EUROCONTROL
EUROCONTROL is an intergovernmental organisation with 41 Member and 2 Comprehensive Agreement States.
Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service 1.0
Abstract
The Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service allows the service consumer to get quantitative volcanic ash information in accordance with ICAO Annex 3 Amdt 82 and PANS-MET. The service consumer can subscribe to the service to receive notification when a new significant ash cloud occurs. It is also possible to send a direct request, using a request-reply mechanism, to the service to get the relevant quantitative volcanic ash information. The meteorological information is issued by the designated Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre (VAAC). The meteorological information is only intended to be used by service consumers within the aviation domain.
Service Type
SWIM_DEFINITION
Business Activity Type
INFORMATION_MANAGEMENT
Intended Consumer
Information Exchange Category
METEOROLOGICAL_INFORMATION_EXCHANGE
Application Message Exchange Pattern Entity
Geospatial Categorisation Description
The service shall offer quantitative volcanic ash information resulting from volcanic eruptions occurring in the service provider's area of responsibility, except when the responsibility of publishing this information has been transferred to another VAAC due to the ash cloud moving into the area of responsibility of this VAAC. The service shall offer the equivalent quantitative volcanic ash information for the areas of responsibility for which the service provider acts as back-up during outages. The service shall offer quantitative volcanic ash information resulting from volcanic eruptions occurring outside the service provider's area of responsibility, when the responsibility of publishing this information has been transferred by another VAAC due to an interruption of the operation. Note: the back-up arrangements are based on mutual agreements between Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre service providers. Note: the ash cloud may extend beyond the area of responsibility.
Provider
Point of Contact
General
Operational Needs
ICAO Annex 3 Amdt 82 and PANS-MET requires that quantitative volcanic ash (QVA) concentration information is provided by designated Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAAC) as part of the International Airways Volcano Watch (IAVW) framework overseen by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The quantitative volcanic ash (QVA) concentration information is provided per volcano in the form of a high-resolution four-dimensional representation of a volcanic ash cloud based on 3-hourly timesteps. New information is provided when there is a significant change in the erupting characteristics or at 6 hourly intervals until the ash is no longer present. The information is intended for use in operator's flight planning and decision support systems allowing, e.g., more efficient routes in accordance with their safety management programme during significant volcanic ash cloud events.
The information as defined in ICAO Annex 3 Amdt 82 and PANS-MET:
- expected dimensions (horizontal and vertical) of significant volcanic ash cloud at four concentration thresholds (0.2mg/m3, 2mg/m3, 5mg/m3 and 10mg/m3)
- gridded deterministic forecast of significant volcanic ash cloud showing the expected ash concentration
- gridded probabilistic forecast of significant volcanic ash cloud showing the probability of exceeding four concentration thresholds (0.2mg/m3, 2mg/m3, 5mg/m3 and 10mg/m3)
Note: significant in this context means an ash cloud that poses a widespread impact to aircraft operations and air navigation.
Capabilities
The service provides high quality, up-to-date, trusted, regulated meteorological information in digital form for use by service consumers within the aviation domain.
Functionality
The service consumer may be able to request a list of volcanoes for which there is information.
The service consumer shall be able to request the latest quantitative volcanic ash information filtered by erupting volcano number, forecast timesteps and logical (e.g. severity threshold) operators.
The service consumer shall be able to request that the quantitative volcanic ash information be returned as polygons (IWXXM) and/or deterministic gridded data (NetCDF) and/or probabilistic gridded data (NetCDF).
The service consumer shall be able to subscribe in order to receive notifications when a significant volcanic ash cloud occurs and unsubscribe when needed.
The service shall distribute a notification detailing how to access the quantitative volcanic ash information when a significant volcanic ash cloud occurs.
Access and Use
It shall be made clear to new service consumers that they must also enter an agreement with the back-up VAACs in case they need to revert to the back-up.
There shall be a service policy to ensure that only service consumers within the aviation domain can use the service. The service policy shall include a requirement that service consumers cannot pass the information obtained from the service to non-aviation users without prior authorisation from the service provider.
There shall be a service consumption constraint to ensure that a service consumer does not impose undue loads on computer and network resources, for example, by polling it at a higher frequency than the status is normally provided.
The service shall ensure consumer authentication in accordance with EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile requirement SWIM-TIYP-0042. The service shall ensure provider authentication in accordance with EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile requirement SWIM-TIYP-0042.
The service shall ensure that satisfactory authorisation is put in place in accordance with EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile requirement SWIM-TIYP-0070.
The service shall ensure point-to-point confidentiality in accordance with EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile through the use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2 or above.
The service shall ensure point-to-point integrity in accordance with EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile through the use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) 1.2 or above.
Quality of Service
The service shall achieve a quality that is sufficient to ensure the service is fit for purpose. The service should ensure that a single user is unable to monopolise a service or to degrade it below agreed service levels for others users.
The service shall achieve a quality that is sufficient to ensure the service is fit for purpose.
The service shall achieve a quality that is sufficient to ensure the service is fit for purpose. Note: the following factors must be used in deciding the fitness for purpose:
-the availability offered by the designated back-up VAACs
- the number of users likely to be delayed significantly by a loss of the service
- the acknowledgement that the availability is expected to be higher when a volcano is erupting
The service shall achieve a quality that is sufficient to ensure the service is fit for purpose.
The service shall ensure confidentiality by using SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile bindings.
The service shall ensure integrity by using SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile bindings.
Quality Of Data
The quality of quantitative volcanic ash information offered by the service shall be verified by the service provider. Information on the quality of the QVA information offered by the service shall be reported annually to the ICAO Met Panel Met Operations working group relating to the IAVW who provide oversight of QVA data provision
Abbreviations
Advanced Message Queuing Protocol
Application Programming Interface
Air Traffic Management
International Airways Volcano Watch
International Civil Aviation Organization
ICAO Meteorological Information Exchange Model
JavaScript Object Notation
Message Exchange Pattern
network Common Data Form
Open Geospatial Consortium
ICAO Procedures for Air Navigation Services â Meteorology
Quantitative Volcanic Ash
System wide information management
Technical Infrastructure
Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile
Transport Layer Security
Uniform Resource Locator
Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre
Web Coverage Service
Web Feature Service
Extensible Markup Language
Information
Information Definition
The IWXXM QVA information shall include feature information for four ash concentration thresholds (≥0.2mg/m3, ≥2.0mg/m3, ≥5.0mg/m3, ≥10mg/m3) in accordance with the QVA IWXXM schema. The probabilistic QVA information shall include the probability of exceeding four ash concentration thresholds (≥0.2mg/m3, ≥2.0mg/m3, ≥5.0mg/m3, ≥10mg/m3) at a 0.25 degree horizontal resolution and for 12 vertical levels in accordance with the NetCDF4 specification for gridded data. The deterministic QVA information shall include an expected ash concentration for each grid point at a 0.25 degree horizontal resolution and for 12 vertical levels in accordance with the NetCDF4 specification for gridded data. All information types shall be provided for the period 0-hours to 24-hours at 3-hourly intervals. Note: the QVA IWXXM schema is expected to be included in the 2025-2 IWXXM release.
Filtering
The Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service Request Interface shall support filtering by volcano number (i.e., the IAVCIE number) and forecast timestep (dateTime). The Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service Request Interface should support filtering of probabilistic information based on the ash concentration threshold (≥0.2mg/m3, ≥2.0mg/m3, ≥5.0mg/m3, ≥0mg/m3). The Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service Request Interface may support filtering based on geographic bounding box defined in the OGC Filter Encoding 2.0 Encoding Standard. The Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service Request Interface shall support the selection of one or more of the supported data set types. If the service implements the OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval Standard, the Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service Subscription Interface shall allow for the selection of subscription based on clearly defined criteria. Note: for example, subscriptions can be for all QVA messages or by volcano number or by data format type (deterministic, probabilistic or in IWXXM format).
Source of Information
The service provider shall ensure that the quantitative volcanic ash information offered by the service is based on data received from the appropriate authorised originating sources. This includes:
- Volcano observatory
- REGULATED_METEOROLOGICAL_SERVICE_PROVIDER acting as a designated VAAC. Note: EUMETSAT may be used to make sure the ash plume corresponds to where it is already being detected by the satellites.
Note: atmospheric modelling techniques are used to generate the output.
- Volcano observatory
- REGULATED_METEOROLOGICAL_SERVICE_PROVIDER acting as a designated VAAC. Note: EUMETSAT may be used to make sure the ash plume corresponds to where it is already being detected by the satellites.
Note: atmospheric modelling techniques are used to generate the output.
Technical
Service Monitoring
A service monitoring mechanism should be made available to service consumers and alert them when the service is unavailable so that they can switch to the back-up service.
Behaviour
The service behaviour shall be in accordance with the patterns detailed in the Message Exchange Patterns: Identification Guidelines.
The typical service behaviour, is:
- The service consumer subscribes to the service
- The service sends notifications to subscribers when QVA information is available that matches their subscription
- The service consumer requests the QVA information using the details contained in the notification
The interfaces that support the service have different behaviour. A combination of an AMQP 1.0 implementation and an OGC implementation shall be used for the basic behaviour.
The typical behaviour for PUBLISH_SUBSCRIBE means that:
- The subscription is handled by either:
- a request-reply implementation (see Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service Subscription Interface) or
- an email request to the service provider.
- The distribution of the notifications is handled by an AMQP 1.0 implementation (see Quantitive Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service Distribution Interface).
- The typical behaviour for SYNCHRONOUS_REQUEST_REPLY (as used in Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Subscription and Request Service Request Interface) is as follows:
- The request message is sent from the service consumer to the service
- The service consumer remains blocked while awaiting the reply
- The service remains blocked while pocessing the reply
- The Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Message, the reply message, is sent from the service to the service consumer.
Interfaces
Allows the service consumer to request filtered quantitative volcanic ash information. Note: this interface is used to group the operations offered by the chosen OGC standard.
Operations
Explanatory Note: The OGC Web Feature Service Interface Standard, Web Coverage Service (WCS) Interface Standard and OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval Standard are used to implement the service operations.It is not the intention to repeat the standardised operations here. However, the table below illustrates how the WFS GetFeature operation would look in the context of this service.
The WFS GetFeature operation returns a selection of features from a data store. It responds to a GetFeature Request message with a Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Message that satisfies the query expressions specified in the request.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Operation Message
Service Interface Binding
The WS Light Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM TIYP. The interface shall use at least one of the following OGC standards:
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as resources:
- OGC API â Environmental Data Retrieval Standard;
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as coverages:
- OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) Interface Standard - Core, version 2.0;
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as features:
- OGC Web Feature Service 2.0 Interface Standard; Note: it is expected that the service will implement the OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval Standard by November 2026.
Allows the service consumer to subscribe to the service. It allows the service consumer to manage the subscriptions e.g. to unsubscribe. Note: this can be handled by a separate dedicated subscription service. Note: some service providers will prefer to receive subscription requests by email.
Operations
The standard operations for subscription and subscription management. The following operations shall be implement at a minimum:
-subscribe
-unsubscribe.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Service Interface Binding
The WS Light Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1.
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile.
Allows the service provider to distribute notifications when a new significant ash cloud occurs meeting the need of the service consumer that has subscribed for updates.
Operations
This operation allows the service provider to publish Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Notifications to service consumers based on their subscriptions.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Operation Message
Service Interface Binding
The AMQP_MESSAGING Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM TIYP. AMQP 1.0 shall be used to distribute messages as explained in the Publish/Subscribe Push MEP: Implementation Guidance.
Allows the service consumer to request filtered quantitative volcanic ash information. Note: this interface is used to group the operations offered by the chosen OGC standard.
Operations
Explanatory Note: The OGC Web Feature Service Interface Standard, Web Coverage Service (WCS) Interface Standard and OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval Standard are used to implement the service operations.It is not the intention to repeat the standardised operations here. However, the table below illustrates how the WFS GetFeature operation would look in the context of this service.
The WFS GetFeature operation returns a selection of features from a data store. It responds to a GetFeature Request message with a Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Message that satisfies the query expressions specified in the request.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Operation Message
Service Interface Binding
The WS Light Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM TIYP. The interface shall use at least one of the following OGC standards:
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as resources:
- OGC API â Environmental Data Retrieval Standard;
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as coverages:
- OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) Interface Standard - Core, version 2.0;
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as features:
- OGC Web Feature Service 2.0 Interface Standard; Note: it is expected that the service will implement the OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval Standard by November 2026.
Allows the service consumer to subscribe to the service. It allows the service consumer to manage the subscriptions e.g. to unsubscribe. Note: this can be handled by a separate dedicated subscription service. Note: some service providers will prefer to receive subscription requests by email.
Operations
The standard operations for subscription and subscription management. The following operations shall be implement at a minimum:
-subscribe
-unsubscribe.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Service Interface Binding
The WS Light Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1.
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile.
Allows the service provider to distribute notifications when a new significant ash cloud occurs meeting the need of the service consumer that has subscribed for updates.
Operations
This operation allows the service provider to publish Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Notifications to service consumers based on their subscriptions.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Operation Message
Service Interface Binding
The AMQP_MESSAGING Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM TIYP. AMQP 1.0 shall be used to distribute messages as explained in the Publish/Subscribe Push MEP: Implementation Guidance.
Allows the service consumer to request filtered quantitative volcanic ash information. Note: this interface is used to group the operations offered by the chosen OGC standard.
Operations
Explanatory Note: The OGC Web Feature Service Interface Standard, Web Coverage Service (WCS) Interface Standard and OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval Standard are used to implement the service operations.It is not the intention to repeat the standardised operations here. However, the table below illustrates how the WFS GetFeature operation would look in the context of this service.
The WFS GetFeature operation returns a selection of features from a data store. It responds to a GetFeature Request message with a Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Message that satisfies the query expressions specified in the request.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Operation Message
Service Interface Binding
The WS Light Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM TIYP. The interface shall use at least one of the following OGC standards:
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as resources:
- OGC API â Environmental Data Retrieval Standard;
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as coverages:
- OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) Interface Standard - Core, version 2.0;
- for services that exchange the meteorological information as features:
- OGC Web Feature Service 2.0 Interface Standard; Note: it is expected that the service will implement the OGC API - Environmental Data Retrieval Standard by November 2026.
Allows the service consumer to subscribe to the service. It allows the service consumer to manage the subscriptions e.g. to unsubscribe. Note: this can be handled by a separate dedicated subscription service. Note: some service providers will prefer to receive subscription requests by email.
Operations
The standard operations for subscription and subscription management. The following operations shall be implement at a minimum:
-subscribe
-unsubscribe.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Service Interface Binding
The WS Light Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1.
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile.
Allows the service provider to distribute notifications when a new significant ash cloud occurs meeting the need of the service consumer that has subscribed for updates.
Operations
This operation allows the service provider to publish Quantitative Volcanic Ash Information Notifications to service consumers based on their subscriptions.
Idempotent
IDEMPOTENT
Operation Message
Service Interface Binding
The AMQP_MESSAGING Interface Binding as detailed in the EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure Yellow Profile, edition 1.1
Network Interface Binding
The service shall use the network bindings of the SWIM TIYP. AMQP 1.0 shall be used to distribute messages as explained in the Publish/Subscribe Push MEP: Implementation Guidance.
Revision Save Date
Thu, 09/12/2024 - 11:04
Schema version
v2