Improving Cloud Depiction to Serve Aviation and Drive a Common Operating Picture through Digital Aviation Services and the Graphical Forecasts for Aviation.

Representing clouds in a 3-D format is now possible thanks to several Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models providing fractional cloud coverage on native vertical levels throughout the atmosphere. Using this information to derive a more accurate, multi-layered representation of cloud cover for aviation purposes is an overarching goal for developers at the Aviation Weather Testbed (AWT). The location of clouds and the amount of coverage is crucial for users throughout the aviation community for decision making purposes. In addition, having a graphical representation of cloud bases, tops, and coverage available in aviation forecast grids is vital in creating a common operating picture across the National Weather Service (NWS) from the national, regional, to the local level.

AWT developers have developed an algorithm to intelligently depict clouds throughout the atmosphere by deriving layers that can fit into the Digital Aviation Services (DAS) paradigm, and act as a first guess for meteorologist-in-the-loop forecast production. The updated algorithm produces three cloud grid layers for use in DAS; Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary cloud bases and sky cover. These layers of clouds are the necessary inputs to produce a first-guess Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF). These resultant cloud layers are then used to depict cloud top, bottom, and coverage in the Graphical Forecasts for Aviation (GFA) product, creating a consistent representation of clouds from the nation level to the local level. The GFA tool provides graphical depictions of aviation hazards for official flight briefings for general aviation (GA) pilots and includes official aviation products like the TAF and Graphical AIRMET. A description of the cloud algorithm, as well as the resultant enhancements for both DAS and the GFA will be presented.