Temporally Based Weather Symbology

• US 20120147030A1
• Filed: 12/13/2010
• Published: 06/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Hankers, Theo, Wiesemann, Thorsten
• Granted Patent: US 9,153,137 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G01W 1/00 Meteorology
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0091 for monitoring atmospheric conditions radar or analogous systems specially adapted for meteorological use G01S13/95; meteorology G01W
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/006 Representation of non-cartographic information on maps, e.g. population distribution, wind direction, radiation levels, air and sea routes
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/10 Map spot or coordinate position indicators; Map reading aids optical projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are described herein for integrating geo-spatially enabled and time-encoded textual weather information into a graphical map display. Time-encoded textual weather information regarding one or more geographic locations is received, parsed, and interpreted in light of a temporal context of the graphical map display. Weather symbology relating the weather conditions within the temporal context of the graphical map display is generated from the parsed textual weather information and displayed at positions on the map corresponding to the geographic locations. The weather symbology may include weather pictograms that relate past, current, and future weather conditions at the corresponding geographic locations according to the temporal context of the graphical map display.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive weather information regarding a geographic location;

determine a temporal context of a graphical map display;

parse and interpret the received weather information to determine weather conditions at the geographic location based upon the temporal context of the graphical map display; and

display a weather pictogram at a position on the graphical map display corresponding to the geographic location, wherein the weather pictogram relates past, current, and future weather conditions at the geographic location within the temporal context of the graphical map display.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the weather pictogram comprises a first graphical element indicating current weather conditions at the geographic location, a second graphical element indicating future weather conditions at the geographic location, and a third graphical element indicating past weather conditions at the geographic location within the temporal context of the graphical map display.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, wherein the first graphical element indicates the current weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the current weather conditions, the second graphical element indicates the current weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the future weather conditions, and the third graphical element indicates the past weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the past weather conditions.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the color-coding or shading associated with the current weather conditions, the future weather conditions, and the past weather conditions indicates flight rules in effect at the geographic location based on the current weather conditions, the future weather conditions, and the past weather conditions respectively.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the weather information comprises a plurality of METAR reports, SPECI reports, terminal area forecasts (“

TAFs”

), significant meteorological information (“

SIGMET”

) advisories, or pilot reports (“

PIREPs”

) regarding the geographic location.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the weather information is received via the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (“

ACARS”

).

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the weather pictogram is displayed in conjunction with a flight route display.

8. A system for integrating weather information into a graphical map display of an aircraft, the system comprising:

a display unit in a cockpit of the aircraft;

a memory for storing a program containing computer-executable instructions for displaying weather symbology on the display unit; and

a processing unit functionally coupled to the memory and the display unit, the processing unit being responsive to the computer-executable instructions and configured to;

receive weather information regarding a geographic location, wherein the weather information comprises a time element;

determine a temporal context of the graphical map display;

parse and interpret the received weather information to determine weather conditions at the geographic location based upon the temporal context of the graphical map display; and

display a weather pictogram at a position on the graphical map display corresponding to the geographic location, wherein the weather pictogram relates the weather conditions at the geographic location within the temporal context of the graphical map display.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the weather pictogram comprises a first graphical element indicating current weather conditions at the geographic location, a second graphical element indicating future weather conditions at the geographic location, and a third graphical element indicating past weather conditions at the geographic location within the temporal context of the graphical map display.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first graphical element indicates the current weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the current weather conditions, the second graphical element indicates the current weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the future weather conditions, and the third graphical element indicates the past weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the past weather conditions.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the color-coding or shading associated with the current weather conditions, the future weather conditions, and the past weather conditions indicates flight rules in effect at the geographic location based on the current weather conditions, the future weather conditions, and the past weather conditions respectively.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the weather information comprises a plurality of METAR reports, SPECI reports, TAFs, SIGMET advisories, or PIREPs regarding the geographic location.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the weather information is received at the aircraft via ACARS.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the weather pictogram is displayed in conjunction with a flight route display.

15. A computer-implemented method for integrating weather information into a graphical map display, the method comprising performing instructions under the control of one or more computer systems to perform the operations of:

receiving weather information regarding a geographic location comprising time-encoded weather reports; and

displaying weather symbology based on the received weather information at a position on the graphical map display corresponding to the geographic location, wherein the weather symbology relates past, current, and future weather conditions at the geographic location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the weather symbology comprises a weather pictogram comprising a first graphical element indicating current weather conditions at the geographic location, a second graphical element indicating future weather conditions at the geographic location, and a third graphical element indicating past weather conditions at the geographic location.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first graphical element indicates the current weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the current weather conditions, the second graphical element indicates the current weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the future weather conditions, and the third graphical element indicates the past weather conditions through a color-coding or shading associated with the past weather conditions.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the color-coding or shading associated with the current weather conditions, the future weather conditions, and the past weather conditions indicates flight rules in effect at the geographic location based on the current weather conditions, the future weather conditions, and the past weather conditions respectively.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the time-encoded weather reports comprises a plurality of METAR reports, SPECI reports, TAFs, SIGMET advisories, or PIREPs regarding the geographic location.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the time-encoded weather reports are received over ACARS.