Through its Standing Committee on Services for Agriculture, WMO assists its Members on agricultural meteorology by providing meteorological, climatological and related services to the agricultural community to help develop sustainable and economically viable agricultural systems.  WMO’s standard-setting in agricultural meteorology revolves around reviewing and updating: User needs and requirements on all aspects of agrometeorological services and practices across the agricultural value chain (farm-transport-milling-export/trading) and the various agricultural sub-sectors (crops, livestock, forestry, rangelands and fisheries sectors);Standards and guidance on all aspects of agrometeorological services and practices across the agricultural value-chain and sub-sectors related to technical commissions, regional associations, Research Board, and Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS); andExisting standards and guidance material on drought management in cooperation with other WMO activities and partners.In the area of technical support to Members, WMO provides:Technical assistance to the various Global Framework for Climate Services processes and projects on food production sustainability, and agriculture and food security including the assessment of atmospheric pollution and deposition impact on food production, together with Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and World Food Programme; andCapacity building, technical advice and tools to enable agricultural users to adequately understand and use weather and climate information, such as historical variability and trends, sub-seasonal and seasonal climate forecasts and climate change projections to address the impacts of climatic variability and change on agriculture.WMO also works to nurture a collaborative environment to advance global efforts around agricultural meteorology by providing:Effective communication methods and channels for acquiring and disseminating agrometeorological information,Advice and warnings to agricultural subsectors,Platform for feedback, including through the further development of the World Agrometeorological Information Service; andScientific and technical advice to the WMO/GWP Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) and to United Nations related drought meetings, such as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

Floods are the most common natural hazards with the largest impacts on society. Although exceptionally devastating floods distort the trend, flood impact records show that the number of related fatalities is gradually decreasing thanks to, among others, better early warning systems; however, damages to land and property appear to be increasing due to insufficient prevention, economic growth and a lack of flood-sensitive land use planning. The Associated Programme on Flood Management (APFM) promotes an Integrated Flood Management approach to minimize related loss of life and impacts on livelihoods through protective measures while maximizing the net benefits derived from the efficient use of floodplains.

Dynamic Water Resources Assessment Tool (DWAT) aims to ensure the sustainable and effective management of water resources by adequately assessing their sources, extent, dependability, and quality to inform long-term planning and policy assessment and development.  DWAT allows the assessment of land-use changes within the basin over time, and of the impacts on water availability under various scenarios, including climate change. This tool is intended to help users, particularly policy specialists and water resource managers, identify current and future water management challenges and compare those with current and past water resources availability. This tool can also help better understand the impacts of past and present water management practices on water resources, as well as the interactions between climate, water and landscape. Its use can contribute to water reform by providing nationally and regionally consistent water resource information and data, such as surface water, groundwater, urban and agricultural water supply, and use. Moreover, it can aid in the formulation of government policy and the development of broad-scale strategic plans and decision-making.  DWAT uses a distributed conceptual scheme for water cycle analysis and contains sub-algorithms, such as evapotranspiration, infiltration, watershed runoff, groundwater movement, and channel routing. Linking the system to a GIS tool makes searching for physical input parameters convenient. The model is being verified through its application to various rural and forest catchments, including new urban development regions in Korea. It is also being peer-reviewed by a panel of Commission for Hydrology experts, who are applying it to basins located in different geographical areas, each with different climatic characteristics. This peer-review has the objective of further testing the system to enhance the model reliability strongly.  Download the DWAT beta version (Version 2). Disclaimer: Use of beta software is at the user's risk; user discretion is advised. We would appreciate your feedback if you decide to test the DWAT beta version.  Installation instructions: If your computer has Visual C++, you may download and install DWAT. If you don't have Visual C++, please download and install both exe files.  Other resources:  Commission for Hydrology recommendations on the use of DWAT  Report 4th DWAT Workshop   Report 3rd DWAT Workshop  Report 2nd DWAT Workshop  Report: First DWAT Workshop   DWAT User Manual  Video Tutorials:  1: Using Google Maps  2: Using basin information  2.1: Create basin  2.2: Create climate node  3: GIS Data  3.1: Create basin  3.2: Create observed data  3.3: Run and graph  3.4: PEST   4: Thiessen Method  5: Calibration  Infographics:  What is DWAT ?  Applications of the DWAT  DWAT and Integrated Water Resources Management  DWAT has been under development since 2008 as a part of the activities of WMO for the Regional Association II Working Group on Hydrological Services, and is supported by the Han River Flood Control Office, Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport, Republic of Korea.

The Flash Flood Guidance System with Global Coverage (FFGS) is a guidance tool in the cycle of an end-to-end early warning system. By facilitating timely and accurate flash flood warnings, it greatly contributes to the success of the global initiative known as "Early Warnings for All," aiming at reducing loss of life and destruction to property. Since its inception in 2009, FFGS has made remarkable progress and now covers over 40% of the global population in more than 72 countries (2022). It also includes landslide, riverine, urban and seasonal to sub-seasonal modules, and extensive technical training programs on flash flood prediction for hydrometeorologist as well as disaster managers. So far, more than 1,000 experts have been trained in the FFGS and flash flood forecasting.   WMO has developed FFGS in partnership with the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS)/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the United States Agency for International Development Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), and the Hydrologic Research Center (HRC).  

The WMO's Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) fosters international coordination and partnerships between scientific and operational communities with the goal of meeting the cryosphere data and information need of Members adn partners, in support of Earth system monitoring, modeling and prediction.GCW operates under the remit of the Infrastructure Commission (INFCOM). Global Cryosphere Watch website

WMO’s Global Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS) strengthens country capacity across the hydrological value chain, to help produce standardized information on the current state of the water resources and forecast the situation for the next days or months. HydroSOS is the backbone supporting the Early Warnings for All initiative for hydrological disasters and thus supports local resilience and preparedness.HydroSOS builds Members’ capacity and link existing systems to provide status and outlook products and services. Wherever such systems and capacities are not adequate or not existing, HydroSOS works to build new components/infrastructure and capacities.Once implemented at various national to global scales, HydroSOS will:Improve capacity/infrastructure and capability of countries to manage and plan water resources (including storage and allocation), as well as for disaster risk reduction (for example, flood and drought), and climate adaptation and mitigation actions;Enhance cooperation for the management of transboundary watersheds and use of hydrological data between countries;Improve science-based information on hydrological status and outlook products for water resources management; andOperationalize backbone for the Global Water Information System.

The Global Hydrometry Support Facility, also known as the WMO HydroHub, supports National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in their hydrological data collection, management and sharing for informed decision-making in all aspects of water resources management. The WMO HydroHub connects the expertise of WMO Members in various fields, such as science, technology, and services, with end users of hydrometeorological data and services.  The WMO HydroHub pursues its goal through three main outcomes:  Increased Capacity: The WMO HydroHub aims at improving the technical expertise of NMHSs' staff, enabling them to sustainably operate hydrometeorological monitoring systems with enhanced data management and sharing capacities.  Operationalized Innovation: The WMO HydroHub helps NMHSs to continuously develop and innovate their hydrometric approaches and technologies in collaboration with academia and the private sector. In addition, the WMO HydroHub promotes the operational uptake of innovative approaches and technologies at local and national levels.  Optimized Engagements and Investments: The WMO HydroHub seeks to catalyze development opportunities for NMHSs and the overall hydromet community. This is achieved through strengthened internal and external engagements, knowledge sharing, and communication.  By leveraging expertise, promoting innovation, and facilitating collaborations, the WMO HydroHub contributes to disaster risk reduction, social and economic development, and environmental protection, and thus generates socioeconomic benefits for beneficiary countries.  The WMO HydroHub supports the modernization of the World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS) for capacity building in hydrological observing systems and facilitates the implementation of the WMO Hydrological Observing System (WHOS) - the hydrological component of WIS 2.0 - for sharing hydrological data at different scales.

The Global Observing System (GOS) represents a coordinated system of individual surface- and space-based observing systems and networks, methods, techniques, facilities and arrangements for making observations on a worldwide scale. The GOS is the observing component of the World Weather Watch (WWW). The main purpose of GOS is to provide weather and climate observations from all parts of the globe that are required by Members for operational and research purposes. GOS is also one of the key components of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS), which provides a framework for all WMO observing systems and for WMO contributions to co‑sponsored observing systems in support of all WMO Programmes and activities.

WMO engages in global processes and informs water policy development. The aim is to increase the understanding of the value hydrological data, information and services add to sustainable development by Member States’ ministries and governments, international partner organizations, and other relevant public, private, and academic institutions. WMO informs policy development through intergovernmental processes, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Whether due to natural climate variability or climate change, the likelihood of extreme weather conditions is increasing. The impacts include more frequent and severe droughts, which affect the lives of millions of people and cause great economic losses. The Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP) provides advice and guidelines to communities, countries and regions affected by drought through the Integrated Drought Management HelpDesk. The wider scope of the Programme is to build climate resilience, reduce economic and social losses, and alleviate poverty in drought-affected regions of the world through an integrated approach to drought management, which cuts across sectoral, disciplinary and institutional jurisdictions and is responsive to specific regional and national needs and requirements.

Water Resources Assessment (WRA) is the "determination of the sources, extent, dependability and quality of water resources for their utilization and control" (1), and of the human activities that affect those resources (2). It is also the “systematic study of the current status and future trends in both water resources and water supply services, with a particular focus on issues relating to availability, accessibility and demand” (3). Water resources assessments is a key component of integrated water resources management and a prerequisite for sustainable development.A water resources assessment provides a basis for the sound and proper planning, design, construction, operation and maintenance of projects associated with the following areas: To aid with the implementation of Water Resource Assessment, WMO, through its Standing Committee on Hydrological Services (SC-HYD), aims to assist National Hydrological Services by:providing an evolving toolkit of appropriate and adaptable techniques; such as the Dynamic Water Resources Assessment Tool (DWAT) and the WMO Global Hydrological Status and Outlook System (HydroSOS), that are consistent with their needs and capabilities; andfacilitating the exchange of knowledge among them.More detailed information is accessible at the WMO Water Resources Assessment webpage.WMO/UNESCO International Glossary of Hydrology (2012)Young et al., 1994Batchelor et al., 2005

The WMO Hydrological Observing System (WHOS) is the framework for reliable hydrological data exchange and access at national, regional, and international level for all the hydrology data providers and users within and outside the WMO community to achieve interoperability to reduce the barriers to access and use of hydrological data by using standardized and brokering approaches. It plays a key role in providing sustainable data and information exchange infrastructure to support EWS by enabling timely and sustained data access, developing technical capabilities, and promoting the development and implementation of consensus-based data sharing policy. In addition, it supports the WMO Unified Data policy, the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON), and HydroSOS (as a data platform).  WHOS uses open standards and provides a services-oriented framework linking hydrological data providers (heterogeneous sources) and users (multiple uses) through a hydrological information system of systems (SoS) enabling data registration, data discovery and data access as part of the hydrological component of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) and WMO Information System (WIS). WHOS supports (1) publication of hydrological data on the Internet via web services, (2) brokering and standardization of hydrological data published by heterogeneous data providers, and (3) discovery, access and use of hydrological data within the WHOS network. These WHOS capabilities rely on the use of standardized web services and data formats, such as those stemming from the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO).  WMO Cg-19 approved a resolution to further implement and develop WHOS and a component of WIS2.0. The Commission for Observation, Infrastructure, and Information Systems (INFCOM) approved the WHOS Operational Plan that was further adopted by Executive Council Seventy-Six (EC-76). The data access will be through the following methods:  Exchange of real time data through WIS2.0: Users of WIS 2.0 will be able to access data in real-time by subscribing to a Global Broker and receiving notifications when new data are available for download from a Global Cache or from the data provider. They will also access data directly through Web APIs (application programming interfaces), connecting their software (or their browser) and processing or visualising data of their interest.    Visualize and download data directly through WHOS Global portal, and global hydrological data centers  Visualize the metadata in WHOS global portal, global data caches and archives, but download the data directly through the data providers portal  Regional WHOS prototypes located in the La Plata Basin in South America (WHOS-Plata), Arctic Region (WHOS-Arctic), and SAVA river basin have now reached their final stage of implementation. National implementations have been caried in the UK, Italy, Dominica Republic, etc.  To easily leverage common WHOS functionalities such as data discovery and data access on the web by means of common web browsers, WHOS web portals are available online. The WHOS-Arctic web portal is implemented using ArcGIS Online for the map interface and USGS GWIS (Graphing Water Information System) for the time-series plots. The WHOS Global portal and La Plata uses the Water data explorer. 

The WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) provides the regulatory framework, guidance and tools, for the weather, water, climate and other environmental observing systems managed by WMO Members and partner Organizations to be implemented, to evolve and to contribute fit-for-purpose observational data to all WMO applications. The development of WIGOS is therefore WMO applications requirements-driven. These have a clear orientation to WMO Members being able to address WMO’s mandate for the protection of life and property and to bring benefits to society in weather, water, climate, and other environmental applications, including in areas such as public health, disaster risk reduction, water resource management and food security, renewable energy, tourism, travel, and insurance, as an enabler for sustainable development.  WIGOS facilitates the use by WMO Members of observations from systems that are owned, managed and operated by a diverse array of organizations and programmes.

As a worldwide network of operational centres operated by WMO Members, the WMO Integrated Processing and Prediction System (WIPPS) makes defined products and services operationally available among WMO Members and relevant operational organizations for applications related to weather, climate, water and the environment.  High-quality products and services are generated using advanced science and technology such as Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and Earth system modelling, better observations, improved data assimilation, increased computing power, and enhanced knowledge of weather dynamics and physics. These advancements have led to more accurate predictions, benefiting operational meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, and climatology. However, there is a significant disparity in forecasting capabilities among WMO Members, with developed Members benefiting more from these advancements compared to developing and least developed countries due to limited resources.   WIPPS serves as a framework to address this gap for sharing operationally meteorological, hydrological, oceanographic, and climatological data. WIPPS allows Members to access and utilise the most advanced numerical models’ data and applications, leveraging scientific and technological advancements in Earth system modelling. WIPPS is facilitated by the WMO Information System (WIS), which supports international data exchange. By expanding the range of designated and participating centres, WIPPS enhances the global data-processing and forecasting system, enabling a broader range of applications to strengthen the world’s weather, climate, water and related environmental services.  WIPPS was previously known as the Global Data-processing and Forecasting System (GDPFS).

The World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS) is a framework programme of the WMO aimed at building and reinforcing the technical and human capabilities of NMHSs to perform their basic role in data collection and management, information production, and dissemination. It also aims at promoting regional and basin-wide cooperation in hydrology. It supports decision-making in water management through the provision of reliable data and information. It envisions bolstering sustainable socioeconomic development, environmental protection, mitigation and adaptation to climate change effects, and conflict prevention.  The WHYCOS concept is implemented through a two-pronged, fully integrated approach. First, a global coordination mechanism provides the framework and general guidance. Second, a series of Hydrological Cycle Observing Systems (HYCOSs), which are independent but coordinated, provide the implementation at the river basin or regional level to address the specific needs of the local area. Since its formation in 1993, over 14 HYCOS projects have been undertaken around the world.