The global weather enterprise, part 2: fitting the pieces together

In Part 1 of this series, we began with the realisation that the global weather enterprise can seem like a jigsaw puzzle with a large number of pieces, each of which provides a part of the picture. And we explored the many pieces of the puzzle in terms of the large numbers of people and organisations and the types of contribution they make to the endeavour. In Part 2, we will focus on how the pieces of the puzzle fit together to form a complete picture. Of course, some of the jigsaw pieces do not fit together perfectly and the full picture is not always in clear sight. The lens through which we will try to view the enterprise is the meteorological value chain that attempts to succinctly describe the transformation of scientific knowledge and observations into the data and services that helps saves lives and infrastructure as well as creates economic resilience and productivity. Imagine a member of the public is checking their smartphone weather app for today’s forecast. They will, almost certainly, be unaware that the information they see is a result of a global interconnection of observations, science, weather modelling, artificial intelligence and digital visualisation. It is this interconnectivity that we explore in this article. The idea that the various contributions made by individuals and single organisations fit together to create something with greater value can be obscured even to those making these contributions because of the demands of their day-to-day activities. Of course, many meteorologists – amateur and professional – are highly motivated by the obvious benefits that weather information such as forecasts can provide to help save lives and protect assets. However, it can be much less clear how each activity feeds into this greater good and where, for example, any weak links might exist to realise the maximum value from the activity. Here, in Part 2, we aim to shine a light on these linkages and by doing so make it as clear as possible why the concept of a global weather enterprise makes sense and is useful. In Part 3, we will look to the future and highlight challenges that the enterprise will face.