FAA NextGen Weather Systems

Aviation is an important, large sector of today's society that supports growth in the US economy. NextGen Weather is a tri-agency partnership between the FAA, NOAA and NASA, dedicated to meeting critical aviation weather needs. The FAA's NextGen Weather Systems, consisting of the NextGen Weather Processor and Common Support Services for Weather, were recently approved for final investment decision. These systems represent the consolidation and significant improvement in weather processing within the agency, designed to meet operational user needs to ensure safe, efficient air transportation for the general public. They also represent a complete modernization of weather data communications within the National Airspace System. In April, 2015 contracts were signed with Raytheon to build the NextGen Weather Processor and its Aviation Weather Display and with Harris Corporation to build the Common Support Services for Weather.

In this talk, an overview of the new FAA NextGen Weather Systems architecture and capabilities will be provided. Details of the new and improved NextGen weather products will be shared, including the expanded coverage domain, rapid update radar mosaics, 0-8 hour predictive products and operationally-oriented confidence metrics, and translation products. The timeline for development will be shared, and mechanisms for early NextGen Weather product access for aviation interests within the meteorological community will be discussed.