# Presentation: 728465

## Weather Avoidance Using 

**AWIN Topical Study**

- Weather Avoidance Using
- Route Optimization as a Decision Aid
- Cooperative Agreement NCC-1-362
- (Follow- On to NCC-1-291)

- _NASA Langley Research Center_
- Kara Latorella, Technical Officer

- _Honeywell Technology Center_
- Gary Hartmann
- Steve Pratt
- Thea Feyereisen
- Fred Wagener
- Bob Schultz
- Don Shaner
- Bill Rogers

- Weather Accident Prevention Annual Project Review
- May 24, 2000

## Agenda

-   Background
-   Accomplishments
-   Plans

##  Airspace Problem

-  Demonstrate improved aviation safety
- - Weather is a factor in 1/3 of commercial carrier accidents
-   Improve efficiency
- - Reduce enroute deviations due to weather and other hazards
-  0.4% fuel savings  (NASA CWIN)
-  Less than 3 year payback  (Kauffmann Study)
-   Lay groundwork for collaborative air-ground decision making

**Goals**

## Operational Concept for Decision Aid

**Operational Concept for Decision Aid**

-   Strategic planning
-   Enroute phase
-   User Preferred Trajectories
-  - Options beyond SWAP
-   Augments a Flight Planner
- - Performs Route Optimization
- - Provides Decision Support

- Combine Route Optimization and User Interface
- Technologies to produce a Decision Support tool

## Graphical User Interface

-  Hazards and Options on single, user-centered display

##  Weather Hazard Models

- _   __Polygon sources_
-  New integrated Wx products
- - NCAR Detection Polygons
- - National Convective Wx Forecast
- - Oceanic Convective Nowcasting Demo
-  In-house meteorology

- _  __Hazard model_
-  Polygons
-     - Have “tops” and “bottoms”
-     - Motion
-  Five types used
-  Four levels of severity
-  Become “no-fly” zones
-    when severity exceeds threshold

## AWIN Flight Planning Aid

**Route Evaluation**
-  Predicted state at way points

**Graphical User Interface**
-   Visualize trajectory options
-     and weather hazards
-  Set thresholds
-  Specify trajectory features
-  Evaluation metrics summarized

**Optimized**
**Flight Plan**

**Route Optimizer**
-   Lateral path
-   Vertical
-       - Altitude
-       - Velocity

**Route Spec**
-    - Origin/Destination
-    - Constraints

**Weather Data**
-    - Winds aloft
-    - Hazard polygons

**    ****Databases**
- - Navigation
- -Performance

## Initial Usability Testing

-   Lab tested at HTC during Phase 1
- - Used 12 pilots and dispatchers
- - Series of scripted scenarios
-   AWIN tool features were rated very favorably
- - Ratings over 4  considered good for first exposure

## Roadmap

**1999**

**2000**

**2001**

**2002**

- AFIS
- Bench
- Mark

- Product
- Planning

- GUI &
- Route Opt.
- Enhancements

- Concept
- Development

- Usability
- Evaluation
- (Pilots -
- Dispatchers)

- Develop Test Plan,
- Perform Integration,
- and Initial Testing

- Formal
- Testing
- & Data
- Analysis

- Select
- Airline
- Partner

- Prelim.
- Plan

**Initial Phase 1 Study**
**(16 Mo.)**

**Phase 2 Follow-on**
**(28 Mo.)**

**Roadmap**

- AWIN Cooperative Agreement

- HI Internal project

##  Follow-on Plans

**Objectives**

-   Evaluate AWIN Decision Aid as a dispatcher’s tool
- - Perform field evaluation
- - Compare performance to existing methods
- - Support flight planning and replanning

**Approach**

** ****Follow-on Plans**

-   Build on results from previous study
- - Enhance GUI and Route Optimizer
- - Field test with dispatchers

## Capabilities of AWIN Flight Planning Aid

**User Interface**

**Route Optimizer Options**

-   Recall/edit stored routes
-   Model weather hazards (dialog boxes)
-   Adjust hazard severity threshold
-   (determines if hazard avoided)
-   Compare metrics of alternate routes
-   Display graphically trajectory and hazards
- 	-  Plan view and vertical profile
- 	-  Animation and replay

-   Minimum fuel
-   Wind optimal
-   Wind optimal and hazard avoidance
-   Specify RTA
-  Include waypoint constraints
-   Potential extensions
- - Traffic avoidance
- - Overflight fee optimization

-  Rerouting options automatically generated
-  Options easily visualized on a single display
-  Improved situational awareness and safety

- Benefits

## Summary

-   Technical Advances
- - Practical algorithm for route optimization/hazard avoidance
- - User Interface introduced new features and received a good usability rating
- - Polygon weather representation is consistant with airline use and NCAR research
- - Polygon color convention under consideration by RTCA SC 195
-   Follow-On Plans
- - Integrating weather with flight planning is an important first step
-    on the way to collaborative air-ground decision making
- - AWIN decision aid complements WINN’s weather products and airborne display
- - Phase 2  will demonstrate benefits in an operational setting
-   Business Issues
- -  Partnering with NASA has been effective
- -  Current AWIN Decision Aid has product potential
- -  Airlines are interested in integrated tools