Aviation Weather: Opportunities for Implementation

1
Aviation Weather Opportunities for Implementation
Panel 2 - Product Dissemination Moderator Mr.
David Whatley, Program Director, Aviation
Weather, Federal Aviation Administration Rapporteu
r Lt Col (S) Kim Waldron, Chief, Strategic
Operations Plans, Directorate of Weather, HQ
USAF Rapporteur Mr. Robert Dumont, Senior Staff
Meteorologist, Office of the Federal Coordinator
for Meteorology
2
Product Dissemination

• Summarization topics
• WSR-88D Data Dissemination
• FAA Initiatives
• Weather in the Cockpit

3
Product Dissemination(2)

• WSR-88D Data Dissemination
• NEXRAD Information Dissemination Service (NIDS)
  agreements expire 31 Dec 00
• Replaced with Radar Product Central
  Collection/Distribution System (RPCCDS) and
  NOAAPORT
• Central radar server will multicast products
  products also available from FTP server
• 30-day operational demo planned for Sep 00

4
Product Dissemination(3)

• FAA Initiatives
• Improve ground-to-ground dissemination
• Improve FIS data link
• Ongoing Supporting Activities
• Internet policy
• Would result in three classes of
  vendors--Qualified Internet Providers who are
  also Approved Sources Qualified Internet
  Providers only and neither
• Only first category will be permitted to
  disseminate wx via internet for citation in Ops
  Specifications

5
Product Dissemination(4)

• Data access by industry to FAA systems
• ITWS data most sought after but not readily
  available
• Next step ATA-sponsored workshop in a few weeks
• FIS Data Link
• FAA plans to make data and VHF spectrum
  available vendors and users must provide
  infrastructure
• RTCA developing FIS data link standards

6
Product Dissemination(5)

• Weather in the Cockpit- A Common Thread
• Many technical and operational details need to be
  addressed
• NASA is defining requirements for AWIN (Aviation
  Weather Information Network)
• NASA/FAA Working Groups are collaborating to fill
  technology gaps

7
Product Dissemination(6)

• Operationally, need to determine what information
  is needed and how to display information to add
  value and not distract pilot
• Limiting factors
• Cost (dollars)
• Bandwidth
• Spectrum allocation

8
Product Dissemination(7)

• Bandwidth is also an issue for dissemination from
  centers to forecast offices--both civil and
  military
• Solutions include NOAAPORT (civil) and VSAT (Air
  Force)
• Icing and turbulence also present both detection
  and dissemination challenges--Phenomena are very
  granular and latency is an issue