Weather Integrated Network Design Software

NASA is supporting the Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) concept for safe, sustainable, affordable, and accessible aviation (e.g., passenger and cargo transport). As operations occur in a dynamic environment in which spatial and temporal conditions vary rapidly, a reliable network of cost-effective weather sensors is required to meet regulatory and safety constraints. To address this need, Intellisense Systems, Inc. (Intellisense) proposes, in Phase II, to advance development of the Weather Integrated Network Design Software (WINDS) system proven feasible in Phase I. WINDS automatically designs scalable and robust weather-sensing networks to support AAM operations in the most cost-effective way possible. The web-based tool includes a database of sensing technologies and sensors ranked per performance-based weather standard tiers. WINDS leverages a mapping and topography tool to analyze system performance over the user-defined operational area and mission requirements. Its network synthesis generates a list of weather networks with clear illustrations of tradeoffs between various configurations, including cost. The network synthesis algorithm navigates an underlying rule-based regulatory model that links weather network capability to unmanned aerial system safety in specific airspace. WINDS outputs tailored system designs that refine cost, core functionality (e.g., communications), and performance to provide the most cost-effective solution possible to the AAM customer. During Phase I, Intellisense demonstrated WINDS feasibility by developing a network synthesis prototype and gathering an initial sensor catalog. In Phase II, Intellisense will develop a feature-complete prototype and demonstrate it via network synthesis and deployment at a key AAM site. At the end of Phase II, Intellisense plans to identify and onboard third-party weather provider users to the alpha software release and secure funding commitments for continued maturation in Phases II/E.