Page 31 - Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Turning digital technology innovation into climate action

Chapter 3. ICTs and climate monitoring Chapter 3

3.1 Using ICTs to monitor the global environment/ecosystem 1

Information pertaining to climate, weather, cryosphere, precipitation, pollution and disasters is
critically important in understanding climate change and its impact on the environment. Monitoring
activities are used to provide daily weather forecasts and long-range predictions, to study climate
change, for environmental protection and economic development, and for the safety of life and
property. Apart from monitoring the climate, tracking deforestation and recording Arctic sea ice loss,
Earth observations are also used to obtain pertinent data on natural resources.

Typical ICT systems involved in environment and climate monitoring and data dissemination include:
• weather satellites that track the progress of hurricanes and typhoons;

• weather radars that track the progress of tornadoes, thunderstorms, and the effluent from
volcanoes and major forest fires;

• radio-based meteorological aid systems that collect and process weather data; and
• Earth observation satellite systems that obtain environmental information such as atmospheric
composition (e.g. CO , vapour, ozone concentration), ocean parameters (temperature, surface-
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level change), soil moisture, vegetation including forest control, agricultural and other data.
All these systems are part of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Observing System
(WIGOS, more commonly referred to as GOS). The GOS is ‘the primary source of technical information
on the world’s atmosphere,’ and is ‘a composite system of complex methods, techniques and facilities
for monitoring and measuring meteorological and environmental parameters.’ The GOS detects
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and forecasts (as well as provides warning for) severe weather phenomena such as local storms,
tornadoes, hurricanes, or extra-tropical and tropical cyclones. Through the capture of observational
data for agrometeorology, aeronautical meteorology and climatology, the GOS also facilitates study
of the climate, global climate change, safety standards, etc. Data from the GOS are used to support
environmental programmes everywhere.

The GOS is complemented by the Global Telecommunication System (GTS), which ‘provides for the
real-time exchange of meteorological observational data, processed products and related information
between national, meteorological and hydrological services.’
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It is also complemented by the Global Data Processing and Forecasting System, which ‘provides
processed meteorological products (analysis, warnings, and forecasts) that are generated by a network
of World Meteorological Centres and specialized Regional Meteorological Centres.’ 4

Together, these three components form the World Weather Watch (WWW). Figure 7 illustrates the
interaction of various components and the main systems within the GOS, followed by Box 3, which
explains spaceborne monitoring systems.

1 Dickerson, Keith, et al. ‘Using ICTS to Tackle Climate Change.” International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Nov. 2010,
www .itu .int/ dms _pub/ itu -t/ oth/ 4B/ 01/ T4B010000010001PDFE .pdf.
2 Dickerson, Keith, et al. ‘Using ICTS to Tackle Climate Change.’ International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Nov. 2010,
www .itu .int/ dms _pub/ itu -t/ oth/ 4B/ 01/ T4B010000010001PDFE .pdf.
3 Ilčev, Stojče Dimov. ‘Global Satellite Meteorological Observation (GSMO) Applications.’ Volume 2, Springer,
5 Dec. 2018. https:// books .google .ca/ books ?id = 9Ld9DwAAQBAJ & dq = real -time +exchange+of+met
eorological+observational+data ,+processed+products ,+and+related +information+between+national ,+meteorolog
ical+and+hydrological+services & source = gbs _navlinks _s.
4 Ilčev, Stojče Dimov. ‘Global Satellite Meteorological Observation (GSMO) Applications.’ Volume 2, Springer,
5 Dec. 2018. https:// books .google .ca/ books ?id = 9Ld9DwAAQBAJ & dq = real -time +exchange+of+met
eorological+observational+data ,+processed+products ,+and+related +information+between+national ,+meteorolog
ical+and+hydrological+services & source = gbs _navlinks _s.

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