CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY

Every day, millions of weather – based economic decisions are made in

transportation, agriculture, power, construction, and other sectors of the economy.
Weather conditions affect the entire economy in many ways both directly and
indirectly, Better weather forests bring economic opportunities to almost every
sector of the economy.
Weather forecasts are critical to the commercial and private transportation
sector, including airline, shipping and trucking industries, nationally and
internationally. Airlines, for example rely on short term forecasts to best position
their aircraft and adjust flight routes in Imo Airport.

1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The art of weather forecasting began with early civilizations using
reoccurring astronomical and metrological events to help them monitor seasonal
changes in the weather (MISTIC House, 2008) Around 650 BC the Babylonians
tried to predict short term weather changes based on the appearance of clouds and
optical phenomena such as haloes. By 300B.C Chinese astronomers had developed
a calendar that divided the year into 24 festivals, each festival associated with a
different type of weather.
Around 340 B.C the Greek Philosopher Aristotle wrote Metrological, a
philosophical treatise that included theories about the formation of rain, clouds,
hail, wind, thunder, lightening, and hurricanes. In addition, topics such s
astronomy, geography and chemistry were also addressed. Aristotle made some

1
remarkably acute observations concerning the weather, along with some significant
errors. And his four–volume text was considered by many to be the authority of
weather theory for almost 200 years. Although many of Aristotle’s claims were
erroneous, it was not until about 17th century that many of his ideas were
overthrown. Throughout the centuries, attempts have been made in Imo Airport to
produce a computer based system on weather forecasts.
However, by the end of the Renaissance, it had become increasingly evident
that the speculations of the natural philosophers were inadequate and that greater
knowledge of the necessary to further our understanding of the atmosphere
(Wilson, 2007). In order to do these instruments were needed to measure the
properties. The atmosphere, such as moisture, temperature, and pressure. The first
known design in western civilization for a hygrometer an instrument to measure
the humidity of air was described by Nicholas Cusa (C.1401 – 1464, German) in
the mid fifteenth century. Galileo Galilsi (1564 – 1642, Italian) invented an early
thermometer in 1592 or shortly thereafter, and Evangelista Torricelli (1608 – 1647,
Italian invented the barometer for measuring atmospheric pressure in 1643.
While these meteorological instruments were being refined during the
seventeenth through nineteenth centuries, other related observational theoretical
and the technological developments also contributed to our knowledge of the
atmosphere, and individuals at scattered locations began to make and record
atmospheric measurements. The invention of the telegraph and the emergence of
telegraph networks in the mid nineteenth century allowed the routine transmission
of weather observations to and from observers and compilers. Using these data,
crude weather maps were drawn and surface wind patterns and storm systems
could be identified and studied. Weather observing stations began appearing all
across the globe, eventually spawning the birth of synoptic weather forecasting,

2
based on the compilation and analysis many observations taken simultaneously
over a wide area, in the 1860s.
With the formation of regional and global metrological observation networks
in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, more data were becoming available for
observation based weather forecasting. A great stride in monitoring weather at high
at altitudes was made in the 1920s with the invention of the radiosonde. Small light
weight boxes equipped with weather instruments and a radio transmitter,
radiosondes are carried high into the atmosphere by a hydrogen or helium –
filled balloon that ascends to an altitude of about 30 kilometers before bursting
(Gaffen, 2008). During the ascent, these instruments transmit temperature
moisture, and pressure data (Called soundings) back to ground station. Three, the
data are processed and made available for constructing weather maps or insertion
into computer models for weather prediction. Today, radiosondes are launched
every twelve (12) hours from hundreds of ground stations all over the world.

1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The current method of weather forecasting in the Aviation industry impeded
by the following problems
i. Inaccuracy issue of weather forecast
ii. Delay from the head quarters (meteorological services Headquarters in
Lagos) in forecasting weather conditions.
iii. The use of manual methods in weather forecast and also in storing or
keeping recordings of previous measurements of weather elements and its
analysis

1.4 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this research work are as follows:
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i. To help aviation meteorologists issue accurate weather forecast.
ii. To enable aviation meteorologists issue weather forecast with minimum
delay.
iii. To enable Aviation industry to make decision on flight control based
information system.
iv. To study and use advance programming language as logical tool for
forecasting weather conditions of aviation industries.
v. To make sure of that there is effective analysis, design implementation, and
also provide solution to state problems in Aviation weather forecast.

1.5 SIGNIFICANT OF THE STUDY

The significant of this study is to design a weather forecasting package for
Aviation industry that would provide information concerning the weather
conditions on a daily basis, and information would be useful for
i. Aircraft landing
ii. Aircraft take-off
iii. Making decisions on route changes and inconveniences; and
iv. Discomfort arising from altitudinal changes in flight.

1.6 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The scope of this work will be to design workable easy to use and reliable software
package used to forecast weather conditions for Aviation industry Imo airport
(Sam Mbakwe Airport) as a study area.
The scope of this work design extends to the following range and deals with
the total automation of the following:
i. The data entry section which facilitates easy entry of data obtained from
measurements of various instruments.
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ii. The data base: the data entered is stored in a data base for record purpose
and also for easy sorting of a particular record(s)
iii. The weather analysis: This analyses a given record of daily weather
measurements and also permits the statistics of the data to be viewed.
iv. The weather forecast: The impact of weather and its remarks is stated.

One of the limitations the researcher encountered was the difficulty in

getting information and relevant facts about the current system from the staff of the
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Imo Airport.
Another limitation encountered by the researcher is financial constraints,
especially in transport fare to the area of study for the collection of data and
also the cost of getting information from relevant journals, books materials printed
- out from internet, etc.
Finally, lack of relevant textbooks related to the study useful making
citations.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

 Beaufort scale: A scale that indicates the wind seed using the effect wind
has on certain familiar objects.
 DRIZZLE: A form of precipitation that consists of water droplets less than
5mm.
 FOG: water that has condensed closed to ground level, producing cloud of
very small droplets that reduces visibility to less than one km (three
thousand and three hundred feet).
 LIGHTNING: Any and all forms of visible electrical discharged produced
by thunder storms.

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 METEOROLOGY: The study of the phenomena of the atmosphere and all
the processes that take place in the atmosphere and the relationships with
processes at the surface of the earth.
 RADIOSONDE: A balloon carrying instruments for measuring conditions
in the upper atmosphere.
 RAIN: A type of precipitation that is in the form of water droplets larger
than 0.5mm.
 SNOW: Precipitation composed of white or translucent ice crystals. Snow
forms in cold clouds by the direct transfer of water vapor to ice
TAUNDERSTORM (or thundershower) - A local storm, produced by a
cumulonimbus cloud, and accompanied by thunder and lightning.
 WEATHER: State of the atmosphere with respect to heat or cold wetness or
dryness, clam or storm, clearness or cloudiness. Also weather is the
meteorological day today variations of the atmosphere and their effects on
life and human activity. It includes temperature, pressure, humidity clouds,
wind, precipitation and fog.

6
 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 CONCEPTUAL FRAME WORK

The actual meteorological conditions at an aerodrome must be monitored closely

and continuously during all periods of operational activity. To report current
weather conditions at aerodromes, routine observations are made at fixed intervals
of one hour or, if so determined by Regional Air Navigation (RAN) Agreement, at
intervals of half an hour. Special observations and reports are made when
operationally significant changes in weather conditions occur between routine
observations.

Meteorological conditions are observed at aerodromes by means of instruments

and visual estimation. Meteorological observational data are used by
meteorologists for forecasting and by pilots and others concerned with landing and
take-off, en-route navigation and flight performance.

In addition to aerodrome observations, operational meteorological data can include

weather radar data and aircraft observations.

2.2 REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE

Aviation weather reports, usually in plain language, observed and disseminated via
local circuits at the aerodrome, contain the following elements which can affect
aircraft operations:

The effect of surface wind on take-off and landing performance varies with
different aircraft types. All other factors being equal, surface headwinds will allow
a greater weight to be lifted on take-off. In contrast, a tailwind results in reduction
7
of the maximum permissible take-off weight. Aircraft are also subject to crosswind
limits for landing and take-off which vary depending on the aircraft type and
runway state.

Low cloud limits the usable airspace where visual navigation with reference to the
ground may take place. This is particularly important in the case of general
aviation where the flight is to be conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). For
more sophisticated aircraft, low cloud is most significant in the landing phase,
when the height of the base can determine the category of landing. When
cumulonimbus is present, there is always the possibility of convective turbulence,
wind shear, hail and lightning, all of which require the issue of a warning.

Temperature is important in relation to aircraft performance, because air density

depends on temperature; higher temperatures cause a decrease in density, which
reduces lift, and thus reduce maximum permissible take-off weight, and also
impairs engine performance, while both high and very low temperatures make
limitations necessary on take-off power.

Pressure, expressed in hectopascals (hPa) and following the application of

appropriate corrections, provides the altimeter setting QNH. It also affects the air
density; the lower the surface pressure the lower the air density and the poorer the
lift and engine performance (and vice versa). This factor is especially important at
high-altitude aerodromes;

Visibility is reported in metres and kilometres. Important directional variations in

horizontal visibility are also required to be reported. Restricted visibility will
always hamper operations in the terminal area and in the extreme may prevent
landing and take-off. When visibility is below 1 500 m, runway visual range
(RVR) becomes the most important parameter (see paragraph 2.1.3 (g) below).
8
Restricted visibility is always a limiting factor for flights conducted under visual
meteorological conditions (VMC) since a pilot must maintain visual reference to
the ground and to the horizon. Low visibility may reduce the acceptance capacity
of aerodromes due to increased separation between landing aircraft. Some
restrictions to visibility can be caused by fog, stratus clouds, haze and smoke,
blowing dust, sand and snow, drizzle and rain.

Other meteorological elements affect aircraft operations, particularly in the climb-

out and approach phases. These include wind shear and turbulence, thunderstorms,
hail, severe line squalls and blowing sand or snow.

2.1.1 OBSERVATIONAL TECHNIQUES AND PRACTICES

The essential requirement concerning an international system for aerodrome

meteorological observations and reports is that these should be made in a uniform
manner according to standard procedures. Such a uniform practice enables
aeronauticalusers to interpret the reports, independently of language, as accurate
information on the meteorological conditions significant to aviation with only one
possible meaning. Special care may be necessary in siting instruments to ensure
that the measured values are as representative as possible of conditions in the
appropriate area at or near the aerodrome where such measurements are required.

The siting of meteorological instruments at aerodromes and the types of instrument

used may be the same as for a synoptic station. Where, because of topography or
for other reasons, the climatologically values of certain elements vary significantly
in different parts of an aerodrome, there is a need to make observations of the same
element at two or more locations. Certain instruments such as the ceilometer and
transmissometer, which may also be used at synoptic stations, are particularly

9
useful at aerodromes. Current observational techniques and practices for particular
meteorological elements will be discussed in a nutshell;

i. Clouds

Observations of clouds consist of visual observations of the physical characteristics

of clouds, including their vertical and horizontal extent, structure and form, and
binstrumental observations of their height above ground or the sea surface, and
their direction of motion and speed.

Cloud amount expressed as FEW (1 or 2 oktas), SCT (3 or four oktas), BKN (5, 6
or 7 oktas) or OVC (8/8), cloudtype (included only if towering cumulus or
cumulonimbus), and height of cloud base above aerodrome elevation are reported
in that order. If no clouds are present, the term SKC (sky clear) is used. When the
sky is obscured, vertical visibility shall be reported.

ii. Pressure

For operational meteorological purposes, atmospheric pressure is generally

measured by mercury barometers or (possibly digital) aneroid barometers.
Barometer readings are taken to the nearest tenth of a hectopascal and then
corrected to standard conditions. The value so obtained is converted to aerodrome
elevation and mean sea level (MSL) by applying the appropriate corrections;

iii. Temperature

Aviation is interested primarily in the temperature at engine intake levels above the
runway but it is impossible to make regular temperature observations at such
locations. It is thus important that the site of the temperature screen is chosen so
that temperature observations approximate as closely as possible those required.

10
Temperature readings are generally only required in whole degrees Celsius;
corrections are applied before the readings are rounded off.

iv. Humidity

Aviation has no requirement for special methods of measuring humidity. Air

humidity is measured at most aerodromes by the thermodynamic method using a
psychrometer, or by special electronic sensors, or through a combination of a dry
and wet bulb temperature reading.

The humidity is used to calculate the dew-point temperature which, for

aeronautical use, is reported in whole degrees Celsius;

v. Wind

The activity of operating and flying aircraft is interested in direction (true) from
which the surface wind is blowing, in degrees rounded off to the nearest 10°. The
units used for wind speed are either knots (kt) or kilometres per hour (km/h) and
are always indicated in the reports.

Wind direction, speed and gustiness are best measured by instruments, but when
instrument determination is not practicable, e.g. during a period of instrument
failure, the parameters may be estimated. For synoptic and aerodrome weather
observations disseminated beyond the aerodrome in which the mean wind direction
over a 10-minute period is required, a recording anemometer is desirable, so that
the observer can estimate the mean wind direction. This will also pennit the
estimation of two-minute means which are required for reports for landing and
take-off.

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 vi. Precipitation

Aviation has no requirements for special methods of measuring precipitation. The

vital aspects of ice or precipitation from the aviation standpoint are the reduction in
visibility caused by the precipitation and the effect on runway conditions.

The most significant runway states in this respect are when the runway is wet,
particularly with areas of standing water, and when it is covered with ice or snow.
The depth of ice or snow on the runway is normally measured by airport personnel;
Integrated automatic observing systems.

2.3 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The current method of making surface observation at most aerodromes is still

primarily manual. With the help of sensors of varying sophistication, the observer
views and records the indicated values. The observer must often then calculate
additional weather parameters, apply correction factors and correct data to the
proper units, using previously observed values, published tables and formulae. The
observer then codes the observation into the proper format and enters it manually
into one or more communication systems. This sequence is repeated at least hourly
at most locations, with additional observations referred to as "specials" taken
whenever significant weather changes occur. The observer must provide air traffic
controllers with current weather reports promptly.

2.3.1 AUTOMATED SURFACE OBSERVATION THEORY

These are increasingly being used for the instrumental parts of the observation in
Imo airport. Automatic systems will relieve the observer of most of the time-
consuming, routine portions of making an observation but add the responsibility of
monitoring the performance of the automatic system. When operated in the
12
attended mode, the system incorporates the observer's more sophisticated abilities
to discriminate and classify certain weather phenomena such as present weather
and cloud type. Data are automatically collected, checked, formatted, displayed
and transmitted. The system monitors continuously the measurable elements and
the observer has only to check for unusual conditions to determine if the need
exists to edit the automatically prepared observation. In general, automated routine
functions reduce interruptions by the observer in the monitoring of aerodrome
meteorological conditions. The fully automated mode will perform the same
operations as the basic computer based system but will incorporate additional
sensors to identify and report on selected present weather elements, although the
requirement for aerodrome meteorological reports cannot yet be met completely
without human intervention.

2.3.2 DESIGN AND MAINTENANCE OF INSTRUMENTS AND

EQUIPMENT

Equipment and instruments on aerodromes must be designed and inspected on a

regular basis to ascertain that:

a. The sitting and exposure of sensors are the best possible, in the light of
the requirement for representativeness;
b. The computer based systems are will designed and are of approved
pattern, in good order and verified against standards when necessary;
c. Instruments are operated in accordance with the international regulations
regarding the methods of observation and the procedure for reduction of
observations;
d. The observers are competent to carry out their duties.

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2.3.2 METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS AND REPORTS AT
AERODROMES

Observations and reports

It is important to distinguish between an observation and a report in the context of

meteorological information for aviation purposes, namely:

(a) An observation is the evaluation of one or more meteorological elements,

carried out either by visual estimation or with the aid of appropriate
instrumentation. It includes noting the values for later use in the preparation of a
report;

(b) A report is a statement of the observed meteorological conditions, related to a

specified time and location, and prepared according to a prescribed format for
subsequent issue to users either at the local aerodrome or beyond.

Meteorological reports are used by aeronautical users in connection with the most
critical phases of the flight, namely take-off and landing. The safety of the
operation often depends directly on the timeliness and accuracy of the reports
received. Hundreds of crucial decisions based on these reports are also made daily
for pre-flight and in-flight planning purposes and are of vital importance to the
economy and efficiency of aircraft operations. The reports are also used by
meteorologists as a basis for routine forecasting and the preparation of aeronautical
climatologically statistics for aerodromes.

Before being assigned to observing duties at Imo Airport , an observer should have
received appropriate training and qualifications. These will normally be prescribed
by the national Meteorological Authority, based on the relevant WMO training
Guides. The observer should also have worked under the supervision of an
14
experienced observer at the aerodrome concerned for a period long enough to have
become familiar with all the weather conditions normally affecting this aerodrome.
After this, a special test of competence should have been passed. Tests of
competence should be carried out by a senior staff member familiar with
procedures for observing at aerodromes, and may be based either on the basis of
ongoing assessment or on an ad hoc examination. These tests should determine,
inter alia, whether the observer has:

(a) Knowledge of instructions relating to observing and coding practices;

(b) Knowledge of points of reference for determining visibility, their bearing and
distance;

(c) The ability to estimate cloud height and to recognize cloud type;

(d) The ability to estimate wind direction and speed;

(e) The ability to make correct barometer readings and apply corrections as
appropriate;

(f) The ability to make minor adjustments and repairs to the basic meteorological
instruments and equipment, and to change recording charts.

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 CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND SYSTEM ANALYSIS

3.1 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the research methodology and system analysis, research

methodology, analysis of the existing and proposed system.

3.2 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

The system analysis and research methodology used to analyze the system is
Object Oriented Analysis and Design Methodology (OOADM). OOADM applies
object orientation in the analysis and design as a software engineering approach
that models a system as a group of interacting objects. Object oriented analysis and
design is the analysis and design of a system from the object point of view. The
data used for the development of the research was gotten from the internet,
textbooks and articles. The contributions of other researchers on the subject were
examined so as to gather relevant information. The case study also provided useful
information for the development of the system.

3.2.1 INTERVIEW METHOD

The open-ended (unstructured) questions allows the respondents to make brief

comments were necessary while the close-ended (structured) questions all
respondents only tick “yes or no” option.

The questions were brief and direct; also they were framed in such a way that it
relevant the information.
16
For a research work to be efficient, the instrument to be used for the collection of
data must be reliable and valid in its nature.

The validity and reliability was established through the test re-test method. After
two weeks of questionnaires administration a second test was re-administered to
the same group. This is to ascertain the consistency in the first and second
responses. However, there was consistency in the second responses provided by
the respondents.

Validity is the extent to which a measuring instrument measures what it tends to

measure. The instrument was validated by given it out to my supervisor and other
few experts who examined the items contained in the questionnaire and ensured
that they serve the purpose for which it was intended.

3.3 ANALYSIS OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM

Imo Airport Meteorology uses computer graph based system approach for weather
forecasting. Various graphs are plotted in the system which may be 2D or 3D
which consists the information of various parameters recorded by sensors.
These parameters include information of Temperature, pressure height,
speed of wind etc. The data is recorded at different location and height for
more fine grained information.

17
Based on these plotted graphs the current system recognizes the trend of
the weather. By applying various methods like regression and other methods
weather prediction is done.
The current system used for plotting the graphs based on the collected information
is sequential. Sequential method of graph plotting takes time to plot. All the
collected data is stored in the single file. But when we are plotting a graph we need
the data of specific two or three parameters only. But then also we need to process
the data file completely. This processing of complete data file sequentially takes
more time. So, this sequential processing time can be reduced by applying
High performance techniques. These techniques include parallel processing,
distributed processing etc

3.4 PROBLEMS OF THE EXISTING SYSTEM

The problems of the existing system are: information on computer graph based
system approach which are not accurately plotted in 2D or 3D which may
cause inaccurate of the information of various parameters recorded by sensors.

3.5 PROPOSED SYSTEM

The proposed system for weather forecasting in Imo Airport is cube satellite
system. However, location based accurate monitoring system without using
network is rare1. Most of the previous works have shown a complicated hardware
system and different devices were made use for the analysis of different weather
forecasting. Satellite based systems in primitive days were not cost efficient.
The proposed model of the cube satellite is cost efficient, reliable and simplest
design ever. The graphical analysis of data taken for 4 months consecutively in
Kolkata with the help of gas balloon has shown that this system is working
properly. The statistical data obtained from the device for different altitudes and in
18
different times is a unique feature of the device which provides about 90% and
above accurate and similar data compared with network based existing system.

This proposed system is simple to design. Here, are three different sensors are used
which are temperature & humidity sensor (DHT11), pressure sensor (BMP085)
and Accelerometer (ADXL-335). The data processing unit is an Arduino
Uno which is a low cost embedded system platform. The data can be recorded and
analyzed in a personal computer or in a simple android based mobile phone with
Arduino application installed. To transmit the data, the cube-sat to the monitoring
device, a transmitter and receiver module is used. An RF module of 433 MHz is
used for this data transmission. A gas balloon has been used to hold & carry the
Cube satellite.

3.6 JUSTIFICATION OF THE NEW SYSTEM

Cube satellite has the Following advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages

a. It is used for mobile and wireless communication applications independent

of location.
b. It covers wide area of the earth hence entire country or region can be
covered with just one satellite.
c. It provides wider bandwidth based on SCPC or MCPC allocation types.
d. It co-exists with terrestrial microwave line of sight communication.
e. It is easy to install and manage the ground station sites.
f. It does not incur much of the costs per VSAT site.
g. It is used for voice, data, video and any other information transmission.
Satellite system can be interfaced with internet infrastructure to obtain
19
 internet service. It is also used for GPS applications in various mobile
devices for location determination.
h. It is easy to obtain service from one single provider and uniform service is
available.
i. It has small fading margin on the order of about 3dB.
j. It is used in wide variety of applications which include weather forecasting,
radio/TV signal broadcasting, gathering intelligence in military, navigation
of ships and aircrafts, global mobile communication, connecting remote
areas etc.
k. LEO and MEO satellite types have lower propagation delay and lower losses
compare to GEO satellite. This will help them to be used for global
coverage.

Disadvantages

a. Satellite manufacturing requires more time. Moreover satellite design and

development requires higher cost.
b. Satellite once launched, requires to be monitored and controlled on regular
periods so that it remains in the orbit.
c. Satellite has life which is about 12-15 years. Due to this fact, another launch
has to be planned before it becomes un-operational.
d. Redundant components are used in the network design. This incur more cost
in the installation phase.
e. In the case of LEO/MEO, large number of satellites are needed to cover
radius of earth. Moreover satellite visibility from earth is for very short
duration which requires fast satellite to satellite handover. This makes
system very complex.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

4.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter focuses on the system design and implementation. System design
describes the input and output speculation of the system and the program flow
chart. While implementation presents the system design diagram, justification of
programming language, system requirements, system testing and system
maintenance.

4.2 SYSTEM DESIGN

Metrological Equipment System (input)

Weather Forecasting using Clarus Nationwide Interface Weather Operational

(ANN) (input) Forecasting (input)

Simple Weather Forecast Workflow Weather Forecast

(Process) (process)

Dynamic Forecast System FTE Calculation

(Output) (Process)

Forecast System
Software Modeling (output)
(Flowchart)

Aviation Forecast
(Flowchart)

21
 Input Speculation

Fig. 4.1 Introduction of airport metrological equipment system input speculation

Fig. 4.2 Concepts operations for Clarus Nationwide surface input speculation
22
Fig. 4.3 Weather forecasting using ANN error Back propagation input speculation

Fig. 4.4 Weather operational forecasting input speculation

23
Fig. 4.4 Introduction of Airport metrological equipment system input speculation

Process speculation

Fig. 4.5 Workflow weather forecast Process speculation

24
Fig. 4.6: Simple weather forecast Process speculation

Fig. 4.7: FTE calculations Process speculation

25
 Output Speculation

Fig. 4.9: Forecasting system output speculation

Fig. 4.9: Dynamic Integrated Forecast system output speculation

26
Software modeling flowchart

27
4.3 JUSTIFICATION OF PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE/TOOLS USED

The programming language used in this research was visual basic 6.0. The

language was chosen because it enables the creation of applications with a

graphical user interface, and also gave the resultant effect of design and

implementation of the weather forecasting package that will make forecast of

weather conditions faster, accurate and reliable in our society.

4.4 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

The software requirements are as follows:

1. A typical aerodrome metrological observation system.

2. Satellite distribution system (SADIS)

3. Anemometer-based wind shear detection system

4. LIDAR wind shear alerting system

5. Radar-based system

6. Air traffic management system (ATM) e.g (NextGen and SESAR)

7. Face-face briefing automated system etc.

4.5 SYSTEM TESTING

In this phase all the systems are integrated and the system is tested to identify and

remove errors that may arise as a result of the integration.

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4.6 SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

The system maintenance used is Runway Weather Information Systems (RWIS)

Firm Winter weather impacts our runways and taxiways very differently than it

impacts the atmosphere, so measuring specific runway conditions is critical.

Accurate, real-time weather monitoring of the runways and taxiways is one of the

most cost-effective ways to ensure safe, continuous airport operations. The Vaisala

Runway Weather Information System (RWIS) is designed to provide airport staff

with critical information to make informed decisions about treating, clearing, and

maintaining the airport surface.

29
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 SUMMARY

This work presents design and implementation of a computer based system

weather forecasting. Weather forecasts are critical to the commercial and private

transportation sector, including airline, shipping and trucking industries, nationally

and internationally. Airlines, for example rely on short term forecasts to best

position their aircraft and adjust flight routes in Imo Airport. It also aims to help

aviation meteorologists issue accurate weather forecast and to ascertain the

meteorologist’s issue of weather forecast with minimum delay.

It also provide significance information concerning the weather conditions on a

daily basis of aircraft landing, aircraft take-off, making decisions on route changes

and inconveniences; and Discomfort arising from altitudinal changes in flight. The

Object Oriented Analysis and Design Methodology (OOADM) were gotten from

the internet, textbooks and articles. The problems of the existing system are:

information on computer graph based system approaches which are not accurately

plotted in 2D or 3D. The system requirements are based on the systems used

30
in weather forecasting. The system is integrated and tested to identify and remove

errors that may arise as a result of the integration.

5.2 CONCLUSION

For implementation of a computer based system for weather forecasting in Imo

airport to be effective, it was concluded that the management should be able to

upgrade the system used for weather forecasting consistently. This will enable the

forecasters give accurate information of the weather conditions on the aerodrome

forecast, forecasts for take-off, forecasts for landing etc.

Weather forecasting record keeping is very important. It will help the management

of Imo Airport metrological to be able to track record of the weather activities

5.3 RECOMMENDATION

The following recommendations are offered based on the findings of the research

study:

1. Every effort should be made to achieve the operationally desirable accuracy

standards set for forecasts (WMO Technical Regulations, [C.3.1.] Volume

11, Part 11, Attachment B). Regular evaluation of the quality of aerodrome

forecasts is necessary on three different timescales.

31
2. Evaluation of the forecasts should be conducted in a systematic and

consistent manner to assess trends in forecasting skill and reveal areas where

improvements are needed in the airline.

3. Forecasts for a particular flight must contain all the necessary information

for the pilot to plan and conduct the flight safely and assess alternative

courses of action should adverse conditions be encountered. The detail of

information provided depends largely on the aircraft type, the sophistication

of its instrumentation, the flight level and vulnerability to various types of

weather.

4. Documentation should be provided for a particular flight, at least,

information received from the World Area Forecast System.

5. The flight documentation should be presented in the form of charts, tabular

forms or abbreviated plain-language texts as presented in the WMO

Technical Regulations, Volume 11, [C.3.1.].

32
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35