[WMO Codes - DRC #293] (to be Validated) New element descriptor for encoding coordinate reference systems (0 01 150: coordinate reference system)

Needs to be checked.

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Issue #293 has been updated by Jitsuko Hasegawa.

• Status changed from ET discussion to to be Validated

Final Report of IPET-DRMM-III 2015 Beijing says:

BUFR allows users to encode coordinates describing where observations were made. However, there is currently no way of encoding the coordinate system in which these coordinates should be interpreted. This allows messages to be encoded with latitude/longitude coordinates which may or may not be understood as the producing centre intended, because the reference coordinate system, and in particular its prime meridian, are left to the user's interpretation.

Since external authorities are not referenced in BUFR tables, the coordinates are ambiguous. Even if it is assumed that the prime meridian at Greenwich is used, this meridian is defined in several coordinate systems with differences of more than 100 meters at most latitudes. In addition to these traditional uncertainties, satellite data sometimes use exotic coordinate systems which cannot be properly interpreted using traditional, geostationary coordinate systems.

Ms Sibylle Krebber, DWD, presented the proposal to define in BUFR messages a coordinate system used and on a note for the case a coordinate system is not defined in a BUFR message.

The meeting agreed to forward to validation stage as shown in the Annex to this paragraph.

Mr Yves Pelletier, Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) and Mr Alexander Kats, Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Roshydromet), supported the proposal and offered to assist validation.

The descriptor forwarded to validation is 0-01-150 Coordinate reference system, with an associated code table.

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DRC #293: New element descriptor for encoding coordinate reference systems (0 01 150: coordinate reference system)

• Author: Jitsuko Hasegawa
• Status: to be Validated
• Priority: Normal
• Assignee: Jitsuko Hasegawa
• Category: BUFR-CREX table
• Target version:

The proposal was made to discuss options to improve coordinates identification, as part of agenda item 3.1(1) of IPET-DRMM-III (#292).

The proposal is the introduction of a new table B descriptor representing Coordinate reference system (0 01 150) with the associated code table.

Document: IPET-DRMM-III Doc 3.1.1

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