FUSEMET - Multi-Sensor Fusion for Aviation Meteorology Services

Motivation

All major airports operate dedicated sensor systems to assess the current weather situation. Besides "classic" parameters like wind, pressure, humidity, and temperature, there are point-like measurements of visibility and cloud cover information. These measurements, together with an observation of weather phenomena and estimation of cloud cover, are currently being compiled by a human observer into an overall weather report. In combination with a trend forecast of relevant weather parameters, these METAR and MET-reports yield the basis for the follow-up processes, ranging from flight and tactical air traffic planning to the operational handling of air traffic.

Objectives

• To conceptually examine all weather elements already during the measurement.
• To increase the measurements representativeness through image information from camera images.
• To fuse all this information into a continuous and meaningful overall picture.

Content

The objectives of this project are the conceptual consideration of all weather elements already during the measurement, an increase in the measurements representativeness through image information from camera images, and accordingly, an adaptation of the image information through the measurements, and an incorporation of complementary independent data sources such as weather radar, satellite image and flash information.

The fusion of all this information into a continuous and meaningful overall picture is the link that ties everything together in this process. The inclusion of methods and procedures of digital image processing as a complement to meteorological-metrological procedures should allow a much more comprehensive and significantly more holistic view of the weather at an airport.

Methodology

In order to achieve the goal of various data sources fusion into a "big picture of airport weather", a series of data and sensor measurements are used. All sensors available at an airport will be considered together with the results of the image processing modules from the parallel projects DIBMETSAT and DIBMETSAT-3D, and accordingly, the results of the new development from this project. 

Use Cases deal with the cases of complete sensor availability and partial failure of the sensors, as well as typical ATM scenarios for low visibility procedures (fog/high fog) and during thunderstorms (cell detection and tracking, clustering, etc.). The Graz and Innsbruck airports are currently planned as installation and demonstration sites.

Expected results

The project results will allow a significant improvement of the currently used in Austria AUTO-Metar/MET Report algorithms. Another possible area of use is certainly plausibility and alerting tools of integrated forecasting systems. This could reduce the workload or even the stress level of the forecaster in challenging weather conditions (in the sense of "not overlooking" significant developments).

Outcome

Fusion concepts (among others, Bayesian networks) for the analysis of prevailing weather conditions and forecast of convective events (storms) from differentiated sources (ALDIS, weather radar, MeteoSat).

• JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH - Coordinator
• AIT - Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
• Austro Control GmbH

Funding program: TAKE OFF