The traditional development of requirements for new products and services requires systematic analysis, persistence, monitoring, formal interaction between the developers and designers, and a lot of time. A second approach is based on a concept of evolution from a current configuration into an experimental prototype product that is evaluated in an operational environment. This is the case of rapid prototyping, and it requires a confederation of designers, practitioners, and users to work together as a team. The outcome also entrains researchers, new technology, communications, and operational (collaborative) decision-makers. An example is the Task Force to Northwest Airlines organized by the Aviation Weather Center that involved representatives from the research community and the private sector, as well as NWS and NWA principles. One result is a new experimental product, an Experimental Outlook for Convective SIGMETs, that was tested during the Summer 1998. The product was available on Internet to a community of commercial users and the FAA/National Command Center. The results of the experiment will be presented in the context of 1) the effectiveness of the confederation of contributors, 2) the consequences for users, and 3)the impact on a statement of requirements.
The 8th Conference on Aviation, Range, and Aerospace Meteorology