tamdar: global weather solutions. airdat history © 2013. proprietary and confidential the tamdar...

TAMDAR: GLOBAL WEATHER SOLUTIONS

AIRDAT HISTORY

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• The TAMDAR goal:• Deliver all metrics of weather balloons from commercial aircraft

• Assure space-time data coverage for airports sector

• GPS stamp all data

• Add additional electronic pilot reports (icing, turbulence, temp)

• Initial focus on regional aircraft to provide better geographic coverage

• AirDat was founded in 2003

• First STC and operational weather data in 2004

• Assets purchased by Panasonic Avionics Corporation in 2013

Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting

• Delivers a unique real-time high resolution data stream for improved atmospheric analysis and weather forecasting

• Patented and operational on commercial aircraft since 2004

• Goal: Deployment of TAMDAR and development of superior atmospheric information tools driven by the TAMDAR dataset

• Panasonic Avionics Corporation is expanding the TAMDAR network worldwide

TAMDAR

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THE TAMDAR SYSTEM

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• Multi-function atmospheric sensor installed on aircraft (and UAS)

• Two-way real time Iridium satellite link

• Dedicated data center for quality monitoring, archiving, and distribution systems

• Development and integration of customized forecasts and weather applications

• Enhanced forecast models

• High-speed computing resources

TAMDAR GLOBAL COMMUNICATION

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Iridium satellite constellation(global, secure, high availability)

• Autonomous communication to and from any TAMDAR-equipped aircraft, at any altitude or location worldwide (even on the ground)

• Low message latency (near real-time)

• Channel also available for:

Other data transmission Text messaging to/from aircraft Backup voice channel Aircraft tracking

KU BAND COVERAGE

TAMDAR DATA QA and FORECAST MODELS

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Panasonic’s powerful computing clusters run proprietary

WRF/RTFDDA

• Multi-Layer automated quality assurance through proprietary algorithms

• Data distributed, archived, and ingested into proprietary weather models

• Weather Research Forecasting (WRF) model with Real Time Four Dimensional Data Assimilation (RTFDDA)

Measures and reports:

• Ice presence

• Static pressure and pressure altitude

• Air temperature (Mach corrected)

• Relative humidity

• Indicated and true airspeed

• Winds aloft

• Turbulence (EDR, median and peak)

• GPS lat/long/alt/time

THE TAMDAR SENSOR

Optimized for Unmanned Aerial Systems

• Reduced size, weight, and power

• Worldwide deployment options for improved local forecasts

• Innovative, light-weight materials

TAMDAR-U

• System is automatic, begins sampling during take-off

• Sampling rate flexible, changeable in real-time

• Uses an automatic pressure based sampling program:• High resolution sampling on ascent/descent (~300’ intervals)

• Time based sampling in cruise (5 to 7 minute intervals)

• Triggered reports in dynamic conditions

• Custom reporting available

• 40,000+ observations and ~2500 soundings daily

• Real-time data access through the AirMap portal

WEATHER DATA TRANSMISSION

• Global SATCOM voice & data via Iridium

• Automated Out-Off-On-In times and other aircraft data

• Real-time global aircraft position reports

• Airborne datalinked weather

• Weather data downlink

• Auto-PIREPs

• Data base of all flight histories

• Asset tracking

BENEFITS TO PARTNER AIRLINES

• TAMDAR Probe

• SATCOM Transceiver and Aircraft Interface Unit

• Antenna

TAMDAR6000C Sensor

Aircraft Skin

Antenna

GPSIridium Iridium

SATCOMAircraft Audio

SATCOM Control

ARINC Protocols

TAMDAR AIRBORNE SYSTEM – 3 UNITS

• Processing Unit: 3MCU, ARINC 600 installation• Communications, data processing

• RS-232, RS-422, and discrete inputs/outputs• ARINC 429 and 717 inputs/outputs • Single SATCOM transceiver• DO-178B level E software• Aircraft audio• Ethernet

ON BOARD TAMDAR SYSTEM

• Weather• TAMDAR processing• GPS position• AirMap data• ARINC 620 weather data

• Antenna• Active GPS (TAMDAR)• 2 Iridium SATCOM

ON BOARD TAMDAR SYSTEM

ERJ-190 Integration Configuration

Transmission of atmosphericobservations

Databasesstore observations,

quality analysis, and system control

information.

Delta Houndperforms automated quality analysis and

provides quality assessment tools.

Iridium

AirDat Personnel (meteorologists and engineers) evaluate TAMDAR health and

adjust filters.

TAMDAR Sensors

High quality data is extracted for use by operational

meteorologists, aviation support systems, and forecasting systems.

= Quality Assurance Components

AirDat TAMDAR System Overview

Real-Time Quality Filters

validate incoming observations and set data quality

flags.

Databasesstore observations,

quality analysis, and system control

information.

Delta Houndperforms automated quality analysis and

provides quality assessment tools.

Iridium

AirDat Personnel (meteorologists and engineers) evaluate TAMDAR health and

adjust filters.

High quality data isextracted for use.

AirDat Real-Time Quality Filters

TAMDAR Sensors

Quarantine Filters

Measurments Before QA:Banking, IAS, Alt’, Temp°C,Wind, RH1%, RH2%, etc…

Banking, IAS, Alt’, Temp°C,Wind, RH1%, RH2%, etc…

Measurement Assessment

Interdependency Checks

Banking, IAS, Alt’, Temp°C,Wind, RH1%, RH2%, etc…

Banking, IAS, Alt’, Temp°C,Wind, RH1%, RH2%, consensusRH%, etc… Alt’, Temp°C,

consensus RH%

18TAMDAR® observation

TAMDAR winds

TAMDAR coverage in Mexico

TAMDAR in Europe

Background

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Note: Over 100 daily soundings fromLGA, JFK, EWR

The 2 images show TAMDAR data from flights into/out of BUF  +/- ~3h from 10 pm. 

The solid triangles indicate icing, and the hollow triangles indicate icing with heaters activated. 

The TAMDAR heater remains activated throughout the descent, so the ice accretion rate is > 0.02” / min.

BUF

BUF

Crash site

Crash site

TAMDAR observations around the time of the Colgan crash

The first sounding, valid 9 pm, shows a substantial layer of saturated air below 6000' between -9 and -2C -- the temperature window that most supports the existence of supercooled water. 

The second sounding, valid 11:20 pm, shows the sub-0C saturated layer has dropped to 3000' and belowBoth soundings suggest favorable conditions for supercooled water to freeze upon airframe contact. 

TAMDAR observations around the time of the Colgan crash

NextGen Aviation Weather Impact DataAirDat Augmented WRF Model Icing Impact Forecast

WRF forecast model projections improved with TAMDAR icing observations.– 3-D weather impact poly-regions conveyed as Airspace Volumes of Interest.

End-to-End Impact/Alert Data Flow

STARS display of AirDat derived Weather Volumes. Note two aircraft within altitude threshold predicted to enter volumes display a “WX” alert in datablock.

STARS Icing Alerts NextGen Net-enabled Weather

Icing Impact Alert

Copyright © 2011 Raytheon Company. All rights reserved.27

91st American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting

NEXTGEN: NNEW & NWP

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Weather State Information

High-Resolution Modeling

Information Integration

Information Displays

ATM Decision Support Tools

ATM Impact Analysis Tools

Raytheon, AirDat, and Metron Aviation have teamed to support two major FAA NextGen weather programs with superior weather information, integrated displays, and decision support solutions: • NextGen Network Enabled Weather (NNEW)

• NextGen Weather Processor (NWP)

WHY TAMDAR?

Validated by NOAA via 4-year FAA-funded TAMDAR impact study*

• Temperature 3-hour forecast errors are reduced by up to 28%.

• Wind forecast 3-hour errors are reduced by up to 10%.

• Relative humidity 3-hour forecast errors are reduced by up to 50%.

*William Moninger, 13th Conference on Integrated Observing and Assimilation Systems for Atmosphere, Oceans, and Land Surface American Meteorological Society, January 2009

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Improvements in forecast skill:TAMDAR over without-TAMDAR,(RAOBs used as "truth“)

NOAA's most optimized model for aircraft data is RUC

AirDat 3D-Var WRF is essentially the same code as NCAR 3D-Var WRF

AirDat RT-FDDA and 4D-Var WRF are best suited to utilize asynoptic observations

TAMDAR IMPROVES ALL MODELS

TAMDAR CASE STUDIES

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Five-hour forecast - NO TAMDAR

PEARSON INTL AIRPORT

Five hour forecast - WITH TAMDAR

ab

PEARSON INTL AIRPORT

Hazardous winds

1-h 10-m winds (kts, averaged from fcst hour 4 to 5)showing UPDRAFT (a) and DOWNDRAFT (b) regions.

1-h 10-m winds (kts, averaged from fcst hour 4 to 5)showing NW flow.

Surface wind forecast comparison, Toronto Airbus incident (August 2005)

TAMDAR IMPROVES WINDS FORECASTS

AirDat Old TropicalAirDat New TropicalNOAA GFSEObserved Track

“Superstorm” Sandy

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84 h forecasted track for Ike - AirDat, NCEP, and NHC (inset)

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3535

Successive AirDat WRF Runs

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L

Shortwave trough 2

Shortwave trough 1

L

L

Shortwave trough 1Shortwave

trough 2

RidgeRidge

Synoptic Overview (NCEP)Synoptic Overview (AirDat)

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North Carolina Tornado Outbreak 16 April 2011

12 Hours Ahead

AirDat (RTFDDA) NWS (NAM)

18z Actual Radar

12 Hours Ahead

AirDat (RTFDDA) NWS (NAM)

18z Actual Radar

12 Hours Ahead

AirDat (RTFDDA) NWS (NAM)

18z Actual Radar

12 Hours Ahead

AirDat (RTFDDA) NWS (NAM)

18z Actual Radar

CONTACT INFORMATION

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Jeff RexPanasonic Weather Solutions2535 South Lewis Way, Suite 203Lakewood, CO, US 80227+1 (303) 501-4359Jeff.Rex@panasonic.aero