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World Area Forecast Centre
A World Area Forecast Centre (WAFC) is a meteorological centre that provides real-time meteorological information broadcasts for aviation purposes. These broadcasts are supervised by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in order to fulfill requirements of the ICAO Annex 3 covering meteorological information which is necessary for flights. The role of the WAFCs is to provide meteorological messages with worldwide coverage for pilot briefing. They are usually part of the Pre-Flight Information Bulletin (PIB). WAFC provides various types of data, including OPMET information, T4 charts (which are currently obsolete but some portions are still distributed due to legacy reasons), and GRIB and BUFR charts - these are Wind and Temperature charts and SIGWX charts (Significant Weather Chart) for SWH (high levels) and SWM (medium levels). There are only two World Area Forecast Centres, each providing a backup for the other. These are the UK Met Office and Washington NOAA, work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meteorological
Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not begin until the 18th century. The 19th century saw modest progress in the field after weather observation networks were formed across broad regions. Prior attempts at prediction of weather depended on historical data. It was not until after the elucidation of the laws of physics, and more particularly in the latter half of the 20th century the development of the computer (allowing for the automated solution of a great many modelling equations) that significant breakthroughs in weather forecasting were achieved. An important branch of weather forecasting is marine weather forecasting as it relates to maritime and coastal safety, in which weather effects also include atmospheric interactions with large bodies of water. Meteorological phenom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), in a :wikt:one-to-many, one-to-many model. Broadcasting began with AM radio, which came into popular use around 1920 with the spread of vacuum tube radio transmitters and radio receiver, receivers. Before this, all forms of electronic communication (early radio, telephone, and telegraph) were wikt:one-to-one, one-to-one, with the message intended for a single recipient. The term ''broadcasting'' evolved from its use as the agricultural method of sowing seeds in a field by casting them broadly about. It was later adopted for describing the widespread distribution of information by printed materials or by telegraph. Examples applying it to "one-to-many" radio transmissions of an individual station to multiple listeners appeared as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aviation
Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes fixed-wing and rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as lighter-than-air craft such as hot air balloons and airships. Aviation began in the 18th century with the development of the hot air balloon, an apparatus capable of atmospheric displacement through buoyancy. Some of the most significant advancements in aviation technology came with the controlled gliding flying of Otto Lilienthal in 1896; then a large step in significance came with the construction of the first powered airplane by the Wright brothers in the early 1900s. Since that time, aviation has been technologically revolutionized by the introduction of the jet which permitted a major form of transport throughout the world. Etymology The word ''aviation'' was coined by the French writer and former naval officer Gabriel La Landelle in 1863. He derived the term from the v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international scheduled air transport, air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ICAO headquarters are located in the ''Quartier international de Montréal, Quartier International'' of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The ICAO Council adopts standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation, its infrastructure, flight inspection, prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international civil aviation. ICAO defines the protocols for Aviation accidents and incidents, air accident investigation that are followed by :Organizations investigating aviation accidents and incidents, transport safety authorities in countries signatory to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Air Navigat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ICAO headquarters are located in the '' Quartier International'' of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The ICAO Council adopts standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation, its infrastructure, flight inspection, prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international civil aviation. ICAO defines the protocols for air accident investigation that are followed by transport safety authorities in countries signatory to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Air Navigation Commission (ANC) is the technical body within ICAO. The commission is composed of 19 commissioners, nominated by the ICAO's contracting states and appo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
T4 Charts
T4 or T-4 may refer to: Airports and airlines * Heathrow Terminal 4 * Tiyas Military Airbase, also known as the T-4 Airbase Biology and medicine * T4 phage, a bacteriophage * Thyroxine (T4), a form of thyroid hormone * the T4 spinal nerve * the fourth thoracic vertebrae of the vertebral column * A non-small cell lung carcinoma staging for a type of tumour * A CD4 + T lymphocyte * T4: an EEG electrode site according to the 10-20 system Entertainment * ''T4'' (Channel 4), the former daytime teen-aimed slot on Channel 4 in the UK * ''Terminator Salvation'', sometimes referred to as ''Terminator 4'' * '' Transformers: Age of Extinction'', the fourth film in the live-action ''Transformers'' film series Computing * SPARC T4, a microprocessor introduced by Oracle Microelectronics in 2011 Software and video games * Text Template Transformation Toolkit, a technology developed by Microsoft * ''Tekken 4'', a fighting game Electricity production * Lockheed Martin's High beta ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GRIB
GRIB (GRIdded Binary or General Regularly-distributed Information in Binary form) is a concise data format commonly used in meteorology to store historical and forecast weather data. It is standardized by the World Meteorological Organization's Commission for Basic Systems, known under number GRIB FM 92-IX, described in WMO Manual on Codes No.306. Currently there are three versions of GRIB. Version 0 was used to a limited extent by projects such as TOGA, and is no longer in operational use. The first edition (current sub-version is 2) is used operationally worldwide by most meteorological centers, for Numerical Weather Prediction output (NWP). A newer generation has been introduced, known as GRIB second edition, and data is slowly changing over to this format. Some of the second-generation GRIB are used for derived product distributed in Eumetcast of Meteosat Second Generation. Another example is the NAM (North American Mesoscale) model. Format GRIB files are a collection of s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
BUFR
The Binary Universal Form for the Representation of meteorological data (BUFR) is a binary data format maintained by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The latest version is BUFR Edition 4. BUFR Edition 3 is also considered current for operational use. BUFR was created in 1988 with the goal of replacing the WMO's dozens of character-based, position-driven meteorological codes, such as SYNOP (surface observations), TEMP (upper air soundings) and CLIMAT (monthly climatological data). BUFR was designed to be portable, compact, and universal. Any kind of data can be represented, along with its specific spatial/temporal context and any other associated metadata. In the WMO terminology, BUFR belongs to the category of ''table-driven code forms'', where the meaning of data elements is determined by referring to a set of tables that are kept and maintained separately from the message itself. BUFR is a complex format that can be difficult to use and it presents some weaknesses. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SIGWX
{{refimprove, date=June 2010 SIGWX is a Significant Weather Chart defined by ICAO. Weather charts being issued by World Area Forecast Centres (from meteorological offices in London and Washington), presenting the most important meteorological phenomena relevant especially for air traffic transport. WAFC publishes them in two formats * BUFR code * PNG images Charts are typically being issued every six hours (0, 6, 12, 18 UTC). The SIGWX charts only show the forecast for the specific hour, however it is common place for parameters such as the JetStream, CAT & CB to be interpreted +/- 3 hours of the chart validity time. . Prognoses are typically prepared for two ranges of heights: * SWH - High Level SIGWX (Flight level 250-630) * SWM - Medium Level SIGWX (Flight level 100-450) Weather phenomena: * Cloud - including information about cloud type, height of base and top, turbulence and icing risk * Clear Air Turbulence - including base and top height, strength of turbulence * Jet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SIGWX Chart
{{refimprove, date=June 2010 SIGWX is a Significant Weather Chart defined by ICAO. Weather charts being issued by World Area Forecast Centres (from meteorological offices in London and Washington), presenting the most important meteorological phenomena relevant especially for air traffic transport. WAFC publishes them in two formats * BUFR code * PNG images Charts are typically being issued every six hours (0, 6, 12, 18 UTC). The SIGWX charts only show the forecast for the specific hour, however it is common place for parameters such as the JetStream, CAT & CB to be interpreted +/- 3 hours of the chart validity time. . Prognoses are typically prepared for two ranges of heights: * SWH - High Level SIGWX (Flight level 250-630) * SWM - Medium Level SIGWX (Flight level 100-450) Weather phenomena: * Cloud - including information about cloud type, height of base and top, turbulence and icing risk * Clear Air Turbulence - including base and top height, strength of turbulence * Jet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Met Office
The Meteorological Office, abbreviated as the Met Office, is the United Kingdom's national weather service. It is an executive agency and trading fund of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is led by CEO Penelope Endersby, who took on the role as Chief Executive in December 2018 and is the first woman to do so. The Met Office makes meteorological predictions across all timescales from weather forecasts to climate change. History The Met Office was established on 1 August 1854 as a small department within the Board of Trade under Vice Admiral (Royal Navy), Vice Admiral Robert FitzRoy as a service to sailor, mariners. The loss of the passenger vessel, the Royal Charter (ship), ''Royal Charter'', and 459 lives off the coast of Anglesey in a violent storm in October 1859 led to the first gale warning service. FitzRoy established a network of 15 coastal stations from which visual gale warnings could be provided for ships at sea. The new electric tele ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
