Objectives

The Aviation Division collaborates with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Weather Service (NWS), and the U.S. Air Force. The product of these collaborations is an improved weather forecasting and dissemination capability for use by military and civilian forecasters, local emergency managers, air traffic controllers, and air traffic managers. More opportunities to develop better weather products now exist because of new observing systems, recent advances in understanding the atmosphere, higher performance computing capabilities, and better dissemination of meteorological data. The division comprises three branches: Aviation Gridded Forecast System Branch - Manages the generation of AIVs, the distribution and demon-stration of AGFS analyses and forecasts, and the development of graphics tools required to tailor products for aviation decisionmakers. Model Verification and Production Assistance Branch - Assures the reliability, accuracy, and future production of the AGFS through software configuration management, model verification, and high-performance computing. Staff also collaborate on special projects such as the development of a high-resolution forecast window over Bosnia for the Air Force Global Weather Center (AFGWC). Product Development and Dissemination Branch - Integrates AGFS and other meteorological data into FAA and NWS information systems for operational demonstration within the nation's air traffic and emergency management facilities. In addition to their own activities, staff in the Aviation Division provide support for other FSL divisions to assist in achieving these goals.