WO2009094173A1

WO2009094173A1 - Method, system and apparatus for providing weather decision information to mobile users

Info

Publication number: WO2009094173A1
Application number: PCT/US2009/000425
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marty Ra Mosier
Original assignee: Weather Decisions, Inc.
Priority date: 2008-01-22
Filing date: 2009-01-22
Publication date: 2009-07-30

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus (100) for providing location specific real time weather and other time critical high value decision support information to pilots, mariners, and other mobile users is disclosed. Ground facilities obtain global weather and other time critical information from a variety of sources (101). Based on individual user's position (107), route, type of aircraft or ship, and/or other factors, the ground facilities extract relevant information and provide this to the user via the Internet (105), satellite (104), ground based wireless data link (103), or other data communication means. When received, the information is used by on-board software (108), which can account for the aircraft or ship's characteristics, location, route, speed, heading, and/or other factors, and create unique depictions that allow for rapid assimilation and interpretation to support tactical decision making to improve user safety, efficiency and/or comfort. Also disclosed is a similar capability where the processing is done on the ground (102) with the presentation information being delivered to the aircraft or ship (107), and where the decision support capability is also provided to a fleet management facility (102) to support collaborative decision making.

Description

METHOD, SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING WEATHER DECISION

INFORMATION TO MOBILE USERS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U. S. C. §119 (e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application. No. 61/022,790, filed on January 22, 2008 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present application relates to a method, system and apparatus for providing weather decision information to mobile users. Particularly, the present invention provides a method, system and apparatus for providing updated weather, situational and route information for rapid decision making by mobile users.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Traditionally, to ensure safety, optimize efficiency, and maximize passenger comfort, weather decision users such as drivers, pilots and mariners must have a current, accurate, and comprehensive understanding of all factors that affect their voyage. It is highly important to these users' situational awareness to readily understand updated current and forecast weather conditions at the users' location and along the planned route of operation. To be effective, this information must be presented to these and other users in a manner that allows them to understand the environmental situation and to have the tools necessary to evaluate alternative courses of action.

[0004] Generally, in an attempt to address these needs, there are numerous sources of weather and other information that weather decision users can consult prior to embarking on the voyage, and utilize various weather decision technologies. These sources, which are available using the Internet, voice conversations, or briefings from weather personnel, provide users with the conditions that are forecast to occur at least along the planned route during the planned voyage. Software tools are available that can evaluate the planned route taking into account the weather situation and can provide estimates for the planned route of various parameters such as Estimated Time En-route (ETE) , fuel consumption, turbulence and icing concern areas, and so forth. Users can then evaluate alternative routes scenarios in terms of ETE, fuel consumption, and/or comfort to allow selection of the best route given the forecast weather conditions. This optimization process, although reasonably well supported by automated decision support tools, can require significant manual user involvement. In certain scenarios, such software can be used in flight by pilots using weather information that is sent to the airplane wirelessly via satellite broadcast, two-way data links and/or ground based radio systems (for example, the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (hereinafter "ACARS") is a digital data-link system that is used by commercial airliners for transmission of small messages which can include text weather information) . However, these traditional tools and applications have drawbacks. For example, in flight, these tools and applications are very difficult to use as they frequently require much more time and manual involvement than pilots and other users have available given the demands of flying the aircraft, communicating with Air Traffic Control (ATC), supporting passenger needs, and so forth.

[0005] Conventional systems provide weather information using traditional weather map indications which do not present the information in a way that can easily be evaluated in their totality to understand the effect of changes. The determination of the optimum flight path is a very complex calculation, particularly given the fact that conditions change with altitude and geographically along the course. For example, with conventional systems is difficult for a pilot in flight to be able to do all the required calculations in their head, or easily enough to be able to perform them while attending to other pilot duties.

[0006] Historically pilots have received weather briefings prior to flight by looking at or receiving briefings from weather experts using different types of standard weather charts and text printouts. For example, National Oceanic Aviation Administration (hereinafter "NOAA") provides on its Web site, surface to wind charts Fig. 2, item 200 and turbulence charts Fig. 3, item 300 without further information relative to a specific vehicle (such as an airplane) .

[0007] Additionally, NOAA has also provided charts and text tables on a website that are useful and convey information about the weather conditions (Figs. 4a and 4b, items 400a and 400b) . These charts and text tables are not generally easy for a pilot, once airborne, to use to make in-flight decisions. For example, Fig. 2 provides surface winds information, however, does not provide any more information that may be essential to a vehicle operator. Similarly, plots can be obtained at different altitudes. The wind barbs depict the direction that the wind is blowing and the number of barbs provides a visual indication of velocity. Similar information is available in text form as shown in Figs. 4a (item 400a) and 4b (item 400b) . In Figs. 4a and 4b, all entries in the text table are referenced to true north and each row of the table corresponds to a specific ground station with the entries going across representing the values at different altitudes. [0008] The challenge for a pilot in flight is that neither of these formats provides the winds aloft information in a form that makes it easy to use for decision-making. The winds aloft information is useful to a pilot since the amount of headwind or tailwind at a given altitude directly adds to or subtracts from the aircraft's ground speed; therefore, there is a strong desire to fly the airplane at an altitude where the degree of tailwind is maximized. The conventional system using these formats does not allow pilot do readily make these decisions. For example, a first graphical presentation, when the route is manually drawn on it or mentally envisioned as being drawn on it, can provide a general picture of whether one has a headwind or a tailwind, but cannot provide an accurate indication of the actual values. In addition, since there is a different chart for every few thousand feet of altitude, one may need several different charts to cover a route. The text tables provide more precise information but, to be useful, the pilot must locate the reporting stations, determine which are closest to the planned route and then, taking into account the aircraft's direction of flight, calculate the relative headwind or tailwind component and then assess the resultant impact on the aircraft's ground speed. This process requires a great deal of manual attention and time. To understand the impact of flying at a different altitude, which is a common technique to optimize ground speed and thus reduce flight time, fuel use, and operating costs, the process must be repeated for each possible altitude. This is simply not practical in flight.

[0009] Traditionally, there are a number of options for receiving weather in flight, delivered to the aircraft either by satellite or from ground transmitters. A typical display from one of these services (for example, WxWorx) is offered through a satellite radio service, is shown in Fig. 5.

[0010] Fig. 5 shows a WxWorx graphical image showing an aircraft en-route with weather information 500. Although allowing the user to see the location of their aircraft and zoom the display in, the graphical image still presents the winds that are shown as barbed arrows for specific altitudes that the user must select. For example, a pilot viewing the image graphical user interface, in the aircraft as shown in Fig. 5, has other demands on his/her time, such as flying the airplane and talking to Air Traffic Control (hereinafter "ATC") . This graphical image is essentially useless in answering the question the pilot wants answered quickly, "What altitude and route should I fly to get to my destination in the shortest amount of time" . The decision making process is made more complex by the fact that the aircraft performance also changes with altitude, which to arrive at the optimum answer, must also be taken into account.

[0011] Conventional systems, such as the one shown in Fig.5, lack presentation formats for aeronautical weather information that are more appropriate for pilots and can be used to answer the questions they need answered easily and quickly.

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention address at least the drawbacks associated with conventional weather decision systems, therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0013] As noted above, exemplary embodiments of the present invention address at least the above problems and/or disadvantages, and provide at least the advantages described below. [0014] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a user friendly, easy to operate, and easy to assimilate real time weather decision support method, system and apparatus that make it possible to for user to quickly evaluate updated weather information and rapidly determine how such information will affect their voyage. Exemplary embodiments provide for real time routing and/or other decisions making to increase safety, reduce time en-route, and/or improve passenger comfort .

[0015] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide for various presentation formats for different weather information to create an effective user decision support system. Various methods, systems and apparatuses, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, provide for receiving weather information, taking into account vehicle performance, planned route, passenger comfort considerations, and other factors to create a combined display that provides information of the impact of the weather conditions on the voyage. For example, the display can provide information for the voyage, on the current route as well as on optional alternative routes, in terms of user definable performance parameters.

[0016] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method, system and apparatus for a remote operator of an unmanned vehicle or remotely located support personnel to evaluate real time weather information allowing rapid assimilation to the weather situation so the remote operator can make real time decisions or provide recommendations to the vehicle operator.

[0017] This invention is intended to address the need for weather decision support to eliminate the need for users to attempt to assimilate large amounts of weather information and attempt to interpret how to best make use of this information to make real time decisions to optimize their voyage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The above and other exemplary features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of certain exemplary embodiments thereof when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0019] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a weather information delivery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Fig. 2 is an image showing sea-level pressure and surface wind speed, according to the conventional art.

[0021] Fig. 3 is an image showing turbulence data, according to the conventional art .

[0022] Figs. 4a and 4b show text and table information provided by NOAA regarding weather conditions, according to the conventional art.

[0023] Fig. 5 is an image showing graphical image showing an aircraft en-route with weather information, according to the conventional art.

[0024] Fig. 6 shows image of a matrix presentation where different amounts of deviation from the planned route, higher, lower, to the left and to the right, are shown on the display device with color coding and numerical values to show the relative estimated remaining time en-route if the route were to be changed the indicated amount, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Fig 7 shows a two dimensional slice for a given altitude showing if there may be a reduction in flight time by deviating to the left or right of the planned course, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Fig. 8 shows a three-dimensional view to indicate the optimum route based on winds at different altitudes and left/right adjustment, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Fig. 9 is a flow diagram showing the series of operations carried out by the method, system and apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [0028] Fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing a series of operations carried out by the method, system and apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. [0029] Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like elements, features and structures .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The matters exemplified in this description are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the present invention described with reference to the accompanying drawing figures. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the exemplary embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness. Likewise, certain naming conventions, labels and terms as used in the context of the present disclosure are, as would be understood by skilled artisans, non-limiting and provided only for illustrative purposes to facilitate understanding of certain exemplary implementations of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0031] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide the benefit of reducing mental post -processing that pilots must perform on weather information to assess the impact on their flight and to support a decision if a change to the flight plan is needed. For example, by automating analysis of updated weather information and then presenting the results in a graphical format that provides near- immediate recognition of the optimum routing decision along with information as to the degree of improvement that can be achieved by different courses of action with respect to all three important parameters of safety, efficiency and comfort.

[0032] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention overcome drawbacks of conventional weather decision processes and technologies by providing a display device and user interface that can present the effects of changes to a planned route, from the point where the aircraft is until the destination is reached, in a graphical way that eliminates the need to mentally or manually post-process potentially large amounts of raw available weather information.

[0033] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a display format that is immediately understandable for making current and future in-flight decisions.

[0034] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide for weather information that cover an portion of a travel route, information including but not limited to duration and route of the voyage, a range of altitudes, a range of distances in any direction (such as left and right direction) away from the planned route, alone or in any combination. According to exemplary implementations, this information, alone or in combination with vehicle performance data, provides for evaluating the remaining flight for a range of altitudes above and below the current planned altitude and for a range of offset distances from the planned route. These alternatives flight paths are evaluated to determine various parameters, such as the ETE, fuel information (for example, used and/or remaining), safety parameters, and/or a parameter related to passenger comfort such as turbulence, icing status

(for example, probability of icing), en-route visibility, and/or any factor that is considered important to the vehicle operator or decision support center (for example, a fleet management center) .

[0035] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a system, method and apparatus for use of an onboard or ground based computer to automatically evaluate the initial and updated weather information and using the aircraft's performance and desired route, to determine the impact of different flight options. The results are then displayed in an easy to understand and act upon format .

[0036] According to exemplary embodiments these and/or other parameters can be presented to the user as multidimensional grids (for example, a two dimensional grid (as shown in Fig. 6 and 7) or three dimensional grid (as shown in Fig. 8)) . For example, in an airplane, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a pilot can easily see the effects of climbing, descending, or deviating to the left or right of course. This presentation formats of the embodiments of the present invention can allow a pilot to instantly understand the situation, along with an estimate of the degree of improvement, for example in reduction in ETE, so that an informed decision can be made if a change in course should be coordinated with ATC, and made, or, if remaining on the currently planned course is close enough to be optimum, that deviation is not needed.

[0037] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide for processing that can be done remotely from the traveling vehicle. For example, weather decision data can be analyzed by at least one of a ground, air and/or water-based remote station, where the remote station can be stationary and/or mobile. For example, a remote station can be located in a building, a van, a boat, a submarine and/or an aircraft. The remote station can perform partial or all of the data processing and communicate the processed data to the traveling vehicle. For example, a land-based remote station can process weather decision information related to an aircraft that is en-route and communication the weather decision information to the vehicle en-route. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention provide for collaborative decision making between the remote station and the vehicle en-route. This benefit can provide capability for ground based fleet operations centers to collaborate with a fleet of vehicles for efficient vehicular operation and safety.

[0038] Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates an exemplary architecture of a system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Fig. 1, Weather source 101 represents information that is obtained from various sources including global, regional, and/or local sources of weather information. These sources include National Weather Service (NWS) , the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) , and other similar organizations that provide weather observations and forecasts. This information may be supplemented by situational real time information such as ATC and/or other information from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that may be desirable to provide to pilots and for use in the optimization algorithms.

[0039] According to an exemplary embodiment utilizing a remote station, a remote central server 102 (for example, a ground server) comprises at least one processor that is provided with the weather and situational information 101. The server 102 determines and extracts the data elements that are of interest to a vehicle user (for example, a pilot) , and further processes this information to extract, specifically for each individual user, information that may relevant to that vehicle traveling to a destination (for example, a specific flight path based on time and geographic location) . This information allows a user to convenient and easily ascertain weather and route situation of the aircraft along the flight path including current and forecasted weather information, observations that may be needed for operating and/or navigating the vehicle.

[0040] According to an exemplary implementation of the present invention, weather and situational information is compressed and delivered to the satellite network uplink 103 where it is transmitted to the satellite network 104 and ultimately to a user's communication receiver 105. In certain implementations utilizing a ground station 102, the satellite network 104 may provide a two-way data link or a one-way broadcast -type link in order to allow the ground processing 102 to communicate with users located anywhere within the combined footprint of the satellite network. A satellite network 104 (for example, Iridium) can be implemented globally or locally for networks such as Inmarsat, and can provide near global coverage, except in certain areas such as near the North or South poles. If a broadcast satellite network is used, the coverage area may only be regional. The satellite receiver 105 receives the real-time information and passes the compressed data files to the processor 108. If the system is using a two-way data link such as Iridium or Inmarsat, the aircraft will periodically use the satellite network to transmit the user's location to the ground server. For a broadcast implementation, the ground server will transmit information that typically covers the entire footprint of a given satellite within the satellite network such that any user within the geographic coverage area of the satellite can receive the information and no reverse transmission channel is required.

[0041] Information about the location of the user en-route can be provided from any source, for example, user's location can be provided by the Global Positioning System (GPS) 106 and a GPS receiver element 107. The processor 108 takes the received weather information and the vehicle's location information, as well as planned route information that can be either manually entered by a user or obtained automatically from other vehicular systems (for example, an aircraft using stored aircraft performance information which is computed by the processor using one or more route evaluation parameters, such as the remaining ETE from the current aircraft location to the intended destination) . According to certain alternative embodiments, the processor 108 can also compute this value for various alternative altitudes above and below the planned route. For example, the processor, according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, can calculate altitude from the minimum en-route altitude (MEA) to the maximum operational altitude of the aircraft, and a range of offset distances to the left and right of the planned course. The offset distances may be fixed distances, such as +/- 50 nmi , 100 nmi , and so on, or the system may have specific alternative routes defined in advance, such as alternative airway routings that provide different offset alternatives. The range of offsets evaluated may be changed as the flight progresses, for example, progressively reduced as the plane gets closer to its destination due to the lack of likelihood that offset of large distance will improve ETE given the time lost to get to and back from the offset route. Once these parameters are calculated, the information is available for display to the user on a graphical user interface 108. [0042] Fig. 6 shows an exemplary embodiments of the present invention that provide for a matrix presentation where different degrees of deviation from the planned route, higher, lower, to the left and to the right, are shown on the display device with numerical values to show the relative estimated remaining time en-route.

[0043] In Fig. 6, a graphical user interface 600 can be embodied on a handheld or laptop computer display 108, on a panel mounted Multi -Function Display (MFD) , or any graphical user interface that can show the aircraft baseline altitude and route in a multi -dimensional representation. Fig. 6 shows an exemplary implementation where a single parameter is being used to evaluate alternative routes is ETE relative to the baseline route. Other criteria and multiple criteria can also be presented using similar techniques in various other implementations. Fig. 6 shows an example with alternative altitudes 601, of plus or minus up to 6,000 feet from the baseline altitude. Fig. 6 shows an alternative offset distances 602 from the baseline route of plus or minus up to 200 nmi from the baseline. The exemplary implementation of Fig 6 shows a scenario that assumes that, once a new altitude and/or offset is selected, it will be flown for the entire remaining flight. However, in other implementations and scenarios, since conditions change and aircraft performance is dependent on aircraft weight, which changes as fuel is consumed, the optimum route may involve more than one transition as the flight progresses. According to other embodiments, a simulated three-dimensional or multi-view (plan view and separate cross-sectional view) might be used to represent a more complex implementations of the present invention. The center of Figure 6 represents the ETE based on the currently available information assuming the remainder of the route is flown exactly as planned. According to exemplary implementations of the present invention, since the other blocks represent time relative to this value, it is not necessary to indicate its absolute value, although in alternative display presentations the value could be useful and if so could be indicated. The numbers in the center of the remaining blocks, as shown in Fig. 6, represent relative ETE in minutes. According to certain embodiments, a monochrome displays shading can be use to provide better visualization of the different values. According to alternative embodiments, if a color display is available color shading can also be used. In the example as shown in Fig. 6, shaded box 603 indicates that, if a route 2,000 feet below and 50 nmi to the right of the current route were flown, the aircraft would arrive slightly behind the current ETE, in this case by one minute ("+1") . In another example of the present invention, shaded box 604 indicated that if the plane were flown 4,000 feet higher and 100 nmi to the right of the currently planned course the aircraft would arrive 25 minutes earlier than the baseline route. This could represent a substantial savings in fuel and improvement in customer experience . According to another example of the present invention, if the aircraft were flown 200 nmi to the left and 4,000 feet lower, shaded box 605 would tell the pilot that it would take 27 minutes longer. The exemplary graphical representation, as shown in Fig. 6 provides, to a user such as a pilot, immediate and unambiguous actionable information relating to what action to take in order to reduce the time to get to the destination and reduce fuel consumption. [0044] Exemplary embodiment of the present invention, provide for alternative presentation of the information shown in exemplary Fig. 6. For example, exemplary embodiments of the present invention can show how the optimum altitude might change during the course of the flight as wind conditions change and the aircraft weight changes due to fuel burn. Although this presentation, as shown, does not address lateral displacement, a similar three-dimensional presentation could show the optimum altitude and deviation along the entire route .

[0045] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide for alternative presentations of the information shown in exemplary Fig. 6. For example, embodiments of the present invention can show support for an aircraft operator's ground- based fleet management center. Many commercial aircraft are operated in such a manner that decisions must be made in a collaborative manner, including the operator's ground-based fleet management center. Operations management functions allow fleet operations facility staff to understand the overall weather picture as well as to have access to exactly the same information that is being provided to each of the fleet vehicles (for example, trucks, boats and/or aircraft) .

[0046] By viewing the graphical interface shown in Fig. 6, a pilot can readily see what combination of lateral and altitude changes would result in the shortest flight time along with the degree of estimated improvement. The pilot can then decide to take action to request a deviation from ATC or remain on the planned course should the amount of forecast improvement be less than the pilot considers worthwhile to try to achieve. Similar optimization plots that display fuel consumption remaining, turbulence, icing, and other parameters available in the weather information can be displayed in the same or similar format.

[0047] Figs. 7 and 8 show exemplary embodiments of the present invention that gather at least the required available information electronically and then present it to the pilot in a way that best supports immediate recognition of how the information can be used for immediate decision-making.

[0048] Fig. 7 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention that provides a two-dimensional slice for a given altitude, showing if there may be a reduction in flight time by deviating to the left or right of the planned course. The degree of improvement can be represented by shading, color coding, or numerical values, a combination, or some other method that can clearly indicate to the pilot the best course to fly. In the above example, the indication would be that to fly to the north of the planned route would be best, assuming the color coding scheme is such that red is worse and blue is better. When presented with this information, the pilot would request that ATC allow him/her to deviate to the north in order to make use of the more favorable winds. A somewhat more complex capability, but certainly within the capabilities of a general purpose processor, is to have the computer select the closest "on airway" routing to the optimum offset. Depending on ATC, it may be necessary to request a re-route to a specific alternative route versus simply XX miles north or south of the planned course. For aircraft that may have been cleared "GPS Direct," it may be possible to just request an offset and this might be approved.

[0049] Fig. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention that shows a three-dimensional view to indicate the optimum route 801 (for example, altitude) based on winds at different altitudes and left/right adjustment 804 of a plane as an aircraft flies from Dulles airport (IAD) to Los Angles airport (LAX) 803. The segments represent distance between winds aloft reporting stations. According to the exemplary embodiment of Fig. 8, the aircraft should increase its altitude 801 by 4,000 feet 802 and if this is done the flight time to the destination will be reduced.

[0050] It can be seen from the exemplary embodiment shown in Fig. 8 that a three-dimensional presentation 800 provides as an isometric or some other view that provides a complete representation of the optimum flight path 801 and includes both an optimum altitude 801 802 and an optimum routing 801. A "total" picture end view representation 800 provides altitude on the vertical axis 802 and the offset on the horizontal axis 804 (for example, miles left or right of planned route) with individual blocks representing the relative time en-route or relative fuel consumption depending on what parameter the pilot may be most interested in looking at .

[0051] According to alternative embodiments of the present invention, the presentations as shown in Figs. 6-8 can be depicted in a colored graphical display. For example, each block of Figs. 6-8 can be color coded with each block's color representing the headwinds components for that block. Certain exemplary implementations of the present invention can provide for automatically determining the optimum route based on observing the blocks and finding the block showing the shortest time path. In such exemplary implementation, the display would provide this information to an mobile user or an operator (for example, a pilot) in order to aid them in visualizing the flight plan and make rapid necessary adjustments .

[0052] Fig. 9 is a flow diagram showing the series of operations carried out by the method, system and apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. For example, Fig. 9 shows a method providing real-time decision information 900, the method, after powering up and initializing S901, comprising determining the impact of current weather and situational information on a vehicle's travel route S902, determining at least one alternative vehicular routing option S903, determining a level of improvement for said option S904, and generating a notification S905, wherein the method is computer implemented.

[0053] Fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing the series of operations carried out by the method, system and apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. For example, Fig. 10 shows a computer- implemented method providing real-time decision information 1000, wherein the method, upon powering up and initializing SlOOl, evaluates the impact of updated weather S1002 and situational information on a vehicle's travel route, and provides alternative vehicular routing and level of improvement information S1003.

[0054] Other exemplary implementations of the present invention can provide a user interface for route optimization algorithm, relative fuel consumption to the destination, the optimum possibly being somewhat different than the minimum ETE combination due to engine efficiency vs. altitude or other factors. According to exemplary implementations, optimization algorithms can take into account, when computing both altitude and lateral displacement, the performance of the aircraft and any inefficiency associated with the additional distance travelled or the climbs and descents.

[0055] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide interfaces representing further algorithmic improvements such as ensuring that the aircraft is never flown below the published MEA and/or restricting lateral deviations to published airways which should also be incorporated. For example, the resultant graphical formats according to the embodiments of the present invention provide a user with immediate and unambiguous indication of the effect of a change in altitude or route relative the time it will take to complete the flight. If the optimization algorithm is changed this parameter could be total or relative fuel consumed for the remainder of the flight, maximum predicted turbulence, maximum predicted icing, and other non-economic parameters that the pilot may want to consider prior to making a decision to change his flight plan. Similar graphical presentations of these other parameters can be envisioned with the pilot having the capability to select which one to see and the ability to toggle between different presentations to provide an understanding of the total impact of a re-route decision.

[0056] Conventionally, prior to the availability of more capable and lower cost data links for aircraft, the central operation personnel were responsible for monitoring their entire fleet and for taking action to alert the pilots of problem areas or suggested re-routes, which over-burdened the central facilities. Traditionally, only major problems were addressed and exploiting optimization opportunities, such as re-routes for fuel savings, were typically not addressed in real-time. A problem of the traditional architecture is that the fleet central operations staff and vehicle user (for example, a pilot, truck driver or sailor) had access exactly the same information at the same time in order to begin supporting collaborative decision.

[0057] Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and apparatus for allowing the fleet management team to have the ability to see the location of all their aircraft in real-time and to know the weather conditions they are encountering or will encounter in the future along their routes. Updated ETE values for every aircraft can also be known which will provide useful information for gate planning.

[0058] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system and apparatus for presenting the data in relation to the vehicle (for example, an aircraft) and/or the planned route of a vehicle, whereas traditional systems

(for example, as shown in Figs 2-5) present data in reference to true north as is done with the text and graphical weather depictions .

[0059] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide for text to graphical conversions that can readily be done by an on-board computer on the vehicle or possibly at a remote station (for example, a ground station), assuming the remote station processor has the ability to ascertain the vehicle's location and planned route. By converting all of the wind directions to direction relative to the aircraft it becomes instantly apparent in a graphical presentation the extent of a headwind or tail wind and similarly in any text presentation this information is instantly understandable. The effect of changing altitude can be more easily observed as well .

[0060] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide for the use of an on-board computer and/or a ground based computer, taking into account the aircraft's planned route and performance information, to automatically calculate, for the baseline route and also for nearby alternative routes (above, below and to the left and right by specified amounts) , the total time or fuel consumption from where the aircraft is at any point in the flight to the destination. This information can then be presented in text or graphical format to the pilot, at which time it becomes an immediate and simple to understand source of decision making information. According to embodiments of the present invention, by simply looking at the printout or the graphical presentation, a pilot can instantly see the altitude and route deviation (if any) that he/she should fly to get to the destination in as short of an amount of time as possible. In a similar manner the total fuel consumption can be used as the measure of effectiveness. Although the two parameters are generally the same (the shortest time is the least fuel) this may not always be the case depending on engine vs. altitude performance and other factors .

[0061] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides an automated decision support system that provides and operator with high value real time information in a graphical format that takes into account vehicle situation and characteristics, and other factors, to provide simple and straightforward decision support comprising worldwide, regional, and local sources of real time weather and other high value time critical information, ground infrastructure capable of receiving the information, means to parse and extract from this information that portion which is relevant to a particular aircraft, means to transmit this information to the aircraft using a two-way satellite communication system, receiver means carried by the aircraft, processing means that can create decision support representations using stored aircraft characteristics, planned route information, warning and alert limits for the various weather parameters, and received weather information to determine the effect in terms of safety, efficiency and comfort on the planned route and to compare this with the effect of operating at a different altitude or flight path including alerts in the event the vessel is forecast to exceed the set warning and alert limits, display and control means to allow the pilot to be presented with the results in a graphical manner that allows rapid assimilation and decision making using a handheld tablet, lap top, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or other hand held computer device.

[0062] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a decision support system for mobile users comprising at least one of mariners, land mobile users, unmanned aerial, marine, land vehicle operators, golf carts, skiers and any other mobile user and fixed location users.

[0063] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a decision support system that includes distribution of information by broadcast of the same information to every aircraft operating in the same region or satellite footprint with software on the vessel's processing element to perform the extraction of that portion that is applicable for the user' s vessel .

[0064] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a distribution of information by a ground based two- way or broadcast information delivery means.

[0065] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a control and display of the information using at least one of a touch screen and dedicated buttons or rotary knobs .

[0066] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a display of the information on at least one of a panel mounted device, on a mono- color or color display device, in text form or graphical form on a display device.

[0067] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an automated decision support system that includes the ability of the vessel processing element to automatically evaluate forecast conditions along the vessel's route against vessel specific warning and threat levels for the various parameters and to provide automated alerts and warnings in the event the vessel is predicted to encounter conditions that exceed the established limits.

[0068] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide the capability for the ground-processing element to have vessel performance parameters and the capability to perform the route optimization and threat alerting capabilities .

[0069] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a capability for the information supplied to the aircraft to be supplied to ground-based fleet management facilities with the capability for ground based personnel to see the information that is being provided to the aircraft, optionally with other information, to support collaborative decision making.

[0070] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an individual warning and/or danger limits can be maintained for the aircraft being monitored by the center with the capability to manually evaluate the affect on different aircraft .

[0071] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an individual warning and/or danger limits can be maintained for the aircraft being monitored by the center with the capability to automatically generate alarm or warnings to alert ground personnel of potentially hazardous situations.

[0072] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an ability for the ground system to communicate with the aircraft and the aircraft to communicate with the ground system via text messaging.

[0073] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an ability for the ground system to communicate with the aircraft and the aircraft to communicate with the ground system via voice messaging.

[0074] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide the ability for the system to use Air Traffic Control

(ATC) information for display to the pilot as well as to be included as a factor in the route optimization capability.

[0075] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an automated decision support system that provides pilots with the capability, prior to departure, with the capability to input a planned route and for the system, using the same or similar software to that which is used in flight, to evaluate their planned route along with alternative routes so that the optimum route can be selected based on pre- departure weather conditions.

[0076] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide an automated decision support system that has the capability to store the information that was available to the pilot throughout each flight, including weather updates that were provided during the flight to allow post flight analysis of pilot decision making, evaluation of the effectiveness of weather updates and resultant real-time decisions that were made based on the information provided, and simulations of flights for training and other purposes.

[0077] The above-described exemplary embodiments of an apparatus, system and method in computer-readable media include program instructions to implement various operations embodied by a computer. The media may also include, alone or in combination with the program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like. The media and program instructions may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD ROM disks and DVD; magneto- optical media such as optical disks; and hardware devices that are specially configured to store and perform program instructions, such as read-only memory (ROM) , random access memory (RAM), flash memory, and the like. The media may also be a transmission medium such as optical or metallic lines, wave guides, and so on, including a carrier wave transmitting signals specifying the program instructions, data structures, and so on. Examples of program instructions include both machine code, such as produced by a compiler, and files containing higher level code that may be executed by the computer using an interpreter. The described hardware devices may be configured to act as one or more software modules in order to perform the operations of the above-described embodiments of the present invention.

[0078] Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions, and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but is defined by the following claims, along with their full scope of equivalents.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS :

1. A method providing real-time decision information, the method comprising: determining the impact of current weather and situational information on a vehicle's travel route; determining at least one alternative vehicular routing option; determining a level of improvement for said option; and generating a notification, wherein the method is computer implemented.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the impact comprises periodically evaluating updated information comprising at least one of updated weather information and situations information in relation to a vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification comprises an image display comprising updated weather and situational information in relation to a vehicle, and at least one alternative vehicular routing option along with the level of improvement for said option.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated weather and situational information comprises obtaining environmental, weather, climactic information from at least one source.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is at least one of real-time and near real-time.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the source comprises at least one of NOAA, radar, satellite, inputted data, saved data, worldwide source, regional source, local source and any source providing at least one of weather, traffic, geographic information and situational, climactic information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is presented to at least one of a vehicle operator, a mobile station operator and a ground station operator.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the impact comprises : parsing at least one of the weather and situational information; and extracting from the parsed weather and/or situational information, information relevant to the vehicle's route.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method comprises utilizing at least one of stored vehicular data for determining real time information.

10. A system providing real-time decision information according to the method of claim 1.

11. An apparatus providing real-time decision information according to the method of claim 1.

12. A computer- implemented method providing real-time decision information, wherein the method evaluates the impact of updated weather and situational information on a vehicle's travel route, and provides alternative vehicular routing and level of improvement information.

13. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling a computer system to perform a method for determining and providing real-time decision information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the notification comprises providing weather and situational information, and alternative vehicular routing and level of improvement information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the notification is displayed in a graphical display for rapid assimilation and decision making.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is broadcast .

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the notification comprises at least one of text, graphical image and audio.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification is presented in at least one of a two-dimensional display and a three-dimensional display.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein generating notification further comprises generating at least a two- dimensional display indicating best route represented by speed affected by wind and fuel usage for alternate flight paths.

20. The method of claim 1, where the notification comprises a display comprising at least one of a graph, a photographic image and an animation.

21. A graphical user interface providing at least one of weather and situational information, and alternative vehicular routing and level of improvement information.

22. The graphical use interface of claim 21, wherein the interface is presented in at least one of a two-dimensional display and a three-dimensional display.

23. The graphical user interface of claim 22, wherein the display comprises generating at least a two-dimensional display indicating best route information comprising at least one of speed, wind, and fuel usage, for alternate flight paths .