The GOES-R Proving Ground 2013 Summer Experiment at the Aviation Weather Center

The 2013 Summer Experiment at NOAA's Aviation Weather Center (AWC) is a testbed environment in which to evaluate and explore experimental products in the forecasting of summertime aviation hazards. As in the past, the GOES-R Proving Ground played an important role in the demonstration, using the pre-operational setting to expose forecasters to the capabilities of the next generation GOES satellites in aviation forecasting, particularly for convective activity.

This year's two-week experiment was built around the structure of AWC operations, using a mock set-up of the forecasting desks found out on the operations floor, both domestic and global, as well a Situational Awareness desk. The latter desk was the central location for the GOES-R Proving Ground evaluation, where participants were able to use the various satellite and lightning datasets in an attempt to forecast for potential impacts to major flight routes and terminals due to convective activity. Collaboration with the other desks also allowed for the exploration of each dataset in the issuance of various AWC products such as the Aviation Weather Statement (AWS), the Collaborative Convective Forecast Product (CCFP), and others. The following presentation will outline the day-to-day logistics of the experiment, the products evaluated, and a summary of the forecaster feedback as noted through various weather events.