VIRTUAL WEATHER GENERATION

• US 20170366647A1
• Filed: 06/21/2016
• Published: 12/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: PEPPER, Craig A., COLLARD, Kieran J., FOWLER, Christopher C., SHIEL, Christian T.
• Granted Patent: US 10,356,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing virtual weather data are described. Embodiments retrieve a plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data and provide an API through which a plurality of remote clients request weather data. A request specifying a first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and further specifying a first set of time and date coordinates is received. In response to the request, a first set of weather data is determined from the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data, based on the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of time and date coordinates and transmitted to the first remote client. A plurality of follow-on sets of geographical and spatial weather data are also requested and transmitted to the first remote client.

Claims

1. A method for providing virtual weather data, comprising:

retrieving a plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data;

providing an application program interface (API) through which a plurality of remote clients request weather data by specifying geographical and spatial coordinates and by further specifying time and date coordinates;

receiving, from a first remote client of the plurality of remote clients, through the provided API, a request specifying a first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and further specifying a first set of time and date coordinates;

responsive to the request, transmitting, to the first remote client, a first set of weather data determined from the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data, based on the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of time and date coordinates; and

responsive to at least one subsequent request, transmitting, to the first remote client, a plurality of follow-on sets of geographical and spatial weather data determined from the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data, wherein the plurality of follow-on sets of geographical and spatial weather data are temporally adjacent to the first set of geographical and spatial weather data and are sequenced by time intervals.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first remote client comprises an aircraft flight simulator, wherein the request further specifies a simulated flight path with specific aircraft geographic and spatial coordination and on a specific simulated time and date.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting, to the first remote client, the plurality of follow-on sets of geographical and spatial weather data determined from the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data, enables the aircraft flight simulator to provide a real-time weather simulation, without requiring the aircraft flight simulator to search through historical weather data to identify a weather condition corresponding to a desired flight path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple remote clients are able to access the API substantially simultaneously in order to access weather data reports at a same geographical, spatial, time and date coordinates, or a different geographical, spatial, time and date coordinates.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of weather data comprises at least one of (i) temperature data, (ii) wind speed and wind direction data, (iii) humidity data, (iv) cloud condition data, (v) atmospheric condition data, (vi) pressure data and (vii) precipitation data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data within a weather system database, where the weather system database comprises at least one of a historical index software library and a weather instance software library.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the historical index software library provides weather data to a weather simulator inquiry based on a simulated predetermined geographical and spatial coordinate and a predetermined time and date coordinate.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the weather system database updates on a real-time basis from an external weather information provider on the weather instance software library, thereby enabling the weather instance software library to provide real-time weather data information to the remote clients based on requests specifying geographic and spatial coordinates.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the weather instance software library provides real-time weather data to a weather simulator inquiry for simulation of a flight condition based on a predetermined geographical and spatial coordinates on a real-time basis.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the real-time weather data information is provided responsive to an inquiry from an aircraft based on a predetermined geographic and spatial coordinates flight path for flight path planning of an imminent future flight or an ongoing flight.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving a plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data further comprises:

accessing an external weather information provider including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) database; and

storing the plurality of weather data snapshots within a weather system database.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving a plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data further comprises:

storing the plurality of weather data snapshots within a weather system database;

indexing the plurality of weather data snapshots within the weather system database based on geographical, spatial, time and date coordinates; and

indexing the plurality of weather data snapshots within the weather system database based on measures of temperature, pressure, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, cloud condition and precipitation, at each geographic and spatial location of the respective weather data snapshot.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting, to the first remote client, the first set of weather data determined from the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data, based on the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of time and date coordinates, further comprises:

analyzing two or more of the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data adjacent to the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of time and date coordinates, in order to determine interpolated weather data; and

transmitting the interpolated weather data to the first remote client as the first set of weather data.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data further comprises:

accessing a gridded weather file; and

unpacking the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data from within the gridded weather file.

15. A non-transitory medium containing computer program code that, when executed by operation of one or more computer processors, performs an operation for providing virtual weather data, the operation comprising:

retrieving a plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data;

providing an application program interface (API) through which a plurality of remote clients request weather data by specifying geographical and spatial coordinates and by further specifying time and date coordinates;

receiving, from a first remote client of the plurality of remote clients, through the provided API, a request specifying a first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and further specifying a first set of time and date coordinates;

responsive to the request, transmitting, to the first remote client, a first set of weather data determined from the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data, based on the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of time and date coordinates; and

responsive to at least one subsequent request, transmitting, to the first remote client, a plurality of follow-on sets of geographical and spatial weather data determined from the plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data, wherein the plurality of follow-on sets of geographical and spatial weather data are temporally adjacent to the first set of geographical and spatial weather data and are sequenced by time intervals.

16. A method, comprising:

initiating execution of a simulation application for a first virtual vehicle;

determining a first set of geographical and spatial coordinates for the first virtual vehicle;

determining a first set of date and time coordinates for the first virtual vehicle;

transmitting a request, to a weather server system, over a data communications network, specifying the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of date and time coordinates for the first virtual vehicle;

receiving, from the weather server system, over the data communications network, a first set of weather data;

providing a weather simulation in the simulation application based on the first set of weather data;

responsive to transmitting at least one subsequent request, receiving, from the weather server system, over the data communications network, a plurality of follow-on sets of weather data that are temporally adjacent to the first set of weather data; and

updating the weather simulation in the simulation application using the plurality of follow-on sets of weather data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the simulation application comprises an aircraft flight simulator, wherein the request further specifies a simulated flight path with specific aircraft geographic and spatial coordination and on a specific simulated time and date, and wherein the plurality of follow-on sets of weather data enable the aircraft flight simulator to provide the weather simulation in real-time and without requiring the aircraft flight simulator to search through historical weather data to identify a weather condition corresponding to a desired flight path.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the first set of weather data comprises at least one of (i) temperature data, (ii) wind speed and wind direction data, (iii) humidity data, (iv) cloud condition data, (v) atmospheric condition data, (vi) pressure data and (vii) precipitation data.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the weather server system is further configured to analyze two or more of a plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data adjacent to the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of time and date coordinates, in order to determine interpolated weather data, and to transmit the interpolated weather data as the first set of weather data.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program code that, when executed, performs an operation comprising:

providing a simulation of a first virtual vehicle within a first virtual environment;

determining a first set of geographical and spatial coordinates for the first virtual vehicle;

determining a first set of date and time coordinates for the first virtual vehicle;

transmitting a request, to a weather server system, over a data communications network, specifying the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of date and time coordinates for the first virtual vehicle;

receiving, from the weather server system, over the data communications network, a first set of weather data;

providing a weather simulation in the simulation of the first virtual vehicle based on the first set of weather data;

responsive to transmitting at least one subsequent request, receiving, from the weather server system, over the data communications network, a plurality of follow-on sets of weather data that are temporally adjacent to the first set of weather data; and

updating the weather simulation in the simulation of the first virtual vehicle using the plurality of follow-on sets of weather data.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the provided simulation comprises an aircraft flight simulation, wherein the request further specifies a simulated flight path with specific aircraft geographic and spatial coordination and on a specific simulated time and date, and wherein the plurality of follow-on sets of weather data enable weather simulation in real-time and without requiring local searching through historical weather data to identify a weather condition corresponding to a desired flight path.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the first set of weather data comprises at least one of (i) temperature data, (ii) wind speed and wind direction data, (iii) humidity data, (iv) cloud condition data, (v) atmospheric condition data, (vi) pressure data and (vii) precipitation data, and wherein the weather server system is further configured to analyze two or more of a plurality of weather data snapshots of historical weather data adjacent to the first set of geographical and spatial coordinates and the first set of time and date coordinates, in order to determine interpolated weather data, and to transmit the interpolated weather data as the first set of weather data.