How do SkyAware Aviation Weather Maps Work?

How do SkyAware Aviation Weather Maps Work?

In this post we will discuss everything you might want to know about our SkyAware Aviation Weather maps.  If you have any questions feel free to reach out to us at info@speedbird.co! 

Aviation weather maps are a niche 'art meets data' Internet-of-Things (IoT) product that make real-time aviation weather accessible to aviation enthusiasts.  The maps use geographic overlays, typically FAA-produced VFR Sectional Charts, to illuminate weather-reporting airports based on their current (or last reported) Flight Category.   

I've been creating IoT projects for myself and friends since 2005 and as of Summer 2024 started creating standardized aviation weather boards and offering them for sale.

Common Product Questions

  1. Do these maps require an internet connection?  Yes, they do.  They connect to your WiFi network and poll aviation weather APIs to determine what color each airport should be represented as. 
  2. How do I set up the maps? The maps come ready to be provisioned (set up) using your smart device (iOS or Android) to ‘scan’ your device-specific QR code (located on the back of the map/frame and your printed instructions) You can read through the instructions here!
  3. Do you charge subscription fees? No! You are buying an product that connects to a service you are likely already paying taxes to support (National Weather Service).
  4. What happens if the National Weather Service changes how Aviation Weather is retrieved and decoded? We’ve included an “Over-the-Air” (OTA) update mechanism that can update the maps if/when weather service interfaces change.  

Flight Categories and Color Coding

  1. Green: Visual Flight Rules (VFR)
    • Conditions: Weather conditions that allow pilots to operate primarily by visual reference (good visibility and cloud clearance).
    • Criteria:
      • Ceiling (cloud base height): ≥ 3,000 feet AGL (Above Ground Level).
      • Visibility: ≥ 5 statute miles.
    • FAA/FAR Connection: Under VFR, pilots are not required to rely on instruments and can navigate visually. FAR Part 91.155 outlines the minimum visibility and distance-from-cloud requirements.
  2. Blue: Marginal VFR (MVFR)
    • Conditions: Weather is not ideal but still permits limited visual navigation.
    • Criteria:
      • Ceiling: 1,000 to 3,000 feet AGL.
      • Visibility: 3 to <5 statute miles.
    • FAA/FAR Connection: While still technically VFR, pilots must exercise caution and may be required to use instrument references more often, especially in congested or challenging airspace.
  3. Red: Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)
    • Conditions: Weather conditions are poor enough that pilots must rely on instruments for navigation and flying.
    • Criteria:
      • Ceiling: 500 to <1,000 feet AGL.
      • Visibility: 1 to <3 statute miles.
    • FAA/FAR Connection: FAR Part 91.173 requires an IFR flight plan and clearance from Air Traffic Control (ATC) when operating under these conditions. These flights require an instrument-rated pilot and equipped aircraft.
  4. Magenta: Low Instrument Flight Rules (LIFR)
    • Conditions: Extremely poor weather conditions, presenting significant challenges for pilots and requiring specialized procedures.
    • Criteria:
      • Ceiling: <500 feet AGL.
      • Visibility: <1 statute mile.
    • FAA/FAR Connection: LIFR conditions are considered hazardous and typically involve approaches and departures under FAR Part 97 (instrument approach procedures). Additional operational and equipment restrictions often apply.

SkyAware Technical Architecture

  1. Compute: The maps use a low-power IoT System-on-a-Chip (SoC) based on the RISC-V architecture. Think of an Intel 486 processor from 1991 but very small in footprint and low power demands.  
  2. LEDs: The LEDs are modular packages that combine discrete Red, Green, and Blue (RGB) LEDs, driver hardware, and a communication (I2C) controller in a tiny Integrated Circuit (IC) package. Having the three primary colors allows us to mix them to create a large number of apparent colors. 
  3. Wireless Communication: The maps are able to talk to the outside world via two radio technologies, BlueTooth for initial setup (aka Provisioning) and WiFi for connecting to your home (or office/FBO) wireless router and retrieving METAR updates from Aviation Weather Center (AWC) Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).
  4. Aviation Weather Center:  The US National Weather Service (NWS) owns and maintains AviationWeather.com, which provides METAR (and other) weather data for reporting stations (including airports).
  5. Firmware (Software):  The firmware of the map connects all these above elements into a cohesive and reliable solution. 
    1. Primary Function: Implements the essential functionality of retrieving weather data, parsing, and updating airport LEDs.  
    2. User Experience: Enable user interactions such as increasing/decreasing LED brightness, resetting to defaults, and changing the weather update polling frequency (default is the map will update every 5 minutes).  
    3. Over-the-Air (OTA) Updates: The firmware will reach out to our cloud servers every time they are powered on (and every week thereafter) to check for updates (and automatically apply them).  Should current aviation weather APIs become deprecated (not supported), this mechanism allows the maps to be sent updated API connection logic.  
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