Quality assessment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Contract (ADS-C) wind and temperature observation from commercial aircraft

Abstract. Aircraft observations of wind and temperature are very important for upper air meteorology. In this article, the quality of the meteorological information of an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract (ADS-C) message is assessed. The ADS-C messages are received at air traffic control centres for surveillance and airline control centres for general aircraft and dispatch management. Comparison against a global numerical prediction (NWP) model and Mode-S Enhanced Surveillance (EHS) derived wind and temperature observations is performed. Almost 16 thousand ADS-C reports with meteorological information were compiled from the Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) database. The length of the data set is 76 days. The wind and temperature observations are of good quality when compared to the global NWP forecast fields from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Comparison of ADS-C wind and temperature observations against Mode-S EHS derived observations in the vicinity of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol shows that the wind observations are of similar quality and the temperature observations of ADS-C are of better quality than those from Mode-S EHS. However, the current ADS-C data set has a lower vertical resolution than Mode-S EHS. High vertical resolution can be achieved by requesting more ADS-C when aircraft are ascending or descending, but could result in increased data communication costs.

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Quality assessment of Automatic Dependent Surveillance Contract (ADS-C) wind and temperature observation from commercial aircraft

Atmospheric Measurement Techniques ◽

10.5194/amt-6-199-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 199-206 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

S. de Haan ◽

L. J. Bailey ◽

J. E. Können

Keyword(s):

Traffic Control ◽

Air Traffic Control ◽

Data Communication ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Vertical Resolution ◽

Commercial Aircraft ◽

Data Set ◽

Weather Forecasts ◽

Temperature Observations ◽

Nwp Model

Abstract. Aircraft observations of wind and temperature are very important for upper air meteorology. In this article, the quality of the meteorological information of an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Contract (ADS-C) message is assessed. The ADS-C messages broadcast by the aircraft are received at air traffic control centres for surveillance and airline control centres for general aircraft and dispatch management. A comparison is performed against a global numerical prediction (NWP) model and wind and temperature observations derived from Enhanced Surveillance (EHS) air-traffic control radar which interrogates all aircraft in selective mode (Mode-S EHS). Almost 16 000 ADS-C reports with meteorological information were compiled from the Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) database. The length of the data set is 76 consecutive days and started on 1 January 2011. The wind and temperature observations are of good quality when compared to the global NWP forecast fields from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Comparison of ADS-C wind and temperature observations against Mode-S EHS derived observations in the vicinity of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol shows that the wind observations are of similar quality and the temperature observations of ADS-C are of better quality than those from Mode-S EHS. However, the current ADS-C data set has a lower vertical resolution than Mode-S EHS. High vertical resolution can be achieved by requesting more ADS-C when aircraft are ascending or descending, but could result in increased data communication costs.

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Evaluation of Regional Aircraft Observations Using TAMDAR

Weather and Forecasting ◽

10.1175/2009waf2222321.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 627-645 ◽

Cited By ~ 39

Author(s):

William R. Moninger ◽

Stanley G. Benjamin ◽

Brian D. Jamison ◽

Thomas W. Schlatter ◽

Tracy Lorraine Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Data Assimilation ◽

Meteorological Data ◽

Time Range ◽

Observation System ◽

Vertical Resolution ◽

Commercial Aircraft ◽

Aircraft Observation ◽

Aircraft Observations ◽

High Vertical Resolution

Abstract A multiyear evaluation of a regional aircraft observation system [Tropospheric Aircraft Meteorological Data Reports (TAMDAR)] is presented. TAMDAR observation errors are compared with errors in traditional reports from commercial aircraft [aircraft meteorological data reports (AMDAR)], and the impacts of TAMDAR observations on forecasts from the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) over a 3-yr period are evaluated. Because of the high vertical resolution of TAMDAR observations near the surface, a novel verification system has been developed and employed that compares RUC forecasts against raobs every 10 hPa; this revealed TAMDAR-related positive impacts on RUC forecasts—particularly for relative humidity forecasts—that were not evident when only raob mandatory levels were considered. In addition, multiple retrospective experiments were performed over two 10-day periods, one in winter and one in summer; these allowed for the assessment of the impacts of various data assimilation strategies and varying data resolutions. TAMDAR’s impacts on 3-h RUC forecasts of temperature, relative humidity, and wind are found to be positive and, for temperature and relative humidity, substantial in the region, altitude, and time range over which TAMDAR-equipped aircraft operated during the studied period of analysis.

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Assimilation of High-Resolution Mode-S Wind and Temperature Observations in a Regional NWP Model for Nowcasting Applications

Weather and Forecasting ◽

10.1175/waf-d-11-00088.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 918-937 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Siebren de Haan ◽

Ad Stoffelen

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

Traffic Control ◽

Short Range ◽

Weather Forecasting ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Wind Fields ◽

Numerical Weather Forecasting ◽

Temperature Observations ◽

Nwp Model

Abstract In this paper the beneficial impacts of high-resolution (in space and time) wind and temperature observations from aircraft on very short-range numerical weather forecasting are presented. The observations are retrieved using the tracking and ranging radar from the air traffic control facility at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. This enhanced surveillance radar tracks all aircraft in sight every 4 s, generating one million wind and temperature observations per day in a radius of 270 km around the radar. Nowcasting applications will benefit from improved three-dimensional wind fields. When these observations are assimilated into a numerical model with an hourly update cycle, the short-range three-dimensional wind field forecasts match the observations better than those from an operational forecast cycle, which is updated every 3 h. The positive impact on wind in the first hours of the forecast gradually turns into a neutral impact, when compared to other wind and temperature observations. The timeliness of the forecasts combined with the high resolution of the observations are the main reasons for the observed nowcasting benefits. All in all, the assimilation of high-resolution wind (and temperature) observations is found to be beneficial for nowcasting and short-range forecasts up to 2–3 h.

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Probabilistic Forecasts Using Analogs in the Idealized Lorenz96 Setting

Monthly Weather Review ◽

10.1175/2010mwr3542.1 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 139 (6) ◽

pp. 1960-1971 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Jakob W. Messner ◽

Georg J. Mayr

Keyword(s):

Logistic Regression ◽

Systematic Errors ◽

Lead Times ◽

Model Output ◽

Weather Forecasts ◽

Probabilistic Forecasts ◽

Direct Model ◽

Nwp Model

Abstract Three methods to make probabilistic weather forecasts by using analogs are presented and tested. The basic idea of these methods is that finding similar NWP model forecasts to the current one in an archive of past forecasts and taking the corresponding analyses as prediction should remove all systematic errors of the model. Furthermore, this statistical postprocessing can convert NWP forecasts to forecasts for point locations and easily turn deterministic forecasts into probabilistic ones. These methods are tested in the idealized Lorenz96 system and compared to a benchmark bracket formed by ensemble relative frequencies from direct model output and logistic regression. The analog methods excel at longer lead times.

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Advanced Flight Planning and the Benefit of In-Flight Aircraft Trajectory Optimization

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13031383 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 1383

Author(s):

Judith Rosenow ◽

Martin Lindner ◽

Joachim Scheiderer

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Traffic Control ◽

Traffic Management ◽

Trajectory Optimization ◽

Service Providers ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Air Traffic ◽

Weather Data ◽

Weather Forecasts ◽

Aircraft Trajectory

The implementation of Trajectory-Based Operations, invented by the Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research program SESAR, enables airlines to fly along optimized waypoint-less trajectories and accordingly to significantly increase the sustainability of the air transport system in a business with increasing environmental awareness. However, unsteady weather conditions and uncertain weather forecasts might induce the necessity to re-optimize the trajectory during the flight. By considering a re-optimization of the trajectory during the flight they further support air traffic control towards achieving precise air traffic flow management and, in consequence, an increase in airspace and airport capacity. However, the re-optimization leads to an increase in the operator and controller’s task loads which must be balanced with the benefit of the re-optimization. From this follows that operators need a decision support under which circumstances and how often a trajectory re-optimization should be carried out. Local numerical weather service providers issue hourly weather forecasts for the coming hour. Such weather data sets covering three months were used to re-optimize a daily A320 flight from Seattle to New York every hour and to calculate the effects of this re-optimization on fuel consumption and deviation from the filed path. Therefore, a simulation-based trajectory optimization tool was used. Fuel savings between 0.5% and 7% per flight were achieved despite minor differences in wind speed between two consecutive weather forecasts in the order of 0.5 m s−1. The calculated lateral deviations from the filed path within 1 nautical mile were always very small. Thus, the method could be easily implemented in current flight operations. The developed performance indicators could help operators to evaluate the re-optimization and to initiate its activation as a new flight plan accordingly.

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How Can Existing Ground-Based Profiling Instruments Improve European Weather Forecasts?

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society ◽

10.1175/bams-d-17-0231.1 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 100 (4) ◽

pp. 605-619 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

A. J. Illingworth ◽

D. Cimini ◽

A. Haefele ◽

M. Haeffelin ◽

M. Hervo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Traffic Control ◽

Positive Impact ◽

Weather Forecast ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Time Data ◽

Weather Forecasts ◽

Forecast Models ◽

Wind Lidar ◽

Microwave Radiometers

Abstract To realize the promise of improved predictions of hazardous weather such as flash floods, wind storms, fog, and poor air quality from high-resolution mesoscale models, the forecast models must be initialized with an accurate representation of the current state of the atmosphere, but the lowest few kilometers are hardly accessible by satellite, especially in dynamically active conditions. We report on recent European developments in the exploitation of existing ground-based profiling instruments so that they are networked and able to send data in real time to forecast centers. The three classes of instruments are i) automatic lidars and ceilometers providing backscatter profiles of clouds, aerosols, dust, fog, and volcanic ash, the last two being especially important for air traffic control; ii) Doppler wind lidars deriving profiles of wind, turbulence, wind shear, wind gusts, and low-level jets; and iii) microwave radiometers estimating profiles of temperature and humidity in nearly all weather conditions. The project includes collaboration from 22 European countries and 15 European national weather services, which involves the implementation of common operating procedures, instrument calibrations, data formats, and retrieval algorithms. Currently, data from 265 ceilometers in 19 countries are being distributed in near–real time to national weather forecast centers; this should soon rise to many hundreds. One wind lidar is currently delivering real time data rising to 5 by the end of 2019, and the plan is to incorporate radiometers in 2020. Initial data assimilation tests indicate a positive impact of the new data.

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