Background
The overall operational mission governing Air Traffic's (AT) role in the National Airspace System (NAS) is to move air traffic in a safe and efficient manner. As currently documented the Traffic Management System (TMS) supports the air traffic control mission of efficient movement of aircraft by providing disciplined traffic flow. On a daily operational level, this is satisfied with collaborative decision making between Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACONs), selected towers, and the Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC). Demand is balanced with system capacity to ensure maximum efficiency within the NAS. Weather, and the availability of applicable weather information, can play a key role in the decision making process.
Discussion
Within the FAA's Air Traffic Services organization new collaborative efforts are underway in addressing aviation weather issues and setting of requirements for aviation weather products and services. To this end, the Aviation Weather Policy Division (ARW-100) and CygnaCom Solutions, Inc. developed a decision-based weather needs identification process to determine weather needs. It is felt that this process improves the way the FAA has developed weather needs which were previously driven by technology, science, and availability of weather products. These constraints tended to "change" the needs every few years as technology or science improved. A description of the process and how it was used to derive center TMU weather needs will be presented in this paper.
While only the center TMU mission was addressed, their particular derived weather needs and the weather product requirements (to be determined) which can satisfy them may be applicable as decision making tools across the entire aviation community. Access by Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCS), ATCSCC Specialists, En Route Flight Advisory Service (EFAS) Specialists in Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS), and Industry to the types of forecast products required by the center TMU will serve two purposes: (1) These products will offer an aviation tailored source of weather information (applicability to more than just the center TMU for planning purposes), and (2) They will enable various decision makers to utilize the same information (consistency).
Currently, ARW is coordinating with the sponsor of the center TMU weather need study (ATO) to embrace this decision-based process. Upon sponsor acceptance further coordination is planned with other FAA organizations within the Air Traffic System Requirements Directive (ARS) to integrate the decision-based user need assessment process within the overall FAA Acquisition Management System (AMS). The decision-based process will result in the more accurate identification of weather needs, requirements, and solutions which will best represent the interests of the FAA and users of FAA services.
The 8th Conference on Aviation, Range, and Aerospace Meteorology