Automated airport weather observation system (AWOS) is significant for accurate weather forecasting and therefore safe and efficient aviation operations.
The main idea is the same as with ordinary meteorological systems:
an automated meteorological station collects data about weaher phenomena close to the ground and high in the air from wide range of sensors and instruments. This data are saved in a database and presented in various displays. But airport meteorological system is special for many reasons:
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it uses a lot more sensors than ordinary meteorological system
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sensors are necessary to be of the highest accuracy and quality
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hardware, software and database need to be redundant
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capturing of the data and reporting interval is more frequent
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a lot of calculated data in airport meteorological systems is authentic
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special observations are reported if weather conditions change rapidly or cross thresholds
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there are far more various displays of data
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it has an option for adding comments manually
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it automatically generates and sends reports and has an option to do it manually
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it show tendecy for several parameters and makes forecasting easier
Basic meteorological parameters in an airport meteorological system are:
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wind speed and direction
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visibility
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temperature
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dew point
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icing
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cloud coverage and ceiling
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air pressure
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precipitation detection and intensity
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snow cower thickness
