Advanced Microscale Weather Forecast Capability for Real-time, UAS and Low-Altitude Aviation Decision Support
Keywords
weather, hazards, forecasts, microscale, UAS operations, resiliency
Presenter Abstract
Low-altitude uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) operations are highly sensitive to microscale atmospheric variability. Rapidly evolving wind fields, turbulence, low clouds, and visibility reductions directly affect safety, battery endurance, and mission efficiency. Yet these hazards are poorly resolved by conventional numerical weather prediction (NWP), which lacks the spatial and temporal fidelity required in complex urban, suburban, and terrain-influenced boundary layers.
The Joint Outdoor-Indoor Large-Eddy Simulation (JOULES) system addresses this gap by delivering building-aware, terrain-informed forecasts of three-dimensional winds, turbulence, and low-level cloud and visibility at meter-scale resolution across contiguous, multi-kilometer domains. Its GPU-resident architecture enables faster-than-real-time computation, producing forecasts that support both strategic planning and dynamic, on-demand mission needs.
This presentation will demonstrate JOULES’ operational capabilities across diverse UAS and low-altitude aviation scenarios, including public safety, medical and commercial delivery, and emergency response. Use cases will illustrate how hyperlocal forecasts improve safety, efficiency, and weather resilience under varied environmental constraints. The presentation will also highlight current limitations, validation needs, and key priorities for scaling microscale forecasting into routine aviation operations.
Presentations
Presented in Session 10: Data Modeling
Advanced Microscale Weather Forecast Capability for Real-time, UAS and Low-Altitude Aviation Decision Support
Low-altitude uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and advanced air mobility (AAM) operations are highly sensitive to microscale atmospheric variability. Rapidly evolving wind fields, turbulence, low clouds, and visibility reductions directly affect safety, battery endurance, and mission efficiency. Yet these hazards are poorly resolved by conventional numerical weather prediction (NWP), which lacks the spatial and temporal fidelity required in complex urban, suburban, and terrain-influenced boundary layers.
The Joint Outdoor-Indoor Large-Eddy Simulation (JOULES) system addresses this gap by delivering building-aware, terrain-informed forecasts of three-dimensional winds, turbulence, and low-level cloud and visibility at meter-scale resolution across contiguous, multi-kilometer domains. Its GPU-resident architecture enables faster-than-real-time computation, producing forecasts that support both strategic planning and dynamic, on-demand mission needs.
This presentation will demonstrate JOULES’ operational capabilities across diverse UAS and low-altitude aviation scenarios, including public safety, medical and commercial delivery, and emergency response. Use cases will illustrate how hyperlocal forecasts improve safety, efficiency, and weather resilience under varied environmental constraints. The presentation will also highlight current limitations, validation needs, and key priorities for scaling microscale forecasting into routine aviation operations.
Presenter Biography (Optional)
For the past 25 years, Mike Robinson has pioneered efforts that advance applied weather and air traffic flow management solutions for aviation and transportation operations and ecosystems. Across his career, Mike has led research, engagement, and operationalization efforts that have provided collaborative weather resiliency solutions for air navigation service providers, major airlines and airports, and UAS, AAM, and rotorcraft operators and stakeholders now advancing emerging aviation missions and services.
Currently, Mike is the Director for Aviation Science & Applications with Aeris, a U.S. technical services company focused on transitioning science and technology into operations. Prior to Aeris, he worked in similar roles at The MITRE Corporation, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, AvMet Applications, and the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Mike has a master’s degree in meteorology from Texas A&M University.