W
WAFSOPSG/6
6-IP/4
211/2/11
WOR
RLD AREA
A FORECA
AST SYSTE
EM OPER
RATIONS GROUP
G
(W
WAFSOPS
SG)
SIXT
TH MEETING
G
Daakar, Senegaal, 21 to 24 March
M
2011
I
5: Opeeration of thee WAFS
Agenda Item
5.3: Oth
her issues related to the operation and
d implementaation of the WAFS
W
WA
AFS INTERN
NET FILE SERVICE (WIFS)
(
AN
ND CURREN
NT DEVEL
LOPMENTS
S
(Presennted by WAFC
C Washingtonn Provider Staate)
SU
UMMARY
This Infformation Paaper examinnes WIFS, its evolutionn from the ISCS
I
data feed
d, to harmonnization withh SADIS, annd finally woorking with other
o
States to
o improve OP
PMET availability and reliability.
r
1.
IN
NTRODUCT
TION
In thee past the Washington
W
and Londonn Regional Tele-Comm
munications Hubs
(RTHs) disseminated
d
d the Satelliite Distributtion Service (SADIS) annd the Interrnational Sattellite
Communnication Systtem (ISCS) data
d differenntly. This ledd to a lack of uniformityy between SA
ADIS
and ISCS
S/Internet Fiile Service (WIFS).
(
In an effort to improve unniformity annd harmonizze the
RTH has made
two broaadcasts, the Washington
W
m
some changes
c
we’ll discuss, while
w
at the same
time worrld area foreecast centre (WAFC) Washington
W
h managedd and refineed the worldd area
has
forecast system (WA
AFS) WIFS so that the required daata set is drriven by SA
ADIS User Guide
G
(SUG) Annex
A
1 and 4.
1.1
2.
2.1
C
CHANGES
SIINCE 2009-110
Lack of
o uniformityy
The reeason for thee non-uniform
mity of the tw
wo Satellite broadcasts
b
waas in how the two
2.1.1
(
coollectives. Thhe SADIS Provider
P
usees the
providers issued operrational meteeorological (OPMET)
(5 pages)
WAFSOPS
SG.6.IP.004.5.en
n.docx
WAFSOPSG/6-IP/4
-2-
originating WMO bulletin to include the originating states CCCC where possible. ISCS rebuilt collectives
from the Washington RTH that were issued using the KWBC as the CCCC at the end of the WMO ID.
This procedure was changed at the Washington RTH and now aligns with SADIS for the products
available on WIFS. For example if a state sends a collective with OPMET data defined in SUG Annex 1,
the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) ID that feeds ISCS/WIFS and SADIS is consistent.
2.2
Changes to improve harmonization
2.2.1
Another change at the Washington RTH was to ensure the United States produced
collectives for ISCS/WIFS were ICAO and aeronautical fixed telecommunication network (AFTN)
compliant. In the past United States OPMET bulletins were not ICAO compliant (METAR identifiers
with numbers) or AFTN compliant (over 1800 characters per bulletin).
2.3
What happened?
2.3.1
The Washington RTH created United States, ICAO and AFTN compliant collectives that
matched SUG Annex 1. These are now on ISCS/WIFS. See the appendix to this paper for the collectives
that are AFTN and ICAO compliant.
2.4
Tuning the WIFS products to meet the requirement,
SUG Annex 1 and 4
2.4.1
As of January 2011, the WIFS required OPMET data is driven by SUG Annex 1, and the
products supplied on the WIFS are clearly listed in the SUG Annex 1 and Annex 4. This is the
requirement and the focus for the harmonization efforts with regards to SADIS and WIFS.
2.5
Where do we stand now?
2.5.1
Our data comparisons between WIFS and SADIS FTP illustrates about 98 per cent
compatibility, this is for States that are sending products and are listed in SUG Annex 1.
2.5.2
The WIFS team has been working with the Washington RTH to fine-tune the WIFS data
feed. This requires comparing and checking OPMET collectives that may or may not exist, and also
coordinating with the SADIS data manager.
2.5.3
Below are steps a State should follow for checking OPMET data on WIFS and required
in SUG Annex 1.
2.5.4
Items to consider with respect to missing data before you call WIFS Customer Service:
a) if a States finds OPMET data that is listed SUG Annex 1, but not available on WIFS,
contact WIFS Customer Service; and
b) if a State/User (IATA etc) would like to add a new TAF/METAR to the
SADIS/WIFS/ISCS data stream, AND IT IS NOT LISTED in SUG Annex 1, the
following process needs to be followed to ensure consistency between the WAFCs.
2.5.5
Ensure that the requested Aerodrome is added to the ICAO DOC 7910…contact point is
ICAO HQ, Montréal. This in turn drives updates to the MET table 2A, and subsequently SUG Annex 1.
After SUG Annex 1 is updated, WIFS will be updated to reflect the new additions.
-32.5.6
number:
WAFSOPSG/6-IP/4
To contact WIFS Customer Service use the following e-mail address and telephone
E-mail: wifs.admin@noaa.gov
Tel: +1 877 280-2811
2.5.7
For each operational issue identified, a trouble ticket will be generated and users will be
sent an e-mail with the trouble ticket number. Users should refer to this ticket number in all follow-up
correspondence with the WIFS Customer Support Desk.
Additional information is available in the WIFS User Guide at
https://aviationweather.gov/wifs/images/upload/WIFS_Users_Guide_v4.0.pdf
3.
CONCLUSION
3.1
The products available on WIFS are stable and undergoing minor tuning improvements.
Users should feel comfortable testing and moving over to WIFS. The Washington WAFC values
States/Users input and welcomes any comments or further evaluations. Please contact WIFS Customer
Service so this information can be tracked.
4.
4.1
ACTION BY THE WAFSOPSG
The WAFSOPSG is invited to:
a) note the information contained in this paper.
————————
WAFSOPSG/6-IP/4
Appendix
APPENDIX
AFTN/ICAO COMPLIANT COLLECTIVES
Below are recently acquired AFTN/ICAO compliant collectives for TAFs, METARs and
SPECIALs, which are assigned to different regions of the United States.
•
•
•
•
Northeastern US…FTUS71, SAUS71 and SPUS71
Southern US……..FTUS72, SAUS72 and SPUS72
Central US……….FTUS73, SAUS73 and SPUS73
Western US………FTUS74, SAUS74 and SPUS74
ALASKA/PACIFIC ……FTUS75, SAUS75 AND SPUS75
— END —