Integration of Aviation Automated Weather Observation System with RWIS - UTC

The overall goal of this project is to identify the benefits and costs of integrating AWOS/ASOS meteorological data with RWIS weather data, and to create and test a prototype of an integrated system.

In California, there are approximately 100 Automated Weather Observation System (AWOS) and Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS) sites that collect meteorological data for airports throughout the state. Similarly, there are approximately the same number of Road Weather Information System (RWIS) sites that collect weather and road condition data for transportation and related agencies. While these systems serve different user groups, there is some overlap in their capabilities and similarity in operations. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has identified the potential to provide airports, particularly rural airports and helipads, with more comprehensive and accurate meteorological data by integrating airport weather systems with those used by other agencies. Through a separate project called WeatherShare, the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) has developed a server-based system for Caltrans that integrates data from RWIS sensors with data from multiple other sources of weather and meteorological data. The WeatherShare system presents aggregated data via a flexible, user-friendly interface that can be customized by users to suit their needs. In this project, WTI is working in partnership with the Mineta Transportation Institute (at San Jose State University) to identify the specific data needs of aviation professionals, and investigate whether data from multiple existing sources can be integrated into a WeatherShare type system to address those needs. The project will include development, testing and evaluation of a prototype system.