No matter what technology is used to deliver the message - you still need to be able to understand it and fly the airplane.
The example NOTAMs pretty clearly (particularly if you include the A line, which tells you it relates to SFO) tells you the glide slope and PAPIs are out of service and you are pretty likely to have to manage the vertical profile yourself (thus avoiding the sea wall) (On reflection, the PAPI one you can see from the B) line is post crash so may simply be that the PAPIs (along with the ALS were destroyed), so the B) line is useful for geeks, but not relevant to pilots).
The E) line is the line intended for humans to read and understand. The Q line for pointy heads gives a good quick summary of what, where, and when.
Having the e) line of -
'RWY 28 PAPI U/S'
(using standard acronyms and abbreviations) is quite a bit shorter and (IMHO clearer) than,
'The precision approach path indicating system associated with runway 28 is not available for use by landing aircraft.'
The first version I can read and understand in a single glance. The second has 4 times as much text to read and in my mind doesn't simplify anything.
There is a fundamental problem that there is quite a lot of information that might be relevant to various types of operation and the public systems just provide the raw data with limited filtering. Determining what to filter is always a challenge, as the filterer really needs to understand exactly what the operator is going to do (i.e. it takes a bit of a brain).
Last edited by mm_flynn; 7th Jul 2013 at 17:56.