Aviation News Item: 00561

9th Jul 2009

Source: ubmaviationnews.com

NASA is funding the development of a prototype system to provide aircraft with updates about severe storms and turbulence as they fly across remote ocean regions. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, in partnership with the University of Wisconsin, are developing a system that combines satellite data and computer weather models with artificial intelligence techniques. The goal is to identify and predict rapidly evolving storms and other potential areas of turbulence outside storms. "Pilots currently have little weather information as they fly over remote stretches of the ocean, which is where some of the worst turbulence occurs," said scientist John Williams, one of the project leads at NCAR. "Providing pilots with at least an approximate picture of developing storms could help guide them safely around areas of potentially severe turbulence." The system is on track for testing in 2010, according to NASA. When finalised, it should provide pilots and ground-based controllers with text-based maps and graphical displays showing regions of likely turbulence and storms.

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