Graphical Weather Radar Assessment

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Federal Aviation Administration
Graphical Weather Radar Assessment Cockpit vs.
ATC
Presentation to RTCA SC206 Name Nannette
KalaniDate October 13, 2005
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Outline

• Purpose
• Setup
• Conclusions

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Purpose

• This Assessment was Intended to Define the
  Differences in the Display of Weather on the
  Radar Systems Used in FAA Air Traffic Control
  (ASR-9 and WARP NEXRAD) to the NEXRAD Radar
  Systems Available via Cockpit Display, and to
  Discuss Their Impact on Common Situational
  Awareness Between Users

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Set-Up

• Scope
• The Meteorological Assessment Compared Radar
  Attributes Such As Update Rates, Representation
  of Precipitation Intensities, and Consistency of
  Displayed Intensity Levels and Spatial References
• The Human Factors Assessment Analyzed the Radar
  Displays to Identify Areas of Diminished
  Situational Awareness and/or Misunderstanding

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Set-Up Contd

• Equipment Set-Up
• Cockpit Bendix/King KMD 550 Multi-functional
  Display, with NEXRAD Base Reflectivity Mosaiced
  by Unysis
• Enroute MEARTS, with Mosaiced NEXRAD Products
• 36 Composite Reflectivity
• 65 Layer 1 Composite Reflectivity 0-24
• 66 Layer 2 Composite Reflectivity 24-33
• 90 Super High Composite Reflectivity 33-60
• TRACON STARS, with ASR-9 Weather Channel Data

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Set-Up Contd

• Weather Scenarios
• Case Descriptions

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Set-Up Contd

• Assumptions/Limitations
• Focus of the Assessment was on the Presentation
  Of Weather in the Cockpit and on the Air Traffic
  Displays
• Assessment was Conducted in a Laboratory
  Environment, the MFD was not in an Actual Cockpit
  During Flight
• The Air Traffic Displays were Configured to Show
  the Weather Information Only, No Aircraft Tracks
  or Data Blocks were Displayed

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Results/Conclusions

• The Overall Test Results Indicated an Accurate
  Portrayal of Precipitation Intensities,
  Consistency of Displayed Intensity Levels,
  Spatial References, and Acceptable Update Rates