Roadmap for Weather Integration into Traffic Flow Management Modernization (TFM-M)

This report provides recommendations for aligning new Collaborative Air Traffic Management Technologies (CATM-T) with evolving aviation weather products to improve NAS efficiency during adverse (especially severe) weather conditions. Key gaps indentified Include: Improving or developing pilot convective storm avoidance models as well as models for route blockage and capacity in severe weather is necessary for automated congestion prediction and resolution; forecasts used to characterize uncertainty that can be used by CATM tools, and, explicitly forecast key parameters needed for translation of weather to capacity impacts; time based flow management will require substantial progress in both the translation modeling and in predicting appropriate storm avoidance trajectories; near term efforts should focus on integration of the Traffic Management Advisor (TMA) with contemporary severe weather products such as the Corridor Integrated Weather System (CIWS); Human factors studies on product design to improve industrial decision making; Improved Collaborative Decision Making in 'difficult' situations, and the use of the probabilistic products are also essential; studies need to be carried out to determine how well en route and terminal capacity currently is being utilized during adverse weather events as to identify the highest priority areas for integrated weather-CATM system development.