NMHS and Airline Responsibilities for AMDAR

Programme Implementation & Operation

Mexico AMDAR Regional Workshop, 8-10 November 2011

Dean LockettObserving Systems Division, WMO

Content

1. Obligations in developing an AMDAR Programme.

2. Requirements for activating an AMDAR Programme.

3. Obligations for maintaining an AMDAR Programme.

4. Contracts and Agreements.

NMHS Obligations in Commencing an AMDAR Programme

• Ascertain suitability of airline and aircraft:– Generally larger airlines with fleets of 10+ aircraft;– Modern aircraft with suitable avionics: see AMDAR

Panel Avionics Survey document.– VHF or Satellite Communications (ACARS).– Aircraft and sensors maintained.

• Determine fleet requirements for required coverage:

• See airline route coverage maps• See airline schedules

USA AMDAR/MDCRS Programme - around 1600 aircraft

Courtesy of Courtesy of NOAA/ESRL/GSDNOAA/ESRL/GSD

European AMDAR Programme (optimised) - around 600 aircraft

Courtesy of Courtesy of NOAA/ESRL/GSDNOAA/ESRL/GSD

Australian AMDAR Programme (optimised) - around 70 aircraft

Courtesy of Courtesy of NOAA/ESRL/GSDNOAA/ESRL/GSD

NMHS Obligations in Commencing an AMDAR Programme

• Ensure funding available for:– Software development and certification;– Engineering costs for software implementation;– Ongoing communications costs.– Consider optimisation.

• Develop a Business Case.• Contact airline:

– Chief pilot;– Flight operations manager;– Head of Engineering Maintenance;– CEO (maybe);

Obligations for Activating an AMDAR Programme – Contract /Data Agreement

Contract or agreement between NMHS and Airline should be implemented:

• Meet WMO Resolution 40:Data and products to be exchanged without charge and with no

conditions on use:…(3) All available aircraft reports, e.g. data in AMDAR, AIREP

codes, etc.;…

• Preferably, Airline to allow Met. Service ‘ownership’ or joint-ownership of non-airline data.

• Ensure that data agreement allows use of the data for mandated responsibilities and GTS transmission.

• NMHS to ensure non-meteorological airline corporate data not divulged as required.

Obligations for Activating an AMDAR Programme – Contract /Data Agreement

• Liability issues:– NMHS should not be responsible for liabilities

associated with aircraft function (even related to AMDAR software):

• Airline responsible for software certification and function.– Airline should not be responsible for liabilities

associated with AMDAR data use:• NMHS responsible for data quality assurance.

• Costs:– Generally accepted that costs borne by NMHS

should be incremental to Airline:• Incremental costs for implementation of software (and

sensors);• Incremental costs for communications.

Obligations for Activating an AMDAR Programme

• Software:– Developed and implemented to required

standard:• ARINC 620 Meteorological Report• AAA (ACARS ACMS AMDAR) specification

– Certified– Gound-tested (e.g. Teledyne Controls)– Flight-tested…

Obligations for Activating an AMDAR Programme

• Software Flight Testing:– Data received…in correct format;– Data quality ok:

• Check met. parameters against radiosonde, numerical weather model output;

• Positional information ‘makes sense’;• Reports made at expected intervals and

frequency.

Obligations for Activating an AMDAR Programme

• Communications links established:– Air-to-ground provided by VHF or Satellite using

ACARS (or other) protocols.– VHF comms requires VHF ground network

provision.– Gound-to-ground Data Service Provider required.– International DSPs usually SITA or ARINC but

other local providers may be utilised.– Messages can be direct to Met. Service or relayed

via Airline (other protocols possible such as email, FTP etc).

Obligations for Activating an AMDAR Programme

• Met. Service Data Processing Centre Established:– Reception of messages from Data Service

Provider.– Decode messages.– Quality control processes in place (See AMDAR

Reference Manual).– Re-encode in format for GTS (FM 42 or BUFR).– Transmit on GTS.– Ability to ‘blacklist’ an aircraft.– Monitor data.

Obligations for Maintaining an AMDAR Programme - NMHS

• Operate a Quality Management System• Carry out data quality assurance:

– Automated real-time checking.

• Routine monitoring:– Compare with other upper air systems (radiosonde,

NWP, inter-aircraft);– Reports from international monitoring centres;– Identify systemic processing and sensor errors...

• Maintain AMDAR metadata.

Obligations for Maintaining an AMDAR Programme - NMHS

Sensor Monitoring:

Aircraft Daily Mean Air Temperature Bias Against Numerical Model

-2.0

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

4/11/2005 14/11/2005 24/11/2005 4/12/2005 14/12/2005 24/12/2005 3/01/2006 13/01/2006 23/01/2006 2/02/2006 12/02/2006

Day

Air

Tem

pera

ture

Bia

s (

C)

Obligations for Maintaining an AMDAR Programme - NMHS

• Issues to be reported to the Airline:– Temperature sensor drift;– Faulty accelerometer (large unrealistic

values of vertical gust);– Positional errors;– Data processing errors;– Data loss.

Obligations for Maintaining an AMDAR Programme - NMHS

• Maintain metadata:– Record of data quality issues (by aircraft,

date/time);– Aircraft lists (by identity, model, type);– Aircraft Sensor details when available;– Software updates and changes;– Software configurations;– WMO in the process of establishing

standards.

Obligations for Maintaining an AMDAR Programme - Airline

• Install software into avionics systems;• Assist in flight testing process;• Ensure avionics systems updates do not

disable or adversely affect AMDAR;• Allow use/ownership of data for NMHS

mandated purposes;• Endeavour to rectify sensor issues (within

operational constraints);• Provision of metadata;• Costs at reasonable (incremental) levels.

Thank you.