Evolution of Global Meteorological Information Exchange and Integration

The evolution of the Global Air Transport System requires an Air Traffic Management (ATM) system that delivers the requested services to meet agreed levels of performance. Meteorological information plays a key role in the Air Transport System due to the impacts weather can bring to operations.

Near term changes to the Global Air Transport System and the consequential changes to how Meteorological information will be provided, exchanged, and integrated can be described in high level terms of:

1. ICAO Meteorological Information Exchange Model (IWXXM)
2. Trajectory Based Operations (TBO)
3. System Wide Information Management (SWIM)

The ICAO Annex 3 encourages states with the capability to transmit weather messages in digital format IWXXM to do so in 2016. Annex 3 requires all states to do so by 2018. Currently there are technical, policy, and data exchange model issues and questions which are being decided by international working groups which will have far reaching impact in how weather information will be exchanged and integrated into decision making.

A move from the present ATM model to a trajectory-based management concept is fundamental to increasing the efficiency of flight planning and airspace utilization. By using shared dynamic trajectory information, the ATM system will be able to analyze and accurately predict future situations based on three-dimensional and ultimately four-dimensional parameters. Global improvements in information management are needed in order to integrate the ATM network for a performance-enhancing operational scenario. These improvements are envisioned to be applied on a System Wide Information Management (SWIM) basis. The development of SWIM infrastructure and services should proceed in alignment with a globally-accepted operational concept in terms of the benefits, enablers, features, and principles for integration of Meteorological information with Aeronautical (airports, Navigation aids, etc.) and Flight Information Systems (Flight Plan, aircraft performance, etc.).

This presentation will review the current status of the IWXXM exchange model global implementation, the issues and questions arising from this implementation, and how IWXXM will interact with Flight Information and Aeronautical Information in support of TBO, and via the SWIM environment.