This is an excerpt from the FAA 2019 Budget. page 109 It may be a bit enlightening. (Not all of it copied due to formatting.)
Federal Aviation Administration FY 2019 OST Budget Submission
Detailed Justification for - 2018 Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS)
COST ESTIMATE OF WORK TO BE FUNDED THIS YEAR
Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) Locations/ Various
$2,100,000
That is this program and what does this funding level support?
The Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) provides automated weather information for use by air
traffic controllers, supervisors, pilots and airline dispatch. The ITWS integrates data and
information from FAA and National Weather Service (NWS) sensors such as the Terminal Doppler
Weather Radar (TDWR), the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD), Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR),
Low Level Windshear Alert System (LLWAS), Automated Weather and Surface Observing Systems
(AWOS/ASOS), lightning detection systems, NWS weather models and aircraft via the Meteorological
Data Collection and Reporting System (MDCRS).
Automated weather products produced by the ITWS include essential safety, windshear and microburst
detection and predictions, storm cell intensity and direction of motion, lightning information,
detailed winds in the terminal area and a one hour storm forecast. The graphical, full-color
display provides an easy-to-use interface that
does not require meteorological interpretation. ITWS
weather information is available to air traffic managers, controllers and airlines via dedicated
situation displays at FAA Air Traffic facilities, the web or an ITWS data feed. There are no other
FAA weather programs that provide the type of airport-specific weather products that are generated
by ITWS.
Interdependencies include NextGen Weather Processor (NWP) and Common Support Services – Weather
(CSS-Wx). NWP and CSS-Wx are subsuming ITWS beginning in 2021. FY 2016-FY 2018 funding enables the
ITWS Program Office to port ITWS software to new hardware to sustain the system until it is
replaced by NWP and CSS-Wx.
For FY 2019, $2,100,000 is requested for software and hardware
sustainment activities and this request allows the FAA to buy enough hardware to deploy the
solution.What benefits will be provided to the American public through this request and why is this program
necessary?
The ITWS program supports terminal requirements. Program beneficiaries range from commercial
aviation and general aviation to the flying public and the benefits to them are safety, flight
efficiency and delay reduction. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) statistics indicate
weather-related delays cost the aviation industry and the traveling public approximately $4.1
billion per year, of which $1.7 billion per year is considered avoidable. Through improved
integration of weather data into timely, accurate aviation weather information, FAA can reduce
delays and improve NAS capacity utilization while enhancing aviation safety. The ITWS sustainment
will extend the life of the commissioned ITWS systems, preventing system outages to ensure these
benefits and savings continue to be realized.
Facilities and Equipment
109
