For more than 30 years, drifting buoys had been sending their observations ashore thanks to the Argos system, exclusively. Argos data are processed by CLS in Toulouse (France) and in Largo (USA). For many years, data had been sent onto the GTS in FM18 BUOY and FM94 BUFR (never-validated WMO template), in parallel.
Since 2008, Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) has been more and more used for the transmission of drifting buoy data ashore. Several centres are processing the raw data in order to send them onto the GTS in FM18 BUOY. Out of them, some are transmitted in FM94 BUFR (never-validated WMO template), in parallel.
Since the June 1st, 2015, drifting buoy data processed by CLS (Toulouse and America) and Meteo-France have been sent onto the GTS according to template TM315009. This should represent about 90% of drifting buoy data. A more accurate survey will be performed in September 2015.
GTS headers for drifting buoy data start with character string 'IOB'.
Warning to data users: Two timestamps are included in each drifing buoy observation message. Each timestamp is preceded by its related time significance (BUFR element 0 08 021). It must be noted that, in template TM315009, the first timestamp is this of the last known position (value is 26). This of the observation (time significance = 25), also called "nominal reporting time" is in second position. Do not confuse both.
Buoy BUFR data - Survey on May 16th, 2016 (ECMWF)
This map shows the data buoys (moored and drifting) that reported in FM18 and BUFR (75%), in FM18 only (2%) and in BUFR only (23%) on the 16th of May 2016 (according to data received at ECMWF). That means that 98% of buoy data are henceforth sent in BUFR. The buoys reporting in FM18 only were mainly Indian moored buoys (DEMS) and Japanese drifting buoys (RJTD). During the coming months, more and more data will be sent in BUFR only (green and pink dots). It must be noted that most of the FM18 data should disappear from the GTS on the 1st of September 2016.
Moored buoys reporting in FM13 and/or in BUFR with ship template (TM308009) does not appear on this map.
Drifting buoy BUFR data - Survey on April 27th, 2016 (Meteo-France & MEDS)
(Data received and processed at Meteo-France and/or MEDS)
Drifting buoy BUFR data - Survey on October 12th, 2014 (Meteo-France)
(Data received and processed at Meteo-France)
| CCCC | Data Prodider | FM94-BUFR | Template | FM18 BUOY only | FM13 SHIP only | Remark |
| CWAO | Joubeh | 3 | Buoy (not validated) | 89 | 0 | BUFR or FM18 |
| KARS | CLS America | 1066 | Buoy (not validated) | 0 | 0 | |
| KWBC | Pacific Gyre | 22 | Buoy (not validated) | 0 | 0 | BUFR only |
| KWNB | NDBC | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| LFPW | Meteo-France | 252 | Buoy (not validated) | 0 | 0 | |
| LFVW | CLS Toulouse | 15 | Buoy (not validated) | 0 | 0 | |
| RJTD | JMA | 6 | Buoy (not validated) | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 1364 | 90 | 1 | 1455 buoys in all |
Observations sent in BUFR are also sent in FM18-BUOY code in parallel, excepted those of KWBC