MET services for Aviation in France Opportunities and risks European Conference on Meteorology for Aviation 13-14 oct 2015 - Vienna
Summary Météo-France official duties and responsibilities in support to aviation Météo-France overview, national duties SES Certification and Designation ICAO international responsibilities Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support airport and TMA operations Advanced MET services to support TMA and en-route operations Met support to ATM ; responses to Met Div recommendations New MET services in the terminal area New science, progress in NWP technologies and benefits to aviation users Migration to IWXXM SIGMET coordination : multi-national cooperation in METALLIANCE
Météo-France official duties and responsibilities in support to aviation Overview, national duties : Public adminitration under the authority of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, in charge of Transportation Missions and organizational principles fixed by a funding decree 518 (june 1993) 3100 staff including 2700 researchers, engineers (M.Sc.) and technicians 2014 Budget: 379 M, 85 M from aviation costs recovery ISO 9001 certification by Bureau Veritas Certification in February 2006 Missions and activities are detailed and fixed by the Government within the Goals and Performance Contract cosigned by the Governement and Météo-France.
Météo-France official duties and responsibilities in support to aviation Territorial organization of Continental France : 7 regional centres on continental France Headquarters in Saint-Mandé (Paris) + subdivision offices at local territory scale. Centre-Est Île-de-France Centre Nord Nord-Est Ouest Sud-Est Sud-Ouest The Toulouse Météopole gathers all central/technical departments, CNRM (Research) and ENM (Training) 130 aerodromes : 70 open to international air traffic 64 small aerodromes
Météo-France official duties and responsibilities in support to aviation SES Certification and Designation : First Certification : in December 2006 Reniewed on 1st December 2010, valid until end 2016 - Renewal based on results of continuous annual monitoring and audits of our activities Area of certification : Continental France and overseas regions and territories Designation : on 21st December 2011, by executive order signed by the Ministry of Transport - according to European regulation, designation of Météo-France as a MET service provider on an exclusive basis in the airspace under French law or left to the French responsability by ICAO - All the military airports are excluded from the designation area
Météo-France official duties and responsibilities in support to aviation ICAO international responsibilities : VAAC (Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre) Toulouse : area of responsibility covers the main part of Europe, Africa, Middle-East and Western Asia ~160 FIRs TCAC (Tropical Cyclone Advisory Centre) La Réunion over South-Western Indian Ocean RODB (Regional OPMET Data Bank) Toulouse for EUR region ROC (Regional OPMET Centre) Toulouse interregional and regional centre for OPMET data exchanges (Portugal, Spain, Gibraltar, Italy, Malta, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and AFI region) Three MWOs Toulouse, Cayenne, Tahiti for seven FIRs : 5 continental, 2 overseas
Météo-France official duties and responsibilities in support to aviation Compliance with ICAO requirements : ICAO Annex 3 Regulated en route and aerodrome services : (few differences notified by the French regulator to ICAO) SIGMET, AIRMET Low-level SIGWX chart Real-time observations, local MET report, METAR TREND, TAF Aerodrome warning Quality Management System (Annex 3 SARP 2.2.2 & 2.2.3) : as an aviation MET service provider, Météo-France has implemented a Quality Management System that includes a continuous aviation user consultation process. This allows Météo-France to hear and gather users needs and to provide innovative solutions aiming at fulfilling the evolving needs of the aviation community. Tailored regulated services ; beyond current Annex 3, and preparing the future
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support airport and TMA operations (1) - First step in 1999 at LFPG : Fog / Low ceilings and visibility The ATC stakeholders activate Low Visibility Procedures at airport, if RVR < 600m and/or ceilings < 200ft = LVP conditions At Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport, max arrival capacity is 66 aircrafts/hour. In LVP conditions this capacity goes down to 39 aircrafts/hour. After one hour of LVP conditions, 27 aircrafts (among 66) in stack areas and ~42-minute delay for the 27th one. An air trafic regulation is activated. Impact on air trafic = delays, extra fuel, extra costs Need for anticipating/forecasting LVP conditions Classical products TAF/AdWrng (fog, visibility forecast) not appropriate for managing air traffic regulation New LVP product tailored for ATC and airport management : forecast of LVP conditions + level of uncertainty
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support airport and TMA operations (2) - Fog / Low ceilings and visibility Simple, with colours Easy to understand Based on NWP model outputs (1D model COBEL-ISBA / 3D very high resolution model AROME) + forecaster expertise to translate NWP information into LVP conditions probability/uncertainty Performance is assessed : forecast is objectively verified and the reliability is measured (statistical approach). This is a user requirement.
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support airport and TMA operations (3) In early 2000s aviation stakeholders and those operating in Paris TMA and at Paris airports expressed needs for an enhanced MET service in support to the Collaborative Decision Making process to be implemented at these airports (legacy products were not appropriate) ===> Intensive collaboration between Météo-France and aviation stakeholders (Air France, Aéroports de Paris, ANS) to define what could be this new enhanced service. High-level requirements : - all wx phenomena with impact on airport/tma operations - information should be impact-translated as much as possible - Finer temporal resolution - High refresh rate ===> In 2004, first release of the comprehensive solution for the provision of new products
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Some cdm@xxx product examples :
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support airport and TMA operations (4) cdm@xxx solution now implemented at the five major French airports, for an enhanced high-level MET service in support to airport and TMA operations. - Fine temporal resolution (time step = 30' then 60', 3h, 6h, 1d), - High refresh rate (every 15 to 60 min or more often, as necessary) - Use of thresholds related to operations to provide impact-translated wx information : all impacting wx phenomena (type, intensity, probability of occurrence) + color-coded dashboard for most important parameters or phenomena (thresholds) Strong wind forecast : integration of the impact of strong winds on operations Wind forecast along approach paths (head/tailwind) - Human expertise in the loop All thresholds have been defined in consultation with users. Sharing of same wx information between all aviation operators.
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support TMA and en route operations (1) In late 90s ACC operators expressed needs for a 'product' that would help them understand route deviations and manage air trafic in case of convection. ===> 'ASPOC' : detection and nowcasting of convective cells for air traffic control - location of convective cells based on radar imagery (1-km, 5-min) - lightning data (1-min) - layout could be customized by users : ATC sectors, coastlines, waypoints, rivers, routes - radar reflectivity thresholds are used to discriminate light, moderate severe and extreme (with hail) convective activity All thresholds have been defined in consultation with users. Recently ATM users (ACC operators) also requested for a 3D information to be added : cloud top altitude
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support TMA and en route operations (2) Today available to ACC supervisor only. Tomorrow available on FMP position! Solution : another display for MET information? Preferable solution : moving towards more integration of MET information into ATM/ATC systems
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support TMA and en route operations (2) What does 'more integration of MET information into ATM/ATC systems' mean? - MET info should be integrable or interoperable ===> 'ASPOC3D' solution is based on an object-oriented approach and data format is XML/GML. - on the French ANSP side, a project for the integration of MET information in their systems Further improvements are foreseen : - expand the nowcast to 60 min ; - use of 3D radar information (instead of/in addition to satellite info) - expand the geographical coverage by using the EUMETNET OPERA radar mosaic
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support TMA and en-route operations (3) 'Graphical SIGMET' 1/xx
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support TMA and en-route operations (4) Reminder : 1 MWO for 5 FIRs Main concepts : - the forecaster application is weather hazard-based - SIGMET message format is still FIR-dependent ; but the process to derive the message from the forecaster's input is automatic (no more laborious job!) - high refresh rate : 1' - one colour code per weather hazard - Current valid SIGMET and future valid SIGMET are displayed MET information is integrable as data format is XML/GML. Operational since 2011.
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support TMA and en-route operations (5) 'TS risk over stack areas' near LFLL airport : Forecast for the next 3 hours Colour code for risk level : Excluded Unlikely Likely Certain In response to ATC operators who manage the approaches around LFLL airport.
Enhanced MET services to support aviation ; a long-standing process Advanced MET services to support airline operations : Significant weather chart covering a large western Europe Jet-streams, CAT areas, significant Clouds, icing, tropopause L/Hs, Isotherms, In response to Air France crews' Needs Currently a 'product' (png format) Plan to make the MET data more interoperable
Met support to ATM ; responses to Met Div recommendations New MET services in the terminal area : For the development of ATM-tailored met service for the terminal area For the inclusion of these new service in ASBU Block 1 and subsequent blocks Implementing these new services would have a big impact on MET service providers : further observation and forecast capabilities may be needed Service to operators in the terminal area will be enhanced similarly to what has been done in France
Met support to ATM ; responses to Met Div recommendations New MET services in the terminal area : For the development of ATM-tailored met service for the terminal area For the inclusion of these new service in ASBU Block 1 and subsequent blocks Implementing these new services would have a big impact on MET service providers : further observation and forecast capabilities may be needed Service to operators in the terminal area will be enhanced similarly to what has been done in France
Met support to ATM ; responses to Met Div recommendations New MET services in the terminal area : For the development of ATM-tailored met service for the terminal area For the inclusion of these new service in ASBU Block 1 and subsequent blocks Implementing these new services would have a big impact on MET service providers : further observation and forecast capabilities may be needed Service to operators in the terminal area will be enhanced similarly to what has been done in France
Met support to ATM ; responses to Met Div recommendations New science, progress in NWP technologies and benefits to aviation users In order to support the implementation of the new service to ATM or to enhance existing services (e.g. VA), 1- Progress in science is needed : - volcanic ash mass concentration - high altiude ice crystals/high ice water content 2- Progress in NWP technologies is needed - a very high resolution NWP model (~1-2km or less) to support the enhancement of the MET service at airport and in TMA - a nowcasting NWP capability (24 runs/day, forecast horizon +6h, time steps ~5-15', model output available 30' after run) - fog, low ceilings/visibility, simulated radar reflectivity, wind, wintry precips, snow/rain limit - ensemble prediction systems, to better manage uncertainty
Met support to ATM ; responses to Met Div recommendations Migration to IWXXM In many Met Div Recos : including the integration of the information into the future system-wide information management (SWIM) environment underpinning the globally interoperable air traffic management system Met information would have to be integrable, i.e. in an interoperable format so that it can e exchanged and integrated in ATM systems. Exchange model : IWXXM MET service providers have to migrate to an IWXXM-compliant provision of Met services. First step (Amdt 77) : OPMET data in AVXML format Today Météo-France has the capability for issuing AvXML SIGMET In 2016, operationnaly transcoding METAR/TAF/SIGMET from TAC format to AvXML
SIGMET coordination : multi-national cooperation in METALLIANCE Objective: improve safety, quality and efficiency through harmonization MET Alliance : all the MET Service Providers of eight European countries (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, The netherlands, Switzerland) Including all the FABEC MET Service providers Ongoing projects : TAF verification (one common scheme), SIGMET coordination, AUTO METAR, AUTO TAF,
SIGMET coordination : multi-national cooperation in METALLIANCE Aiming to achieve a seamless production of SIGMETs across the state and FIR borders within the MET Alliance area. Lead by Météo-France A common web portal (Météo-France) - To visualize valid SIGMETs in real time - Exchange products such as SIGWXX Phone calls : Austria/Germany/Switzerland, France/Belgium, The Netherlands/Germany, Switzerland/France, Belgium/The Netherlands, Belgium/Germany, France/Germany But still to put in place a real collaborative decision on analysis and forecast, due to some obstacles : different NWP models, need to coordinate between more than 2 countries adding more complexity and time consuming, language difficulties, different interpretations of Annex 3 rules
SIGMET coordination : multi-national cooperation in METALLIANCE
SIGMET coordination : multi-national cooperation in METALLIANCE Perspectives to improve the process : - Decision to set up a daily «Collaborative Decision on SIGMET Analysis and Forecast Conference» between the members of the group - A list of possible divergences in interpretation of Annex3 specifications before evolving towards a common interpretation - Guidance rules to be drafted and made available to the members of the project Also extension to other States...
MET Services for Aviation in France Thank you!