NWS provision of aviation weather information via the FAA QICP-certified Consolidated Aviation Web Services (CAWS) system

In 2002 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued Advisory Circular 00-62, recommending that all aviation weather data providers that provide data over the Public Internet become a Qualified Internet Communications Provider (QICP). The Aviation Weather Center answered the FAA's call by creating a highly robust multiple web farm system called the Consolidated Aviation Web Services (CAWS). This paper will cover the history of Internet-based delivery of products at the Aviation Weather Center from inception through the transition to becoming a QICP. The major components of CAWS will be described, including the Aviation Digital Data Service (ADDS), International Flight Folder Documentation Program (IFFDP), and the World Area Forecast System (WAFS) Internet File Service (WIFS). The paper will also address the role played by the Aviation Weather Testbed in CAWS. Finally, emerging requirements and new technologies will be presented including how CAWS can play a role in the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).