Common Support Services - Weather

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Data sharing is a key NextGen component— getting the right information to the right people at the right time. This is especially important when it comes to weather information. Bad weather causes about 75 percent of air traffic delays and can also pose a safety risk to aircraft. Common Support Services–Weather (CSS-Wx), formerly known as NextGen Network Enabled Weather, will provide the FAA and National Airspace System (NAS) users with same-time access to a unified aviation weather picture via the System Wide Information Management network. This will enable collaborative and dynamic decision making among all users of the NAS, and give them the flexibility to proactively plan and execute aviation operations ahead of weather impacts.

CSS-Wx will publish standardized weather information provided by the NextGen Weather Processor, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 4-Dimensional Weather Cube and other weather sources.

CSS-Wx will make available improved weather information for integration into air traffic decision-support tools, improving the quality of controller decisions and greatly reducing controller workloads during bad weather. Other consumers of CSS-Wx information will include commercial and general aviation, the flying public, the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security and NOAA.

Once CSS-Wx is operational, the FAA will begin to decommission selected legacy weather information systems.