AUGUST 2015

• 2015/08/14 - Announcement - Almost all VOS observations are now sent in BUFR (TM308009) onto the GTS, either as native or as the result of a FM13 SHIP to BUFR conversion. The new template (TM308014) is still under evaluation but should be applied to VOS data in 2016.
• 2015/08/14 - Announcement - Joubeh, NDBC and JMA are not sending BUFR messages fitted with template TM315009 onto the GTS yet.
• 2015/08/12 - Announcement - Buoy identifiers are still wrong in BUFR messages produced by CLS (TM315009). CLS now plans not to stop the distribution of FM18 BUOY messages before the beginning of 2016.

JULY 2015

• 2015/07/15 - Announcement - By mid-July, it seems that Joubeh (CWAO), NDBC (IOBX01 KWBC) and JMA (RJTD) did not produce BUFR data for drifting buoys with official WMO template TM315009 yet. However, these data should represent less than 10% of the whole drifting buoy data.

JUNE 2015

• 2015/06/04 - Important announcement - CLS plans to stop the distribution of FM18 BUOY message in September 2015. This represents 78% of the whole drifting buoy data transmitted onto the GTS.
• 2015/06/04 - Announcement - CLS Toulouse and CLS America hencefoth produce drifting buoy BUFR following template TM315009. BUFR data following the old template and FM18 BUOY messages should be transmitted in parallel during a few months. GTS headers for the BUFR are IOBXii LFVW and IOBXii KARS. Different 'ii' are used according to the template: 05, 06, 15, 16, 17 and 18 for template TM315009; 01, 02, 03, 07, 12 and 13 for the old template.
• 2015/06/03 - Announcement - Drifting buoy BUFR data produced by Meteo-France are henceforth sent with header IOB[A-L]13 LFPW onto the GTS instead of IOB[A-L]01.
• 2015/06/01 - Announcement - Drifting buoy data processed at Meteo-France now use template TM315009 instead of the never-validated WMO template for data buoys.

  APRIL 2015

• 2015/04/20 - Announcement - Pacific Gyre started the production of BUFR data following template TM31509 (drifting buoys). It is the first centre to do this. GTS header is IOBX06 KWBC. Pacific Gyre continues to produce drifting buoy data in BUFR according to the former [not validated] template for buoy data.

 MARCH 2015

• 2015/03/27 - Announcement - Most of the centres producing BUFR data for drifting buoys, including CLS and Meteo-France, plan to move from the template for buoy data that has never been validated to template TM315009. This action should occur on the 1st of June 2015. The centres will continue to report FM18 BUOY messages in parallel for a couple of months but not more.
• 2015/03/25 - Problem - BUFR messages sent by CLS for ships (header ISSX20 LFVW) are following template TM308004 instead of TM308009.
• 2015/03/11 - Announcement - Australia should produce BUFR data (template TM315004 expected) from the 3rd of April 2015. These will be the result of a TAC2BUFR conversion of FM63 BATHY messages.

 FEBRARY 2015

• 2015/02/18 - Problem - BUFR messages are received in Europe from NOAA with header ISS[S/T]01 KWBC for European stations already reporting in both FM13 and BUFR codes. The U.S. messages are resulting from a TAC2BUFR conversion applied to FM13 messages received from European NMS. This creates duplicates in European GTS databanks.
• 2015/02/10 - Announcement - From 1200 UTC on Tuesday 3rd March 2015, Met Office will stop the transmission of FM13 SHIP bulletins on the GTS. Corresponding BUFR data are sent onto the GTS with headers ISS[A-L]01 and ISS[A-L]11 EGRR
• 2015/02/07 - Problem fixed - BUFR messages produced by Meteo-France for drifting buoys (e.g. with GTS header IOBA13 LFPW) for a given observation time have now an extension ('RRA', 'RRB', etc...) when a first message has already been sent.
• 2015/02/02 - Announcement - TAO moored buoy observations should be distributed by NOAA in BUFR from March 2nd. Template TM315008 has been suggested. GTS headers should be IOBF08 and IOBG08 KWNB
• 2015/02/01 - Announcement - CLS would start the distribution of BUFR data according to new templates on the 1st of June. Reminder: DBCP Task Team on Data Management recommended to data producers to use a different GTS header when a new template is applied.

JANUARY 2015

• 2015/01/21 - Problem - BUFR messages sent by Meteo-France (e.g. with GTS header IOBA13 LFPW) for the same observation time have the same header although the second one should be fitted with 'RRA', the third with 'RRB', etc. Works are ongoing to correct the problem.

 NOVEMBER 2014

• 2014/11/20 - Problem - BUFR messages received from buoy WMO 6100200 (with header IOBD12 LIIB) seem wrong. They are not decoded at Meteo-France. ECMWF BUFR checker confirms they are not valid. USAM (Italy) is informed. 
• 2014/11/03 - Problem fixed - Sub-surface temperature data from drifting buoy WMO 4800665 (sent with header IOBX05 KWBC) are now correctly coded.

OCTOBER 2014

• 2014/10/20 - Problem - Since the 13th of October, sub-surface temperature data from drifting buoy WMO 4800665 (sent with header IOBX05 KWBC), seem not academic. This caused crashes in the data acquisition software of Meteo-France. Data provider informed today.
• 2014/10/08 - New BUFR data  - Data received from NOAA/PMEL for two OCEANSites moored buoys have been correctly handled by Meteo-France today (headers IOB[B/C]18 KPML). These data are the first using template 315008 and received at Meteo-France.

SEPTEMBER 2014

• 2014/09/30 - Problem fixed - The problem with bulletins IOBX02 KARS and IOBX11 LFVW was fixed today. It was due Met Office (Exeter) message switch that considered these messages were text and not binary data.
• 2014/09/25 - Problem - On 23 September, CLS switched IOBX02 data from Toulouse back to Largo. Drifting buoy data received at Meteo-France with header IOBX02 KARS are corrupted. The problem is not at CLS America that produces reliable native BUFR data with this header. A feedback was sent to NOAA/NWP yesterday. The problem ECMWF reported about moored buoy data fitted with header IOBX11 LFVW could be the same. For this latter, two dataflew are received at ECMWF: those coming from Exeter (EGRR) have been wrong since the 10th of September whilst those coming from Offenbach (EDZW) are correct. Here also CLS certifies their native BUFR data are correct.
• 2014/09/22 - Problem - ECMWF reports they can no longer decode IOBX11 LFVW messages (TAO/PIRATA/RAMA moored buoy networks). An element (0 03 007) not known and not present in any table is reported. The problem is forwared to CLS Toulouse.
• 2014/09/19 - CLS switches the sending of buoy data from Largo (KARS) to their backup service in Toulouse (LFVW) waiting for the problem is fixed in the US. Data fitted received at Meteo-France with header IOBX02 LFVW are correctly decoded.
• 2014/09/18 - Problem - Drifting buoy data with header IOBX02 KARS received at Meteo-France and ECMWF have no longer been valid since the 10th of September. Data sent with this header represent 75% of the whole drifting buoy observations. Investigations are ongoing at CLS to fix the problem.