The International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC) announces the official accreditation of the International Soil Moisture Network (ISMN) as a GCOS Affiliated Network within the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).
The accreditation represents an important milestone not only for ISMN, but also for ICWRGC’s broader mission to strengthen global hydrological and climate data cooperation. As one of the international data centres hosted at ICWRGC and the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG), ISMN plays a key role in improving access to harmonised in situ soil moisture observations worldwide, which is a critical component for understanding climate variability, drought development, land–atmosphere interactions, and water cycle dynamics.
GCOS, co-sponsored by World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), UNEP and the International Science Council (ISC), coordinates global observing systems that support climate monitoring and climate services. GCOS accreditation is granted to networks that demonstrate high standards in data quality, transparency, long-term operational stability, and open data accessibility.
ICWRGC supports the implementation of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP) and the Hydrology and Water Resources Programme (HWRP) of WMO. Through its global partnerships and data infrastructures, the Centre contributes to reducing critical observation and information gaps that continue to challenge climate research, risk assessment, and sustainable water management worldwide. The recognition of ISMN further highlights the strategic role of ICWRGC as an international hub for water and climate data integration.
The accreditation also reflects the growing importance of institutional cooperation between international organizations, operational agencies, and scientific expert groups. ICWRGC works closely with WMO, UNESCO, GCOS and several global observing initiatives to advance interoperable hydrological data systems and strengthen international observation capacities. In addition to ISMN, ICWRGC supports and hosts several globally relevant data and coordination activities, including contributions to the Global Terrestrial Network – Hydrology (GTN-H) and other international water information systems.
By integrating long-term observational records with open-access data services, ISMN contributes directly to one of UNESCO’s central priorities: enabling knowledge-based responses to global environmental change through international scientific collaboration and accessible data infrastructures. The GCOS accreditation therefore reinforces both ISMN’s scientific relevance and ICWRGC’s continuing commitment to supporting reliable global climate and hydrological observations for the benefit of science, policy, and society.
