International Meteorological Activities are delivered through a single output (International Meteorological Activities) that contributes to the achievement of the desired outcome. The developments relating to this output during 2004-05 and their contributions to the outcome are described below.

International Meteorological Activities outputs are delivered through either multilateral or bilateral channels. Multilateral channels include the WMO, IOC and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Of specific note is the Bureau's participation in the WMO World Weather Watch (WWW) Programme, which is a globally coordinated system for the collection, processing and distribution of meteorological information in real-time on a worldwide basis. It provides the common infrastructure to support a wide range of WMO activities at the national and international levels. The facilities of the WWW are used by other international organisations, in particular the ICAO, the IOC and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and provide the essential foundation for the development of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).

The Meteorology Act 1955 empowers the Bureau to cooperate on a bilateral basis with the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of any other country. Currently, the Bureau has bilateral protocols with the following 10 countries: China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Peru, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation and Vietnam.

MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS 2004-05 

• The Bureau participated in the Third Earth Observations Summit in Brussels in February and meetings of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), culminating in a 10-year Implementation Plan of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) and the establishment of a GEO Secretariat in Geneva.
• The Bureau made significant contributions to assist developing countries in their implementation of WMO technical programs through the WMO Technical Cooperation Programme including its Voluntary Cooperation Programme (VCP), WMO Education and Training Programme and the Bureau's bilateral program.
• The Bureau continued its contributions to the work of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), and the WMO/UNEP Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) including the preparation of the Fourth Assessment Report. Bureau officers also contributed significantly to the development of the Pacific Islands GCOS (PI-GCOS) Implementation Plan.
• The Bureau was involved in number of activities funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID): participation in the Pacific Governance Support Program (PGSP) enabled cooperation with countries such as Fiji (secondment of Bureau meteorologist to RSMC Nadi), Vanuatu and Niue (on the RANET Project, an international collaboration to make weather, climate, and related information more accessible to remote and resource poor populations); the Public Sector Linkages Program (PSLP), which enabled cooperation with Indonesia on volcanic ash monitoring; and implementation of the second phase of the AusAID Project on "Enhanced application of climate predictions in the Pacific Island Countries". This phase involved the roll-out of a Seasonal Forecast System to National Meteorological Services, training of staff and investigation of possible pilot projects to demonstrate the application of climate prediction in climate sensitive industries, mostly in fisheries, health, agriculture and water resources. The Bureau also implemented an Australian Greenhouse Office-funded data rescue project to assist Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in ensuring the security of their historical data.
• The Bureau continued its contributions towards the development of meteorology in developing countries by way of capacity building and training. In February, overseas students from Singapore and Lesotho were admitted to the Bureau's Postgraduate Diploma in Meteorology Course in Melbourne. The Bureau also hosted a WMO-sponsored training course on tropical cyclones, a workshop on public weather services and a workshop on climate data management systems. Technical assistance was provided to Fiji on a Fiji-funded new weather surveillance radar project.

Director of Meteorology Dr Geoff Love and Dr Nguyen Cong Thanh, Vice-Minister of the Ministry for Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam, shake hands after signing a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bureau of Meteorology and the Vietnam ministry on Friday 22 October.

Contribution towards outcome

• Participation in international programs such as those of WMO and GEO enables the Bureau to provide a range of meteorological services especially in weather, climate, hydrology, agriculture, aviation, marine and oceanography, in conformity with international standards.
• Participation in WMO technical programs increased the availability of more timely and accurate observational data especially from data-sparse areas in the southwest Pacific (see Table below). These observations in turn help the Bureau to improve its numerical weather prediction products.
• Bureau participation in the UNFCCC, SBSTA and IPCC has strengthened the meteorological science perspective in UN negotiations on climate change.
• A high level commitment to engaging in AusAID activities has led to Australia achieving a reputation for excellence in this important area of global interest. The growth in targeted capacity building activities by the Bureau in the southwest Pacific has been especially welcomed. Participation in international activities also enhances in-house knowledge and helps ensure standardisation of meteorological practices so that consistent monitoring and analysis of global and regional weather and climate is possible.
• Capacity building and training assistance for neighbouring countries improves the quality and performance of NMHSs and helps ensure the reliable flow of important meteorological data to the Bureau.

* recorded during the WMO 15-day Annual Global Monitoring Period.