scope:

FOREWORD

The first edition of the Manual on the Digital Exchange of Aeronautical Meteorological Information was published in response to the introduction of the exchange of aeronautical meteorological information in a digital form as part of Amendment 76 to Annex 3 - Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation, applicable 14 November 2013. As of that date, it was permissible to exchange aerodrome routine and special meteorological reports (METAR and SPECI, including trend forecasts (TREND)), aerodrome forecasts (TAF) and SIGMET information, in a digital form by States in a position to do so.

Amendment No. 1 was issued to reflect Amendment 77 to Annex 3, applicable 10 November 2016, which recommended the issuance of volcanic ash advisory and tropical cyclone advisory information, METAR and SPECI (including TREND), TAF, and SIGMET and AIRMET information in a digital form, in addition to their issuance in abbreviated plain language.

This second edition was issued in accordance with the mandatory exchange of the above information from November 2020, in addition to space weather advisory in the ICAO meteorological information exchange model (IWXXM) form, as specified in Amendment 78 to Annex 3, applicable from 8 November 2018. The title of this manual was changed from the Manual on the Digital Exchange of Aeronautical Meteorological Information to the Manual on the ICAO Meteorological Information Exchange Model.

Where States exchange space weather advisory, volcanic ash advisory and tropical cyclone advisory information, METAR and SPECI, TAF, and SIGMET and AIRMET information in a digital form, Annex 3 requires that the information:

a) be formatted in accordance with a globally interoperable information exchange model;

b) use extensible markup language (XML)/geography markup language (GML); and

c) be accompanied by the appropriate metadata.

This manual is intended to assist States in each of these three respects and to clarify that States need to implement version 3 of IWXXM to meet the requirements of Amendment 79 to Annex 3.

The availability of aeronautical meteorological information in a globally interoperable digital format is seen as a key enabler for future global air traffic management within a system-wide information management (SWIM) environment. Consequently, the enabling of digital exchange is an important part of the transition of all required aeronautical meteorological information to a digital form and its integration into a SWIM environment. Future amendments to Annex 3 are therefore expected to enhance and expand the digital exchange provisions. This manual will, consequently, be subject to periodic review and amendment to ensure necessary alignment with the evolving Annex 3 provisions in this regard.

The content of the manual was developed primarily by the ICAO Meteorological Aeronautical Requirements and Information Exchange Project Team (MARIE-PT) and subsequently by the Meteorology Panel (METP) Working Group on Meteorological Information Exchange (WG-MIE). Expertise from airline and pilot representative organizations and regional programmes for air transport modernization, and the World Meteorological Organization, was used.