The system as described collects and utilizes weather data sensor information in order to rapidly collect and update weather forecasts using real-time weather data collected at high rates of frequency, and use this collected high frequency weather data to rapidly correct and update the weather forecasts generated by the system.

Improved mechanisms for collecting information from a diverse suite of sensors and systems, calculating the current precipitation, atmospheric water vapor, atmospheric liquid water content, or precipitable water and other atmospheric-based phenomena, for example presence and intensity of fog, based upon these sensor readings, predicting future precipitation and atmospheric-based phenomena, and estimating effects of the atmospheric-based phenomena on visibility, for example by calculating runway visible range (RVR) estimates and forecasts based on the atmospheric-based phenomena.

Systems and methods are for determining and/or forecasting local atmospheric stability and/or turbulence. This information can be used to inform decisions regarding crop spraying, such as whether the atmospheric conditions are sufficiently turbulent to avoid airborne spray fines drifting in an undesirable manner. For example, a spray drift hazard alert system can include a data logger. The data logger is configured to: receive local meteorological observation data from one or more sensors at a location, analyze the data to determine a local vertical turbulence characteristic indicative of a current level of vertical turbulence at the location, compare the vertical turbulence characteristic with a predetermined threshold of the vertical turbulence characteristic, and transmit information to a client device indicating whether local meteorological conditions are suitable for crop spraying based on the comparison between the vertical turbulence characteristic and the predetermined threshold.

A system and method are provided for receiving light that has traveled from an optical source through an atmosphere along a distance. The system includes: a receiver lens system having an aperture and being arranged to receive the light from the optical source; a beam splitter; an imaging lens; an image processing component; a photodetector system; and a refractive index structure parameter component. The photodetector system outputs data associated with averaged scintillation data of the aperture. The image processing component generates a normalized covariance curve based on a first portion of the received light. The refractive index structure parameter component generates a refractive index structure parameter, C.sub.n.sup.2, of the atmosphere along the distance based on the data associated with averaged scintillation data of the aperture and the normalized covariance curve.

A wind forecasting system configured to generate forecasted wind conditions for a time interval based on wind data derived from flight log data collected from a plurality of aerial vehicles operating in a first area. The forecasted wind conditions can be used by an aerial route management system to generate a flight plan for an aerial vehicle from a start location to an end location in the first area during the time interval.

The present disclosure is of an atmospheric characterization system that has a central processing board that has a first and a second communication interface. Further, the atmospheric characterization system further has a first precision temperature sensor that is communicatively coupled to the central processing board via the first communication interface and positioned a distance from a first side of the processing board, wherein the precision temperature measures a first temperature and transfers data indicative of the first temperature to the central processing board. In addition, the atmospheric characterization system has a second precision temperature sensor that is communicatively coupled to the central processing board via the second communication interface and positioned the distance from a second opposing side of the processing board such that the first precision temperature sensor and the second precision temperature sensor are equidistance from the processing board and a distance between the first precision sensor and the second precision sensor is a predetermined distance, r, and the second precision temperature sensor measures a second temperature and transfers data indicative of the second temperature to the central processing board simultaneously with the transferring of the first temperature. Additionally, the atmospheric characterization system has a processor that receives the first temperature and the second temperature and calculates a value indicative of atmospheric turbulence based upon the first temperature and the second temperature, wherein the value indicative of the atmospheric turbulence is used for designing, modifying, calibrating, or correcting an optical system.

The system as described collects and utilizes weather data sensor information in order to rapidly collect and update weather forecasts using real-time weather data collected at high rates of frequency, and use this collected high frequency weather data to rapidly correct and update the weather forecasts generated by the system.

Exemplary practice of the present invention provides an air vehicle and at least one interferometric double-path fiber optic sensor connected with the air vehicle. Each fiber optic sensor includes a pair of optical fibers, viz., an optical sensing fiber and an optical reference fiber, in a parallel and propinquus relationship. The paired optical fibers of each fiber optic sensor are attached to the air vehicle either (i) circumferentially around the fuselage or (ii) lengthwise along the fuselage or (iii) span-wise along the wings and across the fuselage, and are configured whereby the sensing fiber is exposed to the atmosphere and the reference fiber is not. Each fiber optic sensor senses atmospheric infrasound but does not sense atmospheric wind noise, which is negated by incoherency associated with design lengthiness of the optical fiber pair. Noise and strain due to temperature, vibration, and propulsion are neutralized via interferometric common mode rejection.

Systems and aircraft are provided. An avionics system includes a storage device and one or more data processors. The storage device stores instructions for monitoring an actual performance of the aircraft. The one or more data processors are configured to execute the instructions to: determine a first measured value of a flight characteristic of the aircraft at a first position of the aircraft; execute at least one flight maneuver between the first position and a second position of the aircraft; generate a predicted energy change between the first position and the second position based on the at least one flight maneuver and an energy state model; determine a second measured value of the flight characteristic of the aircraft at the second position; and generate an adjustment to the energy state model based on the first measured value, the second measured value, and the predicted energy change.

Systems, aircraft, and non-transitory media are provided. An avionics system for an aircraft includes a storage device and one or more data processors. The storage device stores instructions for monitoring an actual performance of the aircraft. The one or more data processors are configured to execute the instructions to: generate a lateral component and a longitudinal component of a measured moving air mass relative to the aircraft; generate a plurality of wind independent positions of the aircraft along a potential aircraft trajectory based on a prediction model; and generate a plurality of wind corrected positions of the aircraft based on the plurality of wind independent positions, on the lateral component, and on the longitudinal component.