The Canadian Meteorological Aviation Centre (CMAC) has prototyped two new aviation weather products for evaluation by the various members of the Canadian Air Navigation System (ANS).

The first product, called 'TAFPlus', is an enhanced version of the regulatory 'TAF' (aerodrome forecast). TAFPlus adds a site-specific forecaster discussion as well as a simplified NWP-based meteogram. TAFPlus has been issued regularly for Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montréal and Yellowknife since February 01, 2007. NAV CANADA, the Canadian civil air navigation services provider, is currently evaluating the potential of this web-distributed product. The goal of TAFPlus is to provide enhanced aviation weather information to ANS users to enable more effective decision making than that possible by using the TAF alone.

The second product, which is currently in beta testing, is called 'V-CMAC' (Virtual CMAC). The V-CMAC software is a hybrid of an integrated weather display and a contextual multi-user communication mechanism. Various users, such as major airline dispatchers, NAV CANADA Air Traffic Control and Flight Information Centres, are able to view real-time weather information (satellite imagery, surface observations, aerodrome forecasts, aviation warnings) on an integrated platform; they are also able to conduct conversations (“one on one” or “one to many”) with other Canadian ANS on-line users of this system. V-CMAC provides a virtual environment intended to help counter the physical barriers which separate the various users of the ANS. The goal of V-CMAC is to provide the ANS users with enhanced communication and common situational awareness.

Both products will be demonstrated and discussed.