availability:

YES

NO

Monitoring:

31.BASIC

YES

NO

Identify and retrieve adequate climate data from different sources to generate climate products:

YES

NO

Compute basic climate products, such as World Weather Records, Climatological Standard Normals , and other basic statistics i.e anomalies, standard deviations, percentiles contingency tables, etc.:

YES

NO

32.ESSENTIAL

YES

NO

Compute Climate Indices and derived products for the monitoring of climate change and climate extremes  using ETCCDI - Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices  (and other tools such as iTacs for example) and NCMP approach:

YES

NO

Generate generic monitoring products (i.e. drought monitoring, climate watch, etc): 

YES

NO

Compute sector-specific Climate Indices and other sector oriented climate products:

YES

NO

Create value-added products, such as graphics, maps and reports to explain climate characteristics and evolution, according to the needs of specific sectors such as health, agriculture, water and disaster management:

YES

NO

Comply with the standards set and the recommendations made by WMO:

YES

NO

Register in WIS operational climate monitoring data and products that  are recommended by WMO  for regional or global climate monitoring activities:

YES

NO

Apply QMS - Quality Management - principles: 

YES

NO

33.FULL

YES

NO

Apply multi-variate statistical analysis to provide space-time distribution of climate patterns and identify statistical relationships across multiple variables:

YES

NO

Create integrated, continually updated data product time series, e.g. combining satellite observations and reanalysis with station data:

YES

NO

Produce gridded data sets based on peer-reviewed techniques and complying with WMO recommended practices:

YES

NO

Generate and manage consistent and systematic information on Extreme Weather and Climate Events complying with the WMO recommended practices: 

YES

NO

34.ADVANCED

YES

NO

Identify and engage research to improve monitoring and related products:

YES

NO

Publish regular,  quality controlled authoritative information on the status of climate relevant to policy making for climate adaptation:

YES

NO

Simulation of past climate and generate model-based analysis and Reanalysis:

YES

NO

Statistical and dynamical down-scaling, using advanced empirical techniques and regional climate models:

YES

NO

Maintain, update regularly and make available for global access  high quality peer-reviewed ECV datasets and document  the underlying uncertainty assessment:

YES

NO

Forecasting systems:

35.BASIC

YES

NO

Participate in RCOFs – Regional Climate Outlook Forums:

YES

NO

Disseminate climate outlooks provided by GPCs -Global Producing Center of WMO, RCCs and RCOFs:

YES

NO

36.ESSENTIAL

YES

NO

Create value-added products, such as graphics, maps and reports to explain climate forecasts and climate model information:

YES

NO

Develop and/or provide monthly, seasonal and longer scale climate predictions, using both empirical and dynamical approaches:

YES

NO

Generate value-added forecast products for national scales based on RCC and GPC products:

YES

NO

Conduct and/or contribute to RCOF sessions:

YES

NO

Register forecasting products in WIS:

YES

NO

37.FULL

YES

NO

Generate sub-seasonal and seasonal forecast products:

YES

NO

Run climate models within the adequate domain and with adequate parametrization and scenarios:

YES

NO

Downscale climate prediction and projection products:

YES

NO

Interpret annual to decadal climate prediction products:

YES

NO

Coordinate RCOFs and NCOFs - National Climate Outlook Forums and assist users in forecast interpretation:

YES

NO

38.ADVANCED

YES

NO

Evaluate the performance of climate models output and quantify the associated uncertainties:

YES

NO

Run Global and/or Regional Climate Models (sub-seasonal to decadal and longer):

YES

NO

Locate, select and retrieve climate forecasts and climate models output generated by Regional Climate Centers, Global Producing Centers and other institutions to complement self-produced climate products:

YES

NO

Provide large scale data resources as input to modeling, research, applications, etc.:

YES

NO

Host GPCs/RCCs:

YES

NO

Guide/lead process improvement studies for RCOFs and NCOFs:

YES

NO

Create future climate projections using different scenarios:

YES

NO

Apply statistical and geo-statistical analysis, including downscaling/calibration, to monitor the spatial distribution and temporal evolution of model output:

YES

NO

Develop tailored products for decision support in priority sectors:

YES

NO

Apply recalibration procedures to model outputs:

YES

NO

Make skill assessments publicly available:

YES

NO

Identify and engage research to improve forecasting and related products:

YES

NO

USER INTERFACE

Decision support tools and systems (identified, designed and improved, including any necessary research):

39.Identify the top five most prominent sectoral users groups (list in the order of priority):

1

2

3

4

5

Agriculture and food security

1

2

3

4

5

Disaster risk reduction

1

2

3

4

5

Energy

1

2

3

4

5

Health

1

2

3

4

5

Water

1

2

3

4

5

Other

1

2

3

4

5

40.BASIC

YES

NO

Interact with users, to meet requests (for basic climatology questions):

YES

NO

Assist users to interpret/use climate predictions and products:

YES

NO

Get periodic feedback from users on the usefulness and effectiveness of the information, products and services provided (including through NCOFs):

YES

NO

Establish effective relationships and communication channels with users:

YES

NO

41.ESSENTIAL

YES

NO

Interact with users to identify their requirements for, and provide advice on, climate information and adequate and viable products for their application:

YES

NO

Conduct and evaluate user satisfaction on a regular basis (e.g. meetings, surveys):

YES

NO

Revise climate services and the means of communication based on user feedback:

YES

NO

Develop and apply in partnership with users applications to facilitate the understanding and use of existing climate products and services:

YES

NO

42.FULL

YES

NO

Co-design and co-develop products with users:

YES

NO

43.ADVANCED

YES

NO

Work with sector-based research teams to develop applications models (e.g. to combine climate and agriculture information and produce food security knowledge products):

YES

NO

Jointly (with sector-based research teams) develop software and product suites for customized sector-specific climate products:

YES

NO

CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

Capacity development services:

44.Identify a source of and invest in  capacity development assistance and training to support the capacity development needs emerging from the other activities (see section 4 in Governance):

YES

NO

Neighbouring or other NMHS for basic education and cross-discipline operational training:

YES

NO

RTC - Regional Training Centre, Education and/or Research Universities/institutions/organizations:

YES

NO

RCC:

YES

NO

GPC:

YES

NO

Other:

YES

NO

Involve users, if possible, from the other sectors in training events:

YES

NO

PROVISION AND APPLICATION OF CLIMATE SERVICES

Decision-support products and services (established or strengthened):

45.BASIC

YES

NO

Data services (unless prohibited under current mandate and legislation): 

YES

NO

Access remote sensing and reanalysis products (i.e. EUMETCast):

YES

NO

Weather forecasting products:

YES

NO

Conduct basic climate diagnostics and climate analysis (staff will have some proficiency in climate statistics, or be able to reliably use statistical software (e.g. Climate Database Management System)):

YES

NO

Basic statistics (graphs, counts, etc.) on extremes, frequency of occurrence, spatial means for temperature (Max, Min, Mean), precipitation, relative humidity, evapotranspiration, thunder days, sunshine duration, cyclones, climatological normal, etc:

YES

NO

Regularly conduct NCOF sessions:

YES

NO

Conduct climate watch programmes and disseminate early warnings:

YES

NO

46.ESSENTIAL

YES

NO

Climate monitoring products:

YES

NO

Targeted dissemination of climate products to priority sectors (i.e. those based on data; regional and national climate monitoring products if available; seasonal outlooks provided by RCOFs and RCCs): 

YES

NO

Generic seasonal forecasts:

YES

NO

Update/Improve/Develop products and services based on users’ feedback and requirements:

YES

NO

47.FULL

YES

NO

Sub-seasonal forecasts: 

YES

NO

Tailoring of  products received from RCCS and in some cases GPCs for national applications:

YES

NO

Tailored seasonal forecasts (to address user needs): 

YES

NO

48.ADVANCED

YES

NO

Climate change projections: 

YES

NO

Helpdesk function: 

YES

NO

Provide products that can directly be plugged-in decision support tools including for policy development: 

YES

NO

Diversified channels of communication used to disseminate climate products (e.g. radio, social media):

YES

NO

Provide products relevant to neighbouring or other countries:

YES

NO

MONITORING AND EVALUATION

Monitoring of benefits resulting from climate services:

49.BASIC

YES

NO

Identify climate sensitive user sector outcomes and associated variables to measure them i.e. disaster losses, crop yields, hydropower:

YES

NO

Identify sources of this information:

YES

NO

50.ESSENTIAL

YES

NO

Establish ongoing monitoring systems for documenting user outcomes:

YES

NO

Establish baselines of sectoral outcomes for continuous evaluation of climate services:

YES

NO

51.FULL

YES

NO

Socio-economic analysis of cost-benefits of climate services conducted in collaboration with users:

YES

NO

52.ADVANCED

YES

NO

Investment plans of climate sensitive sectors based on results of socio-economic  analysis of cost-benefits of climate services:

YES

NO

Policy response as an outcome of the results of the socio-economic analysis of cost-benefits of climate services:

YES

NO

- Table 1. Categorization of NMHSs (Source: Commission for Climatology Guidelines for NMHSs on capacity development for climate services)

- List of acronyms:
DRM – Disaster risk management

ECV – Essential climate variables

EGOS-IP – WMO Implementation plan for the Evolution of Global Observing Systems

ETCCDI – Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices

FAO – United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization

GCF – Green Climate Fund

GCOS – Global Climate Observing System

GEF – Global Environment Facility

GFCS – Global Framework for Climate Services

GPC – Global Producing Centre of WMO

I-DARE - International Data Rescue

IFI – International Financial Institutions

iTACS – Interactive Tool for Analysis of the Climate System

NAP – National Adaptation Plan

NCMP – National Climate Monitoring Products

NCOF – National Climate Outlook Forum

NDC – Nationally Determined Contribution to the Paris Agreement

NMHS – National Meteorological and Hydrological Service

OSCAR – Observing Systems Capability Analysis and Review Tool

PPCR – Pilot Program for Climate Resilience

QMS – Quality management system

RCC – Regional Climate Center of WMO

RCOF – Regional climate outlook forum

RECs – Regional Economic Commissions

RTC – Regional Training Center

UIP – User interface platform

UNDP- United Nations Development Programme

WFP – World Food Programme

WHO – World Health Organization

WIGOS – WMO Integrated Global Observing System

WIS – WMO Information System

WMO – World Meteorological Organization

WRM – Water resource management

- Global Climate Observing System climate monitoring principles:
(Revised Reporting Guidelines as agreed by the UNFCCC at Bali, December 2007, decision 11/CP.13)
Effective monitoring systems for climate should adhere the following principles

- References:
1) High Level Task Force Report -  Climate Knowledge for Action: A Global Framework for Climate Services: http://library.wmo.int/pmb_ged/wmo_1065_en.pdf

2) WMO Capacity development strategy and implementation plan: https://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/dra/CDS.html

3) Commission for Climatology Guidelines for NMHSs on Capacity Development for climate services (ref: Table 2, p 31)