Aviation R2O Work at EMC

EMC has been collaborating with NCAR to transition their research in flight icing and turbulence algorithms into NCEP Operations. Since 2011. EMC’s strategy to transition research aviation algorithms is to incorporate these algorithms into its Unified Post Processor (UPP) which supports eight operational models. The advantages to use UPP as an aviation R2O tool include: 1) potential to apply to all eight supported models for any aviation algorithm added to UPP, 2) using highest resolution grid, 3) delivering aviation products faster using existing MPI framework.

EMC has made good process transitioning NCAR’s aviation algorithms into operations which resulted in significant improvement in Global Aviation forecast. NCAR’s in flight icing forecast algorithms were implemented in 2015 to replace then operational Global WASF icing Forecast product. NCAR’s turbulence product was implemented with 2017 GFS upgrade but not distributed. The plan is to coordinate with UK Met office to replace both US and UK WAFS turbulence forecast product with NCAR’s turbulence algorithm in 2019. In 2017, FAA started working with EMC to also use UPP as an aviation R2O tool to transition CONUS RAP and HRRR based in flight icing and turbulence forecast products.

This paper will describe methodology EMC used to transition NCAR’s aviation algorithms into NCEP operations to improve both global and CONUS aviation products. It will also show validation results through case studies and comparison of objective verifications. Finally, recent progress and future plan will be described.