Improving
weather awareness during all aircraft flight phases is a challenging issue for
the aviation industry. To achieve this heightened awareness, a system has been
developed that detects and shows the most critical phenomena, such as
turbulence, icing and thunderstorms. This new system has been researched and
developed by CIRA, the Italian Aerospace Research Center within the PRORA
program (the Italian Aerospace Research Program, funded by the Italian
Ministry of Education, University and Research), within the TECVOL-II project
(technologies for autonomous flight). The main aims of the project have been
to develop technologies that can achieve high levels of autonomy and improve
the reliability and safety of a flight and the flexibility of operations, and
development of automated systems to support the pilot of a ‘personal air
vehicle’. Within this framework, Meteo System and Instrumentation Laboratory
has created the Meteo Service Center (MSC), an advanced platform providing
multisource aviation-critical weather information.