Short Course on Meteorological Applications of Aircraft Weather Data

1. Short Course on • Meteorological Applications of • Aircraft Weather Data • Future Plans – Opportunities for the Private Sector January 14, 2007 Kevin Johnston and David HelmsNOAA/NWS

2. IUOS and U.S. AMDAR • IUOS Phase I • Future Plans

3. What is IUOS?Mission and Requirements Space • IUOS Mission: Cost-effectively meet existing NOAA upper-air observation requirements; and future validated requirements for: • Improved spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution • New observations of environmental parameters • Data Management and Communications (DMAC) • Upper-air observation requirements space: • Geographical Extent: Global • Vertical Extent: 10 m above surface to Sun • Temporal Range: Warnings to Global Climate Change Prediction • Parameters: Winds, temperature, pressure, moisture, air chemistry, reflectivity, aerosols, biology, ….

4. What is IUOS?Characteristics • IUOS solution characteristics – Future IUOS will be: • Adaptable, extensible, stable, continuous, and quality assured • Cost-effective – avoid unnecessary duplication • Serving multi-purposes - including driving Earth-system models • Consistent with/component of USGEO and GEOSS IUOS Platforms and Sensors • Final Operating Capability: • “Optimal” mix of NOAA and non-NOAA observation platforms including bothin situ and remote sensors based on NOSA Architecture Principles

5. IUOS RequirementsMethodology • Collect and Validate requirements • Surveyed Users • Scientific Literature • “Heritage” Requirements (e.g. FMH-3) • NOAA CORL (Program Input) • Phenomenological Analysis • Establish Requirements Domain • Threshold: Minimum performance operationally useful • Objective: Maximum operationally useful performance 70% of all requirements satisfied with atmospheric soundings collected every 2 hours 70% of all requirements satisfied with atmospheric soundings every 75 km

6. IUOS Missions SupportedCurrent verses Objective Resolution Requirements ▼ Current ▼ Objective Req. ▼ ▼ Reference: Schlatter, et al, 2005: A Phenomenological Approach to the Specification of Observational Requirements

7. IUOS End State Notion ViewAircraft Observations Key to Reaching Resolution Goals Profilers and CAPs………... 185 Rawinsonde…………102 Current andfuture AMDAR……………….100 Total Soundings…… 387 Rawinsonde

8. 13 14 15 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 16 Requirements Phase 1 – Regional In Situ Soundings Analysis PPB Deploy FOC IOC Phase 2 – Integrated Regional Soundings Req’s Analysis PPB Deploy IOC FOC Phase 3 – Integrated Radar Req’s Analysis PPB Deploy FOC IOC IUOS RoadmapPhased Approach

9. IUOS Phase 1: Regional In Situ SoundingsRadiosonde/WV Aircraft Obs • In FY06-07: • Evaluate model response to water-vapor sensor derived data • Evaluate implications of • forecasters using different data source and, • reaction of broader US weather enterprise. • Use evaluation to develop plan for implementation • In FY08-09: Begin phase 1 implementation

10. Phase 1: Adaptive Sounding Strategy Notional Plan • Use alternative sounding from commercial aircraft if WV instrumented aircraft has a scheduled ascent or descent at an airport which is within: • XX miles of radiosonde site • YY minutes of radiosonde valid time • CONOPS: • Lead Meteorologist at closest WFO coordinates sounding strategy • Short (<3 hrs) and long term (6 month) public notices disseminated indicating product availability and associated WMO Heading and circuits • Soundings from aircraft publicly available in near real-time • Alternative sounding strategy limited to: • 1 of 2 sounding launches per radiosonde station (initially) • CONUS Non-GUAN stations • Outcomes: • Cost avoidance from radiosonde expendables • Redundant observations eliminated • Greater % of Data Requirements Achieved

11. Adaptive Sounding Strategy: Weather Enterprise Input • A few questions… • How do you currently use radiosonde observations? • What do you know about atmospheric observations from commercial aircraft? • What transition issues might you have with use of aircraft observations as an alternative to radiosonde observations? • How can NOAA best communication data quality issues associated with aircraft observations? • How does the proposed adaptive sounding strategy timeline impact you? • How can we recruit Weather Enterprise contacts to answer these and other issues associated with the Adaptive Sounding Strategy???

12. Future Directions: Commercial Aircraft Observations • Now: • 25 WVSSII sensors on United Parcel Service B-757 aircraft since March 2005 (NOAA) • 60 TAMDAR sensors on Mesaba Saab 340 Aircraft since December 2004 (NASA) • 1,700 aircraft contributing to the U.S. AMDAR • Next 1-2 Months: • Contract award of NOAA RFP for installation and operation of Water Vapor Data from Commercial Aircraft, negotiations on-going • Phase 1 Implementation: • Data distribution issues need to be worked if data are to be freely distributed • Radiosonde release schedule changes and AMDAR data availability will be coordinated with U.S. Weather Enterprise • End-State Plan: • Calls for 1,600 aircraft collecting water vapor observations • Optimization of vertical profilers from airlines critical to allow for expansion of AMDAR and implementation of NOAA’s IUOS.

13. Questions???