DingerX wrote:
Marsk -- somewhere in this thread, someone with some experience points out that such real-time satellite data is not available on most flight decks.
Thanks. The fact that someone had already pointed out the absence of real-time satellite data had escaped me, but given much of the discussion of the limitations of the onboard radar I am not surprised.
falconer1 wrote:
1. Do you have in-flight access to geostationary satellite images (or to products derived from them, such as instability indices or cloud top temperatures)?
2. If the answer to 1. is yes: Do you consider this useful for instance when crossing the ITCZ? If not, what would you like to see changed in the data you have access to?
3. If the answer to 1. is no: Why don't you ? Is it a communications/aircraft systems issue? ... a data policy issue? ... due to fear of information overload?
1. Guess most airlines do not yet have it. Those products are available already via satcom data to several bizjets and can be displayed via various means in the cockpit..as most modern airliners can be equipped the same way.. the technology is here and the providers of said products are here
2. It IS useful on a strategic level for weather zones as the ITCZ. Strategic meaning in this case, as being able to see developments hundreds of miles away, which is not possible with radar and plan accordingly
on a "tactical" level, i.e. weather avoidance 50 to 100 miles ahead radar still is more useful, but again, if the strategic avoidance is better with the sat products, your final tactical avoidance may be easier too and may yield better results at times..
3. There should not be any big data communication problems and looking at a sat picture should not pose any data overload..
so, yes, everybody should have it..
should make life out there a tiny bit easier
the technology is out there, no problems, and costs should not be an issue..
Thanks. Given that a strategic deviation from the planned track should be less onerous in terms of time and fuel than a tactical one, there should be some value in having the satellite data available also for that reason. I hadn't thought of that.
My point was that the satellites (passive vis/infrared measurement) see something totally different from what the radar (active microwave measurement) depicts. The radar basically shows precip, the satellites show cloud top temperatures and in some cases pre-convective instability. Next generation geostationary satellites are planned to carry lightning mappers showing cloud-to-cloud lightning, thus providing yet a third source of information about convective weather. For the US this is considered a done deal, for Europe this could conceivably still fall apart due to funding issues.
The technology is clearly there so if cost is not an issue, what is preventing airline flight crews from having access to these data?