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Weather

Minimizing Weather Impacts with Improved Systems and Forecasting

ENSCO’s meteorologists and scientists supply airlines and space operations with sophisticated weather forecasting technologies and services necessary for critical decision processes.
 

World-class Meteorological Capabilities

ENSCO’s world-class meteorological capabilities and systems knowledge supply decision makers with state-of-the-art applications, systems and expertise. We are a premier integrator of disparate weather systems and technologies, lessening weather impacts on space launch, aviation and business operations.

Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU)

Since 1991, ENSCO has furnished scientists with integration technologies for the transitioning of weather technology and research into operations for NASA, the Air Force and the National Weather Service. Co-located with the 45th Weather Squadron (45WS), ENSCO’s AMU scientists and meteorologists contributed expertise to 12 shuttle and expendable vehicle ground launches during the year. Our experience includes operational transition of mesoscale modeling, wind profiling techniques, and lightning detection systems. Projects this year included a Web-based tool for lightning climatology, modeling studies using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model, and an optimized scan strategy for the new Doppler radar for the 45WS.

Global Weather Forecasting for United Airlines

United Airlines operates more than 3,200 flights a day to more than 200 domestic and international destinations. With key global air rights in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and Latin America, United is one of the largest international carriers based in the United States.

For more than two years, ENSCO has delivered complete global weather forecast services for all of United’s airline operations. Our customized aviation Web site for United’s pilots and flight dispatchers generates real-time weather updates on global, regional and airport scales. The site contains weather products tailored specifically to United’s operation and route structure. Our meteorologists support United Airlines and other airlines at both United and ENSCO weather centers. These centers give dispatchers, pilots and airline management accurate, up-to-the-minute weather information and forecasts required for safe and efficient flight planning.

ENSCO’s weather forecasting contributed to United Airlines minimizing flight diversions and avoiding chronically delayed flights.

NASA SPoRT

This past year, ENSCO gave valuable expertise to NASA’s Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center in Huntsville, Ala., in the areas of regional numerical weather prediction, land surface modeling, lightning detection, technical writing, and liaison activities. In addition, ENSCO transitioned new NASA products into National Weather Service (NWS) operations, conducted assessments and site visits to existing and prospective customers, and established collaborative relationships with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, the National Severe Storms Laboratory, and the NWS forecast offices. During FY09, we will continue to support and enhance NASA SPoRT and related activities, focusing on developing and transitioning new NASA datasets and capabilities into operations.

New York TRACON Weather Project

ENSCO and NASA SPoRT were awarded a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contract to better predict convective summer weather for the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON). Our meteorologists employed expertise gained by AMU and SPoRT scientists to configure the WRF model, a next-generation mesoscale numerical weather prediction system, to forecast thunderstorms over the Northeastern United States. To further refine the forecast, our meteorologists fine-tuned the model output using SPoRT-provided products and other weather data to create the Enhanced Convective Forecast of thunderstorm activity over the TRACON airspace for the next 10 hours. This product was posted to a Web site for use by traffic managers at the New York TRACON and the FAA Command Center in Herndon, Va., as well as for use by United Airlines and other airline air traffic coordinators. By gaining better knowledge of when and where air-mass thunderstorms could occur, traffic managers will be better able to anticipate air traffic congestion due to convective weather and reduce the number of weather-related delays.

NextGen Testbed

ENSCO has been a member of the Integrated Airport consortium for the past two years. The consortium is an industry-led group focused on investigating concepts proposed for the Next Generation Air Traffic Control (NextGen) system. NextGen is an FAA initiative to handle the expected increase in air traffic in the coming decades. The consortium, led by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was awarded a contract to test several of the NextGen concepts for a demonstration in the fall of 2008. Our role is to produce weather forecasts, utilizing the AMU and SPoRT modeling experience, which will be used by Lockheed Martin and CSC air traffic control systems to better manage airspace capacity by routing air traffic around forecasted convective weather.
Read related press release: Weather Services and NextGen–ENSCO Leading the Pack.

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