Fiscal Year 1995 FSL in Review Aviation Division

Michael J. Kraus , Chief

The Aviation Division collaborates with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) in the Aviation Weather Research Program (AWRP) to increase the capacity of the nation's airspace while maintaining a high level of safety. The products of this program are an increased accuracy, timeliness, and spatial resolution of the weather information used by the air traffic controllers, air traffic managers, and the general aviation community. More opportunities to develop better weather products now exist because of new observing systems, recent advances in understanding the atmosphere, higher performance computing capabilities, and better dissemination of meteorological data.

The primary focus of the Aviation Division is the development and demonstration of the Aviation Gridded Forecast System (AGFS), a four-dimensional gridded database consisting of meteorological analyses and forecasts of state-of-the-atmosphere variables (SAVs) and aviation-impact variables (AIVs).

The division comprises three branches:

• Aviation Gridded Forecast System Branch - manages the generation of AIVs, the distribution and demonstration of AGFS analyses and forecasts, and the development of graphics tools required to tailor products for aviation decisionmakers.
• Model Verification and Production Assistance Branch - assures the reliability, accuracy, and future production of the AGFS through software configuration management, model verification, and high-performance computing.
• Product Development and Dissemination Branch - integrates AGFS and other meteorological data into FAA and NWS information systems for operational demonstration within the nation's air traffic and emergency management facilities.