The GloBUS weather data decoding system and the SKY message database have been developed by the German Weather Service since 2002. EBP has accompanied the development and has been supporting the maintenance and servicing of these systems since 2012.
Global weather observations are essential for reliable weather forecasts. Based on international agreements, measurement results are exchanged between national weather services according to defined rules. The GloBUS system is used to decode most message types in this international exchange program. These messages include synoptic observation data, aviation reports, warning messages, and radar and satellite data. The decoded data is converted into different output formats.
A powerful archive system is required to ensure efficient access to the different types of data. The SKY meteorological message database serves this purpose. The system is designed to manage the complete database of meteorological messages. A wide range of downstream production and processing processes at the German Weather Service access SKY.
The project maintains the operational running of the GloBUS decryption routines and the data supply to the SKY message database. The project also maintains the decryption system with regard to all adjustments, changes, and enhancements that become necessary due to new requirements or daily experience. The migration from traditional alphanumeric key formats for weather reports to table-based key formats such as FM 94 BUFR, initiated by the World Meteorological Organization, has led to a shift in the focus of the decryption system in recent years, which GloBUS addresses with highly flexible options for interpreting BUFR messages. The system is currently being expanded to support XML-based key formats such as the ICAO Meteorological Information Exchange Model (IWXXM).
In addition to being used to standardize different input data into predefined output structures and archive them in SKY, a special version of the GloBUS system is also used to supply data to the NinJo system. The decoding system imports all bulletins from the global telecommunications system as well as many types of BUFR messages for NinJo.