Promotion of Public-Private-Academic Engagementin Meteorological Services

Meteorological Subcommittee, Council of Transport Policy
December 23, 20201

Outline
Introduction
Chapter 1: Changes in social environments and meteorological services(1) Changes in social environments(2) Changes in meteorological services(3) Overseas
Chapter 2: Meteorological service provision by
public-private-academic sector operators(1) Meteorological service ideals(2) Public-private-academic sector relations
Chapter 3: Further promotion of public-private-academic engagement(1) A forum for public-private-academic dialogue: role sharing andenhanced collaboration(2) Exchange and development of human resources: sharing oftechnology and expertise(3) Joint-project promotion via public-private-academic engagement(4) New environments for meteorological information using cloudcomputing technology: data distribution and sharing
Conclusion

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Introduction
Today’s rapid progress in the field of information and communication technology (ICT)
represents the arrival of a data-driven society, and new technologies supporting
meteorological services have emerged as a result. Public need for such services is also
increasing and diversifying against a background of more frequent and extreme disasters,
along with a greater general awareness of disaster risk reduction.
To meet these needs, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and universities/research
institutes conduct meteorological research and technological development as a basis forthe issuance of related information. Private meteorological service providers also makevarious efforts in the field, and the utilization of weather data by other companies is also
advancing. In light of the various changes and trends seen in recent years, theMeteorological Subcommittee under the Council of Transport Policy has engaged in
discussions on the promotion of public-private-academic engagement in meteorologicalservices.
The Sub-Committee’s 2018 proposal, titled Scientific/Technological Application in
Meteorological Service Toward 2030, states that JMA and various other organizations
should contribute to the realization of a safe, resilient and vibrant society in which
individual life and property are protected and people enjoy flexible, active and vibrantlifestyles. To these ends, data from JMA and meteorological service providers should be
utilized on the basis of technological development for improved observation/forecasting
accuracy and the promotion of such information for practical application. JMA assumesa central role in promoting the contribution of meteorological services in the field of
disaster risk reduction. For appropriate response to today’s rapidly changing social
environment and to ever-greater and diversifying public need, it is important to maximize
the positive effects of meteorological services as a whole by mobilizing the collective
efforts of the public-private-academic sector.
The promotion of such efforts requires clarification of the basic roles to be played by the
public and private sectors. The division of these roles was summarized in the 1992 Report
No. 18 of the Meteorological Council (the organization’s previous title), based on which
various entities contribute to meteorological service development. To meet growing
expectations relating to social environment changes, it is necessary to establish publicprivate-academic collaboration with sharing of roles based on related concepts.

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The Sub-Committee has deliberated four times on the relationships to be establishedamong the three sectors in the field of meteorological services, and on measures to betaken by JMA to promote related collaboration. The results were compiled asrecommendations to JMA.

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Chapter 1: Changes in social environments and meteorological services
As per the Meteorological Service Act, meteorological services include observation of
weather events and other phenomena, the collection and publication of related results, theissuance of forecasts, warnings and information, and the performance of research as abasis for such activities. JMA plays a central role in meteorological services, with
universities and research institutes also engaging in research and development. The
results are utilized by JMA and private meteorological service providers1 in supplying awide variety of information for public consumption.
Today’s rapid advances in ICT development underpin the progress of various
socioeconomic activities based on data. There is also increasing public awareness of theneed for disaster risk reduction against an increasing frequency of weather-related disasterconditions. Public-private-academic relationships in various fields are also evolving, withthe government supporting the efforts of the public and academic sectors andmeteorological services changing in response.
This chapter summarizes changes in social environments and meteorological services,
and also provides an overview of overseas developments in public-private-academic
relations for the provision of such services.

(1) Changes in social environments(a) A full-scale data-driven society based on rapid ICT progress
The rapid process of ICT in recent years has supported the development of artificial
intelligence (AI) and IoT technology (which enables interconnection among various
appliances and terminals), as well as enabling efficient collection and application of big
data from sensors and various other sources. The Fifth Science and Technology Basic
Plan (approved by Japan’s Cabinet in 2016) proposes the ideal of a future super-smart
Society 5.0 based on the expansion of ICT usage to various fields. The Basic Act on the
Advancement of Public and Private Sector Data Utilization was enacted in 2016, and the1Companies mainly engaged in the public provision of weather information andmeteorological consultancy services
5Basic Plan for the Advancement of Public and Private Sector Data Utilization wascompiled in 2017 toward a society enriched by data application. Against this background,
the government actively promotes initiatives for the provision of public data, while thepublic and private sectors collaborate on data utilization. These efforts have underpinned
the development of a truly data-utilizing society.
This work has produced numerous examples of contribution to the resolution of social
issues via the use of public data.
(b) Increased disaster frequency and severity
In recent years, heavy rainfalls such as the Heavy Rain Event of July 2018 and the Heavy
Rain Event of July 2020 have caused serious disasters in Japan. Typhoon Faxai (2019),
Typhoon Hagibis (2019) and others have also created extreme conditions, in addition toearthquakes and volcanic disasters including the 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake
and the 2014 Mount Ontake Eruption. Numerical prediction models indicate that thefrequency of heavy rain events and short-duration concentrated downpours will increase
further with global warming, and that tropical cyclones such as typhoons may also
intensify. There are also concerns regarding potential volcanic eruptions and tremors suchas the expected Nankai Trough Mega Earthquake and the Tokyo Inland Earthquake,
which could cause tremendous damage.
Typhoon Hagibis (2019) caused extensive flooding in Shinkansen train depots, factories
and commercial warehouses. The frequency and severity of such disasters has
underpinned a growing awareness of the need to mitigate weather risks in corporate
activities, and the need for weather-related services is therefore expected to increase.
(c) Changes in public-private-academic sector relations
All these sectors have long worked together to fulfill their respective roles and missions.
However, various systemic changes in recent years have created growing momentum forsocial innovation based on the strengths of the private and academic sectors, and therelationships among the three sectors change constantly. A variety of public-privateacademic engagements have also emerged, for example; some public services that have
conventionally been funded by the national government are now supported by privatesector funding and expertise; the government has created new commercial opportunities6

in the private sector; public, private and academic operators collaborate to promote R&D
efforts ranging from basic research to social implementation; the government supporting
overseas development of infrastructure technologies. Against the backdrop of today’s
challenging financial situation, there is also strong demand for more effective
administrative management.

(2) Changes in meteorological services(a) Increased volumes of meteorological information
In recent years, observation and forecasting technologies have become increasingly
sophisticated due to advances in meteorology and ICT. JMA's numerical weather
prediction (NWP) models have become ever-more advanced, with the introduction of
local forecast model featuring a horizontal grid spacing of 2 km (capable of representing
phenomena with horizontal scales of tens of kilometers or more, such as characteristic
cumulonimbus clouds causing torrential rain) and meso-ensemble forecasts (capable ofprobabilistically capturing the potential for extreme weather phenomena such as heavy
rain and storms causing disaster conditions). Various data are provided to support public
wellbeing, including meteorological and oceanographic information as well as yellow
sand, ultraviolet and solar radiation data.
The volume of meteorological information made public by JMA via the Japan
Meteorological Business Support Center (JMBSC) under the Meteorological Service Act
grew from around 2.8 GB per day in 2006 to about 178 GB per day in 2019, representing
a 60-fold increase.
In the wake of the Heavy Rain Event of July 2020 and other extreme phenomena, there
is a need for greater forecast accuracy with stationary linear mesoscale convective
systems. Forecasts with greater detail and more sophisticated probability information will
also be required in the future. Weather information is expected to become increasingly
diverse and voluminous to meet such demand.
(b) New technologies applicable to meteorological services
As detailed above, efforts are being made to apply advancing AI and IoT technologies to7

meet today’s increasing and diversifying need for meteorological services.
To improve observation and forecast accuracy, JMA conducts joint research on AI
technology application in collaboration with the Institute of Physical and Chemical
Research (RIKEN). Efforts are also made toward improved guidance technology tocorrect NWP model calculations using statistical methods, and toward quality control
technology for observation data. Private-sector operators 2 also work to develop
technologies for weather forecasting and rainfall prediction using AI technology, and IoT
sensors are now used to observe actual weather conditions at points where monitoring
was previously impractical.
Efforts are thus made to utilize the results of non-meteorological technologicaldevelopment in meteorological services. Future upgrades of such services are expectedfrom the outcomes of this work.
(c) Improvement of meteorological information for disaster mitigation andenhancement of related response/support from JMA
In response to today’s greater disaster frequency and extremity, JMA works to improvemeteorological information for mitigation measures utilizing the latest technology tosupport national and local government bodies and the public. As per the recommendationsof Science/Technological Application in Meteorological Service Toward 2030 (a reportfrom the Meteorological Subcommittee under the Council of Transport Policy), there is aneed to improve the accuracy of prediction for stationary linear mesoscale convective
systems and typhoon paths, and to provide information on the spread of seismic tremors
and temporal trends of tsunamis. In response to concerns over increasing weather risks
and potential earthquakes and volcanic disasters, JMA has a duty to focus on further
upgrading of meteorological information for disaster mitigation to protect life andproperty.
The proposal also highlights a need to raise public awareness of disaster mitigation
measures in direct relation to life and property in Japan, and specifies that JMA should

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The companies referenced here include meteorological service providers, meteorologicalobservation equipment manufacturers, IT-related businesses and operators utilizing
meteorological information from JMA and other private meteorological service providers.
8play a central role in contributing to meteorological services based on its status as anational agency. It is important to establish and develop direct relations between local
disaster management agencies and JMA local field offices, and to promote efforts fordisaster management and support, such as work by the JMA Emergency Task Team(JETT). This is expected to enable the accurate use of sophisticated meteorologicalinformation for disaster management.
(d) Promotion of meteorological information usage in the private sector
Since 1995, when parties other than JMA were first allowed to produce weather/wave
forecasts for the general public, the scope of authorization has been gradually expanded
to include seismic and volcanic phenomena, tsunamis and storm surges in accordancewith technological progress. The creativity and ingenuity of private meteorologicalservice providers have greatly enhanced the types and quality of meteorological services
provided to the public in Japan.
The advent of a full-scale data-driven society has been accompanied by improved
observation/forecast accuracy and efforts to promote public/private-sector usage of
weather information via the Weather Business Consortium (WXBC) and otherorganizations. As a result, meteorological information is now used in the conventional
fields of electricity, transportation and agriculture, as well as in a variety of other fields
such as logistics and retail. Such information is often used in combination with other data
related to commercial operations and utilized for related decision making.
Accordingly, the private sector is expected to take on a greater role in response toincreasing and diversifying needs for meteorological services, and to provide
meteorological services that are more tailored to user demand. It is therefore essential thatpublic-private-academic sector operators share related roles, and that meteorologicalservice providers work together to ensure that meteorological information is used as partof society’s soft infrastructure.

(3) Overseas
The work conducted by the private sector in meteorological services has become
indispensable worldwide in recent years. This is exemplified in Europe, the United Statesand elsewhere by well-financed private-sector implementation of meteorological9observation work that used to be conducted under national programs. In the United States,
the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and private clouddata providers have partnered up, and efforts are being made to provide users with large
amounts of data utilizing cloud service providers' infrastructure. The various examples ofpublic-private-academic engagement seen include efforts to further improve forecast
accuracy using private observation facilities.
With the rapidly growing role of the private sector in meteorological services, the World
Meteorological Organization (WMO) published the WMO Policy Framework on PublicPrivate Engagement in 2018, with a 2020 revision to create the Guidelines for PublicPrivate Engagement. Under the latter, the public sector is tasked with undertaking longterm projects and investment in core infrastructure, while the private sector is responsible
for leveraging the latest technologies and engaging in dynamic investment to meetparticular consumer needs. In public-private-academic engagement, it is important toensure shared values and create win-win situations. Specifically, this is achieved via
public sector utilization of private sector expertise, promotion of technology and data
sharing, acceleration for public implementation of R&D results, and investment in humanresource development. The report also suggests that public-private-academic sector
operators should pursue opportunities for inter-collaboration to improve efficiency,
realize better services and ensure sustainability in meteorological data provision, whileembracing synergies and minimizing redundancy.
The importance of public-private-academic engagement in public contribution via
meteorological services is recognized worldwide, and related efforts made to date provide
examples for the development of meteorological services. This can be achieved inconsideration of social environment changes by building relationships in which publicprivate-academic sector operators share values and synergies based on their respective
strengths.

10Chapter 2: Meteorological service provision by public-private-academic
sector operators
As per Chapter 1, social environments have changed drastically in recent years, andmeteorological services have developed in response. In this context, such services should
contribute to the realization of a safe, resilient and vibrant society in which individual lifeand property are protected and people enjoy flexible, active and vibrant lifestyles assuggested in the Science/Technological Application in Meteorological Service Toward2030 recommendation of the Meteorological Subcommittee under the Council ofTransport Policy. Appropriate response to increasing and diversifying needs formeteorological services requires all parties involved in meteorological services (including
the public-private-academic sector) to understand the issues at hand in society, the goals
and directions that meteorological service providers should pursue. It is also important tostrengthen cooperation by sharing meteorological information, data, technology andexpertise, and to build relationships that support the mobilization of human resources,
funding and other resources for a collaborative response.
This chapter outlines ideals for meteorological service provision by public-privateacademic sector operators.

(1) Meteorological service ideals
Ideals for meteorological services are outlined in the Meteorological Subcommittee report
titled Scientific/Technological Application in Meteorological Service Toward 2030. The
publication proposes specific goals based on technological innovation with ongoingincorporation of the latest research results. This approach is intended to ensure thatobservation and forecasting technologies are constantly improved, and that
meteorological information can be used in various aspects of everyday life as an
indispensable part of soft infrastructure and public property. This is expected to contributeto the realization of a safe, resilient and vibrant society.
The role played by academia in scientific and technological development is indispensable
in improving the accuracy of observations and forecasts. The private sector, with whichdata users may be more familiar, is also important in promoting the utilization of
meteorological information. The development of meteorological services requires

11enhanced collaboration among public-private-academic sector operators.

(2) Public-private-academic sector relations
For appropriate response to today’s rapidly changing social environment and to evergreater and diversifying public needs, discussions have been held to maximize thepositive effects of meteorological services as a whole by mobilizing the collective effortsof the public-private-academic sector. This section covers analysis of public-privateacademic associations in relation to changes in meteorological services, including how
engagement of the relevant parties in such services should be developed to build win-win
relationships and respond to changes via mutual efforts.
JMA plays a central role in the implementation of meteorological services along withprivate providers, universities and research institutes in related fields. Recent years in theprivate sector have seen meteorological service providers joined by private operators
engaging in various activities utilizing meteorological information in the form of big data.
The academic sector has recently seen enhanced activity in research on the application of
cutting-edge AI technology, as well as in fields closely related to weather and climaticconditions. The number of organizations involved in meteorological services in national
and local government bodies is growing in response to the expansion of meteorologicalservices addressing areas such as disaster mitigation, global warming, and fields affectedby weather and climate conditions.
The resolution of social problems in the expanding field of meteorological services
requires collaboration with private providers, universities and research institutes inrelated fields, as well as with parties involved in ICT and other cutting-edge technologies,
end users of meteorological information, and national and local government agencies
related to meteorology.
Paramount importance is placed on the roles of overseeing and coordinating
meteorological services to promote collaboration among public-private-academic sector
operators while leveraging their respective strengths. JMA plays a major role in thisregard as a key figure in meteorological services in Japan. In addition to its core role ofproviding and upgrading disaster-mitigation meteorological information and promoting
disaster preparedness and support in cooperation with local governments and related

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organizations, the Agency also contributes to socioeconomic activity ensuring that theefforts of the public-private-academic sector are effectively implemented, and fulfills its
function to optimize meteorological services provided by various entities. JMA is also
tasked with the steady promotion of development in meteorological observation and NWP
modeling, as well as the maintenance of a platform for the sharing of meteorologicalinformation, data, technology and expertise. This is expected to serve as a basis formeteorological services provided by various entities in all three sectors.
Promoting public-private-academic sector collaboration requires a clear division of roles
between the public and private sectors in meteorological services as outlined in the 1992
Report No. 18 of the previously named Meteorological Council. The report highlights
JMA’s responsibility for issuing warnings and other disaster mitigation-related
meteorological information to protect life and property, and for issuing weather forecasts
and other essential information for public consumption. JMA is also tasked with
providing basics such as numerical forecasting data referenced in the provision of suchinformation to support private meteorological services, which are expected to provide avariety of value-added meteorological applications fulfilling demand for advanced
information technology. Accordingly, such providers represent an important contact withthe public. This division of roles remains effective, and JMA must realize effective
administrative management in the field of public-private-academic engagement for future
promotion.
Previous meteorological services have involved an overall duplication of meteorologicalservice efforts by the public-private-academic sector, and related work has not necessarily
been effective. One of the backgrounds of this issue is social issues, goals and directions
to be pursued for services as a whole, and JMA technologies and expertise were not shared
among stakeholders. To address this situation and realize the ideal vision of
meteorological services, related parties must engage in ongoing dialogue, share
information closely, work to enhance mutual understanding, and optimize the use ofvaluable resources (such as technology, expertise, human resources and funding) to meet
public needs.

13Chapter 3: Further promotion of public-private-academic engagement
Societal changes and corresponding developments in meteorological services in Japansuggest a need for enhanced public-private-academic sector collaboration, as well as
collective efforts toward an ideal state for such services.
Despite public-private-academic collaboration on such services, some disparity isobserved in relation to information on public needs to be addressed and goals/directions
to be pursued. Meteorological services as a whole have also not been promoted effectively.
As the scope of such services expands, it is necessary to promote public-private-academic
sector collaboration in areas including cutting-edge technologies such as ICT and amongusers of various meteorological information types.
This chapter describes related measures to be taken by JMA in the promotion of publicprivate-academic engagement toward positive synergies in meteorological service work
such as observation, forecasting, technological development and promotion of utilization,
as well efficient application of resources.

(1) A forum for public-private-academic dialogue: role sharing andenhanced collaboration
Public-private-academic sector operators involved in meteorological services in Japan
collaborate on service development. Future enhancement of this work depends onongoing and improved dialogue among the parties involved, close sharing of information,enhanced inter-awareness and discussions on problem resolution. Such development as awhole requires the establishment of a forum for ongoing interaction among related parties
toward optimization of technology, expertise, human resources, funding and otherresources to meet public needs.
Against this background, the establishment of the provisionally named Council for the
Promotion of Public-Private-Academic Engagement in Meteorological Services (“theCollaborative Council”) creates a wide-ranging discussion forum for issue resolution by
parties involved in meteorological service provision.
The first step in such dialogue involves ensuring that the parties concerned understand14

specific plans for improving JMA meteorological information intended for disastermitigation, development of related technologies, provision of meteorological information
produced, and system equipment maintenance. This is expected to facilitate private andacademic sector operators planning the development of meteorological services andformulating research plans for public implementation, as well as efficient use of resources.
The initiative will also help JMA to consider the status and opinions of private andacademic sector initiatives in the development and improvement of its own plans. In thisway, JMA and public-private-academic sector parties involved in meteorological services
will be able to share expertise gained from their efforts. The resulting clarification of an
ideal road map for meteorological service provision as a whole will support publicprivate-academic sector operators in the field toward efficiency and expansion for evengreater public contribution.
Specific themes to be considered in dialogue should be supported by a subcommittee ofrelated parties toward policy formulation and issue resolution. Such themes may include
exchange and development of human resources, promotion of joint public-privateacademic projects, establishment of environments for sharing of essential meteorologicalinformation, and systems for the implementation of meteorological services. Themesetting should also be based on versatile understanding of societal changes.
Due to the expansion of meteorological services, a greater number of related publicprivate-academic operators, and a larger body of service providers stemming frommeteorological information availability, there is a need for a mechanism enabling
interaction between end users of such information and the Collaborative Council.
The establishment and operation of the Council requires clear guidelines on its purpose
and roles in relation to existing forums for interaction among parties involved inmeteorological services, including those in the private and academic sectors, to ensure
effective collaboration overall. Council activities also need to be transparent to support
public understanding, and a forum where related parties can engage in discussions isneeded. It is important for public-private-academic sector operators to discuss mattersregularly so that issues can be resolved promptly and the results of research in various
fields at universities and research institutes can be utilized in meteorological services.

(2) Exchange and development of human resources: sharing of15

technology and expertise
The optimization of public contribution from meteorological services requires sharing in
relation to public-private-academic sector needs. This includes openness regarding JMA
technology and expertise associated with observation and forecasting in the private andacademic sectors, and promotion for application of results from cutting-edge research
conducted by universities and research institutes associated with the operations of JMA
and private companies.
The effective promotion of such activities requires human resource mobility via
exchanges among JMA and public-private-academic sector operators. JMA’s limited
engagement in previous exchanges involving the public and private sectors suggests aneed for more active engagement to promote cutting-edge expertise from its operations
and to share technology and know-how. The interpersonal networks developed throughthese exchanges are expected to widely support collaboration in meteorological service
provision.
Joint efforts in human resource development should be made by public-private-academic
sector operators. The technologies and expertise required in meteorological service
provision are common to all such operators, who should collaborate to develop humanresources via joint implementation of previously independent training programs. This will
support more efficient staff development and fostering of interpersonal networks inmeteorological services.
Given today’s decline in the working-age demographic, public-private-academic sector
operators involved in meteorological services must make effective use of related humanresources via enhancement of internship systems and efforts to increase interest in suchservices among the younger generation. It is also important to create opportunities forcertified weather forecasters in Japan, who represent valuable human resources in themeteorological service community. To broaden the scope of meteorological datautilization and promote more effective application, there is also a need to promote
expertise in combining and analyzing meteorological information with other types ofbusiness-related data and utilizing the results for commercial decision-making. WXBC
efforts to train meteorological data analysts for such utilization need to be bolstered byrelated public-private-academic sector collaboration.

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(3) Joint-project promotion via public-private-academic engagement
Public-private-academic sector entities involved in meteorological services have
conventionally operated independently. JMA has generally conducted observation, issued
forecasts and warnings, and developed technologies for related activities under its own
initiative, while private meteorological service providers have generally catered to userneeds based on JMA data. In recent years, however, private meteorological service
providers have greatly enhanced their output, and the number of such operators withaccess to a wide variety of technologies and expertise has increased. This has created anenvironment in which JMA and private providers can engage in joint development. Publicdemand for meteorological services is also increasing and diversifying, and related data
are increasingly utilized in various ways. Collaboration between the national government(tasked with disaster mitigation and public service) and the private sector (providing
meteorological services to meet a range of needs) will enable more diverse contribution
to society.
In the academic field too, potential for collaboration has emerged not only in the field of
meteorology but also in a wider range of academic fields, including ICT and other areas
significantly affected by weather and climate conditions.
Accordingly, public-private-academic engagement is considered capable of producing
unprecedented results by maximizing the use of individual parties’ resources (e.g.,technology, expertise, staff and funding) and by promoting joint projects with a common
objective.
In collaboration with private operators, a push-type service is being developed to notify
the public of increased risk from disaster conditions such as flooding and landslides. In
the seismic and volcanic categories, observation networks are being developed incooperation with universities and research institutes. The government is expected toenhance its observation system by integrating related data from public-private-academic
sector operators, utilize the results of cutting-edge research in areas such as AI conductedby universities and research institutes in meteorological services, and develop newmarkets via joint development of meteorological forecasting models and guidancetechnologies. Overseas development based on packaging of public and private projects is
also keenly anticipated.

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Joint-project promotion depends on discussion of specific details, including the selectionof initiatives to be implemented, the division of roles/financial burdens in project iteration,and the handling of intellectual property rights. Such discussion needs to be conducted
via the Collaborative Council based on the requirements and policies of individual entities.

(4) New environments for meteorological information using cloudcomputing technology: data distribution and sharing
Meteorological information forms the basis of weather services and socio-economic
activities engaged in by various entities, thereby representing an important element ofsoft infrastructure. Basic data (such as observation results and numerical forecasts
produced by JMA for its public services) are currently provided in accordance with theMeteorological Service Act to the Japan Meteorological Business Support Center(JMBSC), which makes the information widely available to the public for various
purposes. However, the variety and volume of data available has increased dramaticallyin recent years, and the efficiency of conventional distribution channels is diminishing.
The provision of such information as part of soft infrastructure and the promotion ofrelated utilization requires a change in perception regarding distribution and sharing, as
data volumes will only continue to increase. This also applies to public data, including
the significant body of information in JMA’s archives.
Meanwhile, the progress of ICT has brought great advances in cloud technology, which
is now used to archive and share large amounts of data efficiently. Private and academic
sector operators involved in meteorological services often store large volumes of data inthe cloud. In the United States (Chapter 1 (c)), efforts are being made to share large
amounts of meteorological data via the infrastructure of cloud-data providers for related
operations.
JMA should also establish an environment for the sharing of today’s burgeoning amountsof meteorological information using cloud computing technology with carefulconsideration of related security. This will enable efficient sharing without the need forindividual agencies to have their own data, and will also promote research andtechnological development in the private and academic sectors by expanding the range of
meteorological information available. Such sharing is also expected to lead to new18

meteorological services as well as supporting related joint research, technologicaldevelopment and meteorological service advancement. Expanded use of cloud computing
for data storage by related organizations will help to promote collaboration in associatedusage.
It is therefore important to establish an environment for meteorological information
sharing to leverage public-private-academic sector strengths in resolving social issues,
with related costs borne to a reasonable extent by users. As such an environment will
benefit all three sectors, it is necessary to leverage opportunities provided by cooperative
councils to discuss specific systems, operational policies (such as maintenance services,sharing of past data, use of JMA programs in a cloud environment, setting the fee for suchuse), and those related to intellectual property rights and secondary use, in fullconsultation with relevant parties.

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Conclusion
The frequency and severity of disasters observed in recent years has raised publicawareness of the need for disaster mitigation efforts, thereby creating unprecedented
demand for improved prediction accuracy. In the post-coronavirus era, digitalization willlead to further progress in a data-driven society, and the need for meteorological services
will increase.
In FY 2020, JMA reorganized and established the position of Deputy Director-Generalfor Disaster Mitigation to handle advanced coordination of meteorological disastermitigation operations. The Information Infrastructure Department, which is responsible
for JMA services relating to NWP and meteorological satellite observation (the basis ofmeteorological information) was also established, along with support for widespread
public utilization of meteorological data. As part of efforts to forge ahead with intersectoral collaboration, the Commission for the Promotion of Public-Private-Academic
Engagement was formed within JMA, and a system was established to support interaction
among public-private-academic sector entities involved in meteorological services.
In light of changes in the related environment and meteorological services, the new
structure is expected to support JMA’s establishment of relationships with public-privateacademic sector operators under the measures outlined in this proposal. The Agency will
also promote the realization of a safe, strong and vibrant society in which individual lifeand property are protected and people lead flexible, active and vibrant lifestyles as
specified in the Scientific/Technological Application in Meteorological Service Toward2030 report.

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