The technology disclosed teaches a method of path planning using a GNSS Forecast, requesting the GNSS Forecast of signal obscuration on behalf of a vehicle travelling in a region, receiving and using the Forecast to plan a path or route that has GNSS signals available over the path or route that satisfy a predetermined criterium. Also taught are GNSS Forecasts and planned paths or routes for a plurality of flying vehicles used by a flight control system, requesting the GNSS Forecast of signal obscuration on behalf of a flying autonomous or automated vehicle travelling in a region, receiving and using the Forecast and to plan a path with GNSS signals available over the path that satisfy predetermined criteria including accommodating real-time changes in flight paths, without leaving space, that satisfies the predetermined criteria. Also taught is certifying performance of GNSS receivers used on a flying vessel.

A weather forecasting system may receive satellite image samples and identify an updraft and components of the updraft within a cloud. These satellite image samples are collected over time (e.g., at 30 second to 1 minute time intervals). The system may identify an area of rotation and/or divergence at cloud top in a cumulus cloud or mature convective storm over time by comparing the samples and determine a parameter indicative of the updraft based on the area of rotation and divergence. The system may estimate aspects of the environment related to storm development and predict the occurrence of a weather event in the future based on the parameter and generate an output indicative of the occurrence.

Methods and systems for automating processes of receiving, prioritizing, and grouping weather data into a weather event, extent of weather event, and an associated duration for presentation on a displayed mission timeline in an aircraft having a flight plan (FP). The method includes: receiving, by a controller circuit, weather data, aircraft state data, and aircraft system status data; identifying a weather phenomenon that impacts the FP and creating an information structure for the weather phenomenon, the information structure including at least a type, a subtype, a severity, a start of impact and an end of impact. The method also includes presenting a weather event indicator overlaid on the mission timeline to indicate the weather phenomenon. The rendering of the weather event indicator on the mission timeline additionally depicts on the mission timeline: a start, an end, and duration of the weather event.

Systems, apparatuses, and methods for acquiring information regarding weather conditions along a flightpath from other aircraft and incorporating that information into a flight path optimization and planning system. The system and methods may acquire substantially real-time information from pilots or other crew who have encountered a weather system or event (e.g., a wind direction or speed measurement, an observation of a storm or lightning, an observation of a difficulty in controlling an aircraft, unexpected excessive turbulence, etc.) and share that information with other airborne pilots or crew, either directly or using a ground-based server. The server may receive and process the acquired information and determine which aircraft may be likely to encounter or be impacted by a weather system or event for which it has received additional weather-related data and information.

Disclosed is method for determining improved flight trajectory 208. The method comprises receiving one or more weather parameters to determine contrail forecast data; receiving one or more flight parameters associated with at least one aircraft 204 to determine flight data thereof; receiving flight schedule comprising at least one flight plan 206 of at least one aircraft; analyzing at least one flight plan to determine at least one navigational avoidance between at least two aircraft; determining contrail likelihood associated with at least one aircraft; altering one or more flight parameters to determine improved flight trajectory for at least one flight plan; sending at least one flight plan including improved flight trajectory to at least one aircraft; and validating improved flight trajectory using imagery data, when at least one aircraft flies according to at least one flight plan including improved flight trajectory. Disclosed also is system 200 for determining improved flight trajectory.

There is provided the turbulence prediction system or the turbulence prediction method that predicts a zone in a prediction area where the possibility of the occurrence of a turbulence is high at a determination time point. The problem is solved by the turbulence prediction system or the turbulence prediction method that makes a plurality of pieces of turbulence prediction pattern data regarding an arbitrary meteorological parameter that is made based on meteorological data regarding the arbitrary meteorological parameter at a zone where a turbulence occurred in the past, makes determination-purposed meteorological data based on meteorological data regarding the arbitrary meteorological parameter for the prediction area at the determination time point, calculates a portion having a high degree of similarity between the determination-purposed meteorological data and the plurality of pieces of turbulence prediction pattern data, and determines the location having the high degree of similarity as a zone having a high possibility of the occurrence of a turbulence in the prediction area.

An atmospheric turbulence detection method includes: providing a temperature difference measuring device including a thermocouple element and two sensing probes, wherein the thermocouple element has two opposite end portions, the two sensing probes are respectively disposed at the two end portions, and there is an ambient distance between the two end portions; placing the temperature difference measuring device in an atmospheric environment to generate an electromotive force by a temperature difference between the two end portions; analyzing the electromotive force to convert the electromotive force into an ambient temperature difference of an environment where the two end portions of the thermocouple element are located, an atmospheric refractive index structure constant is calculated according to the ambient temperature difference and the ambient distance, and a value of the atmospheric refractive index structure constant corresponds to an ambient disturbance of an atmospheric turbulence. An atmospheric turbulence detection device is also provided.

Systems and methods for enabling consistent smooth takeoffs and landings of vertical and/or short-runway takeoff and landing aircraft at sites with gusty conditions. The system includes a network of wind measurement stations deployed around the perimeter of a takeoff/landing site for spatio-temporally characterizing wind fluctuations (e.g., wind gusts) that enter a volume of airspace overlying the site, data processing means for deriving information about the fluctuations from the wind measurements, communication means for transmitting disturbance information to the aircraft, and a flight control system onboard the aircraft that is configured to use the disturbance information to control the aircraft in a manner that compensates for the fluctuations. The wind measurement units may include laser Doppler anemometers, sound detection and ranging systems or other devices capable of simultaneous spatially and temporally resolved wind measurements.

An apparatus for detecting and evaluating turbulence for an aircraft. The apparatus contains a measuring device for acquiring a value, which indicates a movement of the aircraft relative to the earth, and a second measuring device for acquiring a second value, which indicates a movement of the aircraft relative to the air. The apparatus contains a computing system which receives the two values and determines a difference between the first value and the second value and, on the basis of the difference, a turbulence intensity. The computing system compares the second value with a predefined value range and classifies turbulence as classified turbulence if the second value departs from the predefined value range. The computing system determines the frequency of occurrence of such classified turbulences and detects a turbulent flight state on the basis of the determined turbulence intensity and the frequency of occurrence of the classified turbulences.

The technology disclosed teaches a method of path planning using a GNSS Forecast, requesting the GNSS Forecast of signal obscuration on behalf of a vehicle travelling in a region, receiving and using the Forecast to plan a path or route that has GNSS signals available over the path or route that satisfy a predetermined criterium. Also taught are GNSS Forecasts and planned paths or routes for a plurality of flying vehicles used by a flight control system, requesting the GNSS Forecast of signal obscuration on behalf of a flying autonomous or automated vehicle travelling in a region, receiving and using the Forecast and to plan a path with GNSS signals available over the path that satisfy predetermined criteria including accommodating real-time changes in flight paths, without leaving space, that satisfies the predetermined criteria. Also taught is certifying performance of GNSS receivers used on a flying vessel.