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SADIS WAFS SIGWX API v 1.1

Abstract

The SADIS World Area Forecast Service (WAFS) SIGWX API (the Service) supplies packaged bulletins of Significant Weather data in response to tailored API requests submitted by an end user. This data is provided under the remit of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and can be used to support activities related to aviation.

The Service is provided in accordance with ICAO Annex 3 – Meteorological Service for International Air Navigation and the PANS-MET – Procedures for Air Navigation Services – Meteorology (Doc 10157) and comprises of:

  • Metadata relating to the description and operation of the API.
  • A list of the data payload collections available to request.
  • Four data sets per model run:
      • XML data packaged as IWXXM (per timestep) for ingestion into visualisation software.
      • Polar charts (North and South Pole individually) per timestep – for validation purposes only.
      • Mercator (Global) charts per timestep – for validation purposes only.

Key Features:

  • Data containing all Significant Weather features: CB Cloud, Turbulence, Icing, Tropical Cyclones (up to T+24), Jets, Fronts, Volcanic Events, Tropopause levels and Nuclear events.
  • The forecast period extends out to 48 hours (T+6 through to T+48 at 3-hour intervals).
  • Flight levels FL100-FL600
  • New data produced 4 times per day (0000, 0600,1200,1800).

SADIS WAFS SIGWX API is part of the SADIS API family of offerings developed by the Met Office, which use the Open Geospatial Consortium Environmental Data Retrieval (OGC-EDR) framework. SADIS API includes:

  • SADIS WAFS Gridded Data API
  • SADIS OPMET API

In the event of operational issues with the Service, KKCI (NOAA) data is also available on the WAFC Washington's WIFS API to provide backup.

Categorisation
Service Type

SERVICE_DESCRIPTION

Life Cycle Stage

OPERATIONAL

Business Activity Type
  • AIRSPACE_ORGANISATION_AND_MANAGEMENT
Intended Consumer
  • AERONAUTICAL_INFORMATION_SERVICE_PROVIDER
  • AIR_TRAFFIC_SERVICE_PROVIDER
Information Exchange Category
  • AERONAUTICAL_INFORMATION_EXCHANGE
  • METEOROLOGICAL_INFORMATION_EXCHANGE
Application Message Exchange Pattern
  • SYNCHRONOUS_REQUEST_REPLY
ICAO Region
  • EUR
Geospatial Categorisation Description

Worldwide coverage, where available, of data sets that are disseminated internationally over the Aeronautical Fixed Service and from Worldwide coverage based on gridded forecast data.

Provider
Provider

Met Office

Description

The Met Office is the sole Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) certificated by the UK Civil Aviation Authority to provide and disseminate a range of aviation forecast products and services, in accordance with ICAO Annex 3 to the Chicago Convention, Meteorological Service for international Air Navigation.

ICAO’s Annex 3 provides the main regulatory framework against which the UK is obliged to provide meteorological services, and which the Met Office delivers Met Services against. This ensures that the UK meets its obligations to ICAO to provide safe, efficient and regular air travel.

These services fall into the following main categories:

a) UK services.

b) The World Area Forecast System (WAFS), as provided by World Area Forecast Centre (WAFC) London, in coordination with WAFC Washington.

c) SADIS (Secure Aviation Data Information Service).

d) The Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC) London.

In addition to the ICAO Annex 3 determined services, a range of discretionary services that are determined as a requirement in the UK are also provided. Specific services such as Aviation R&D and the provision of information to NATS are examples of this.

Type
  • REGULATED_METEOROLOGICAL_SERVICE_PROVIDER
Point of Contact

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Contact Information

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