A Change in the Weather?

MEETING TITLE | A Change in the Weather? The relationship between public and private sector meteorology in an era of rapid technological and economic change.

The WMO has led one of the greatest international collaborations of all time, creating a mechanism for the global exchange of data which underpins the tremendous advances in weather forecasting capability seen over the last few decades. Until recently most of the observational, NWP and research effort driving those advances has been carried out by publicly funded bodies.
But the private meteorological sector is undergoing rapid expansion, thanks to technological advances and the growing commercial value of weather and climate services. Private sector surface and space-based observation networks and NWP capability now exist and may rival the scale of the international public effort in the not too distant future. This growth comes at the same time as public bodies are under increasing financial pressure.

There is much to be gained from public/private/academic collaboration, but current structures and agreements such as free exchange of data can act as barriers.

This meeting will provide a forum for leading players in the public and private sectors to discuss the challenges, present examples of successful partnerships, and explore ideas for future relationships.