This document, prepared by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in collaboration with WMO, summarizes existing scientific studies on the impact of observations in forecast skill.
It concludes that surface-based observations significantly impact forecast accuracy and that there is substantial evidence that investing in additional surface-based observations is highly beneficial.
It further concludes that more scientific studies on the impact of surface-based observations are required to effectively guide SOFF investment priority decisions. It proposes scenarios for SOFF-tailored further research and experiments to fill existing knowledge gaps.