The 2012 Aviation Weather Testbed Summer Experiment: An Evaluation of Next-Generation Numerical Model Guidance and Aviation Forecasting

The Aviation Weather Center in Kansas City, MO hosted its second Aviation Weather Testbed (AWT) Summer Experiment from June 4-15, 2012. The experiment focused on evaluating various high-resolution model output and GOES-R satellite demonstration products in their ability to forecast and identify high-impact atmospheric convection. A key objective of the experiment centered on the testing and refinement of a next generation aviation forecast product, the Aviation Weather Statement (AWS). This experimental aviation forecast product is part of the Federal Aviation Administration's Collaborative Decision Making-Weather Evaluation sub-Team's Operational Bridging demonstration to support traffic flow management and decision support services for the National Airspace System. Participants from the government, academia, and industry worked in teams at dedicated work stations in the AWT to produce the AWS and evaluate the array of experimental high-resolution ensembles and individual models, traffic flow management decision support services, and future GOES-R products. To document the daily activities and perform subjective analyses, teams answered survey questions about the emerging model data sets and air traffic impact tools. A description of each experimental data set and potential air traffic impact tools will be presented, followed by a discussion of the results of the subjective assessments.