This document presents a summary prepared for the SOFF Steering Committee of the results of the second phase of SOFF impact studies. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in coordination with WMO and the SOFF Secretariat designed and ran eight tailored scenarios simulating the impact of expanding the number of reporting Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) stations.
The ECMWF SOFF experiments provide the strongest scientific evidence to date that targeted investments in GBON infrastructure in under-observed regions dramatically boost forecast accuracy—both locally and globally, providing a clear case for scaled-up SOFF investments.
The full scientific report will be prepared by ECMWF and finalized in 2025.
