Program management for the Collaborative Convective Forecast Product (CCFP)

The Collaborative Convective Forecast Product (CCFP) is a 2-6 hour forecast of convection, developed specifically for use in the strategic planning and management of the nation’s air traffic. It is produced in a collaborative manner by the Aviation Weather Center (AWC), Meteorological Services of Canada (MSC), the Center Weather Service Units (CWSUs) and several airline meteorology departments. Effective traffic management decisions based on the CCFP are critical to reducing air space loading and in-flight delays. Thus, the CCFP is vital to improving efficiency and maintaining safety, while minimizing the cost of operations for the users. The CCFP originated in 1998 from the efforts of the AWC, the Minneapolis CWSU, and Northwest Airlines and was developed with in-house resources, the concept of rapid prototyping, and a strategy of attraction. Subsequently, the CCFP has matured into the cornerstone convective weather product used by the FAA and aviation industry partners to guide the management of air traffic on a national system-wide approach. CCFP is an explicit part of the FAA's performance goals and plans for Operational Evolution. Both the FAA and the National Weather Service (NWS) now dedicate substantial annual resources for CCFP production and enhancements. In addition to the forecast, CCFP supporting projects are Training, Verification and Assessment, and Evaluation and Feedback. The project development of the CCFP is reviewed, along with an overview of current participation in CCFP production, and plans for further development of collaborative forecasting and its application to traffic flow management.