COMMISSION FOR AERONAUTICAL METEOROLOGY / 17.XI.2015
Joint Meeting of ET-ETC and ET-GOV
Wellington, New Zealand
30 November – 3 December 2015 / ITEM 5.1
English only
EXPECTED KEY DELIVERABLES
Expert Team on Education, Training and Competency
Exchanging meteorological aeronautical information in XML:
consideration of knowledge required
(Submitted by Steve Foreman, C/DRMM)
Summary and Purpose of DocumentTT-AvXML identified roles that would be involved in the introduction and operation of XML exchange of information, and proposed thematic areas for development that would be needed to support each role. ET-ETC is invited to consider how such knowledge development should be achieved.
ACTION PROPOSED
The meeting is invited to consider how development activities to support introduction of IWXXM should be coordinated with the other aspects of competence development in aeronautical meteorology.
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Joint ET-ASC/ET-ISA/Doc. 5.1(5), p. 1
1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
TT-AvXML has been tasked by the Commission for Basic Systems to develop a representation of meteorological aeronautical information in XML. International exchange of OPMET information in XML by bilateral agreement was introduced in Amendment 76 to Annex 3 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, and Amendment 77 is expected to require exchange in XML as standard practice in 2018. At its meeting held in September 2015, TT-AvXML identified roles that would be involved in the introduction and operation of XML exchange of information, and proposed thematic areas for development that would be needed to support each role. ET-ETC is invited to consider how such knowledge development should be achieved.
2.PROGRESS/ACTIVITY REPORT
2.1Introduction
ICAO is introducing System-wide Information Management (SWIM) to allow greater flexibility in the use of information with the aim of improving efficiency and effectiveness of operations. SWIM will allow information from different sources to be combined in ways that are currently very difficult to achieve, and a first step is representing the information in a format that is widely used in business applications – XML.
Although SWIM will not be introduced for many years, Amendment 77 is expected to require meteorological in support of international civil aviation to be exchanged in XML before the end of 2018. Achieving this will need many working practices and IT systems to be changed.
At its meeting in September 2015, TT-AvXML (a task team set up by the Commission for Basic Systems to develop an XML representation of aviation information) identified roles that would need to participate in the introduction and operation of systems based on XML, using the standard developed by the team and known by the name IWXXM.
In 2002, the Commission for Basic Systems endorsed a plan to migrate from traditional alphanumeric codes (of which METAR/SPECI, SIGMET and TAF are examples) to table driven code forms (BUFR, CREX and GRIB). Despite an extension of the completion date to November 2014, many WMO Members have still to convert their systems to work with the new code forms. This is partially due to presenting the change as a technical change impacting only on international exchange of information, whereas to achieve the migration it is necessary to implement changes across the whole production chain. Although the underpinning standard of data exchange in SWIM is industry-standard (XML), and therefore some of the required technical training is widely available, the key issue of the impact on processes and system integration also applies to introduction of IWXXM. For that reason, training to address the needs of a wide range of roles inside and outside meteorological services is needed.
2.2Roles associated with implementation of XML
TT-AvXML considered four categories of people (“roles”) that would be impacted by the implementation of IWXXM, and summarized the main topic areas that would be relevant to that role.
2.2.1AviationMet. Service management, high and intermediate
This group contains high level budget holders who are responsible for delivering the aviation service. They will be required to ensure that plans are developed, funded and implemented to change the working practices and information technology systems that support the production, exchange and use of information in support of international civil aviation.
Although the tasks of this role rely on generic management competencies for their execution, specific information is required to ensure that the implementation of XML is given adequate priority and achieved in an appropriate way. Training and/or communication activities should concentrate on that information needed to convince the senior managers that they needed to take action:
a)Regulatory environment and timescales (including SWIM);
b)Impacts on technology infrastructures;
c)Impacts on internal processes;
d)Implications of non-compliance;
e)Options for achieving compliance.
Centrally provided documentation and presentation material should be made available for presentation at meetings on other topics that have the target audience attending them.
TT-AvXML concluded that there was an urgent need for an information campaign to ensure that WMO Members and ICAO Contracting States were aware of the implications of the move to XML.
2.2.2Technical teams developing, procuring and maintaining software toprepareand use XML
This role has the greatest need for detailed knowledge of XML and how it is applied in IWXXM. Training should focus on how to use IWXXM to represent information and the how this relates to systems used in the production process.
Topics should include:
a)A high level introduction to UML (Unified Modelling Language), GML (Geography Mark-Up Language), SWIM and their relationship to IWXXM;
b)WMO and ICAO XML models and supporting schematron and tools;
c)Use of the WMO code registry and local implementation of the registry;
d)Sources of reference information (manuals, web sites, etc.);
e)Sources of aeronautical metadata & update procedure to be in place (source of metadata);
f)Implications of not complying with regulations;
g)Options for achieving compliance;
Pre-requisites include the use of XML, schema and the application development tools being used in their organization.
2.2.3Technical teams managing the exchange and storage of information, and the use of information in the production chain (Message Switch Systems, Regional OPMET Data Bank, Regional Operating Centres)
People in this role will not generally be using the contents of OPMET messages, but will be managing the flow and storage of these messages. Training should focus on how to implement IWXXM within the organizations’ processes.
Training should include:
a)High level view of XML, SWIM;
b)Changes to file structures, headings and naming;
c)Implications for storage and communications systems;
d)Requirements for tools to support user applications.
2.2.4Users of meteorological information for aviation
A significant difference between IWXXM and the traditional alphanumeric codes is that (although in character format) IWXXM is not easily interpreted by humans, and messages in IWXXM are not suitable for including verbatim in products. More so than for the alphanumeric codes, users will need to be trained in how to interpret the output of the various systems used to enter or present the information exchanged in IWXXM that they will encounter. This need for training extends to flight crew as well as meteorological staff. Training should focus on differences from working with the Traditional Alphanumeric Codes.
This should include:
a)Context of SWIM;
b)Greater reliance on technology for preparing and visualizing reports;
c)Differences in information content;
d)Implications of stricter validation of information.
3. ACTION BY ET-ETC
TT-AvXML invites ET-ETC to consider how development activities to support introduction of IWXXM should be coordinated with the other aspects of competence development in aeronautical meteorology. Although TT-AvXML could provide assistance on the technical aspects of any training or development activities that might be required, the team considered that development of a training programme lay within the skill set of ET-ETC, and seeks the advice and assistance of ET-ETC.
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