Demonstration on the usability of the 1999 Terminal Convective Weather Forecast (TCWF) product for Air Traffic Control managers

The Terminal Convective Weather Forecast (TCWF) Product, developed by MIT/Lincoln Labs Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Weather Research Program (AWRP) sponsorship, provides a 30- and 60-minute graphical forecast of convective weather for the terminal area. The FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center Communication/Navigation/Surveillance Engineering and Test Division, Weather Branch (ACT-320) has conducted usability studies of the product in Air Traffic Control (ATC) traffic management environments during the 1998 and 1999 convective seasons. Results from the 1998 demonstration indicated the product was useful for a number of task areas. Some of the requested display modifications and improvements to the forecast algorithm were incorporated into the 1999 version of the TCWF. This version was demonstrated throughout the early summer to early fall of 1999 at the Dallas Ft. Worth International Airport Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON); Dallas/Ft. Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC); Orlando International Airport TRACON; and the Jacksonville, FL ARTCC. Based on questionnaire and interview data, results indicated the geographical location of the product (Dallas vs. Jacksonville and Orlando) contributed to the perception of its usability and overall effectiveness. This may be a function of the different weather phenomena encountered at each site. Additionally, issues with the forecast accuracy scoring function may have had some effect on perceptions of the product's usability.