NWS receives additional inputs from weather radars, weather satellites, ships, ocean buoys, and other domestic and international sources. About 240 surface observation sites are staffed by NWS employees. Surface observations are made at over 1,000 additional sites by NWS contractors and automated systems, the FAA, DoD, other federal agencies, state governments, air carriers, and other private organizations.

The FAA also supports the collection of meteorological data to meet the special needs of the aviation community. The FAA has developed—on its own or in cooperation with NOAA and/or the DoD—the following weather observing systems:

• Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS)—developed by the FAA;
• ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System)—developed by NOAA and the FAA;
• TDWR (Terminal Doppler Weather Radar)—developed by the FAA;
• Low Level Windshear Alert System—developed by the FAA;
• WSR-88D weather radars—developed by NOAA, the FAA, and DoD;¹
• airport surveillance radars with weather capability—developed by the FAA;² and
• automated aircraft reporting of weather conditions—developed by the FAA and NOAA.

The FAA also collects pilot reports about weather information. The FAA reports observational data that it collects from all of these sources to the NWS.

The committee identified three areas of particular concern related to the ability of aviation weather services to meet user needs for aviation weather observations:

• number and location of weather observing sites;
• pilot reports and automated aircraft weather observations; and
• automation of surface observations.

Front Matter (R1-R10)

Summary (1-8)

Chapter 1: Introduction (9-13)

Chapter 2: Current Roles and Missions (14-21)

Chapter 3: Current Services (22-40)

Chapter 4: Research and Development (41-47)

Chapter 5: Regional Requirements (48-51)

Chapter 6: Future Roles and Missions (52-60)

Chapter 7: The First Step (61-62)

Appendix A: Summary of Findings and Recommendations (63-68)

Appendix B: Biographical Sketches of Committee Members (69-71)

Appendix C: Participants in Committee Meetings (72-73)

Appendix D: Reference Documents for Current Roles and Missions (74-81)

Appendix E: ASOS Assessment (82-85)

Appendix F: General Aviation Flight Scenarios—1994 and 2015 (86-89)

Appendix G: Federal Funding (90-92)

Appendix H: Research Documents and Organizations (93-95)

Appendix I: Detailed Assessment of User Needs in Alaska (96-106)

Appendix J: Alternative Approaches for Improving Aviation Weather Services and Research (107-109)