Welcome to OSCAR

OSCAR is a resource developed by WMO in support of Earth Observation applications, studies and global coordination.

It contains quantitative user-defined requirements for observation of physical variables in application areas of WMO (i.e. related to weather, water and climate). OSCAR also provides detailed information on all earth observation satellites and instruments, and expert analyses of space-based capabilities.

The tool constitutes a building block of WIGOS and more specifically, the so-called Rolling Requirements Review process. OSCAR targets all users interested in the status and the planning of global observing systems as well as data users looking for instrument specifications at platform level. To continue, please select one of the following modules:

OSCAR overview
OSCAR overview - click to enlarge

Each of the modules can be consulted individually, however, the tool is also designed with the goal to integrate user requirements with actual capabilities. This facilitates the Rolling Requirements Review process, comparing "what is required" with "what is, or will be available", in order to identify gaps and support the planning of integrated global observing systems.

The tool is being further developed, and additional functionality and information will be added as appropriate. Recently several new features were developed for the Gap Analyses functionality. In addtion, a restful API to retrieve observation records in OSCAR/Space and return them as JSON records was developed. This allows users to query the database and retrieve its records in the JSON format. Please see the details in the API documentation.

For support and feedback please use the helpdesk form.

Getting started with OSCAR/Space and OSCAR/Requirements
Getting started with OSCAR/Surface