IWXXM METAR-SPECI Subscription and Request Service

The IWXXM METAR-SPECI Subscription and Request Service provides the service consumer with METAR/SPECI report(s) for one or more aerodromes of a State as it becomes available.

The service consumer can subscribe to the service, specifying the aerodrome of interest, and receive information as it becomes available.

It is also possible to send a direct request, using a request-reply mechanism, to the service to get the relevant meteorological information.

The meteorological information is issued by the designated Aeronautical Meteorological Station. The meteorological information is only intended to be used by service consumers within the aviation domain.

The service shall make METAR/SPECI report(s) available for one or more aerodrome(s) within a State.

Note: it is expected that a single service will be implemented per State, covering all of the aerodromes within the State.

regulated information exchange

METEOROLOGICAL_INFORMATION_EXCHANGE

http://reference.swim.aero/information-services/service-categories/CodeRegulatedInformationExchangeType.html 

business activity

INFORMATION_MANAGEMENT

http://reference.swim.aero/information-services/service-categories/CodeBusinessActivityType.html 

intended service consumer

• CIVIL_AIRSPACE_USER
• MILITARY_AIRSPACE_USER
• CIVIL_AIR_NAVIGATION_SERVICE_PROVIDER
• MILITARY_AIR_NAVIGATION_SERVICE_PROVIDER
• AIRPORT_OPERATOR
• REGULATED_METEOROLOGICAL_SERVICE_PROVIDER
• AIR_TRAFFIC_SERVICE_PROVIDER
• COMMUNICATION_NAVIGATION_AND_SURVEILLANCE_SERVICE_PROVIDER
• PROVIDER_OF_DATA_SERVICES
• AIRSIDE_GROUND_HANDLER

https://reference.swim.aero/information-services/service-categories/CodeStakeholderType.html

intended service provider

REGULATED_METEOROLOGICAL_SERVICE_PROVIDER

• METEOROLOGICAL_FEATURE_ACCESS_SERVICE
• METEOROLOGICAL_INFORMATION_SUBSCRIPTION_SERVICE

http://reference.swim.aero/information-services/service-categories/CodeServiceType.html 

A list of operational needs that this service contributes to satisfying is available in Appendix B.

This service satisfies these by offering meteorological information as regulated by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373 of 1 March 2017 and ICAO Annex 3.

The scope of the meteorological information satisfies the EU Implementing Regulation 2021/116 - Common Project One.

The service provides high quality, up-to-date, trusted, regulated meteorological information in digital form for use by service consumers within the aviation domain.

The service takes into account the following information exchange requirements:

• IER 1: The information currently included in the METAR/SPECI reports as defined in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/373, ICAO Annex 3 Amdt 82 and PANS-MET.

The service consumer subscribes to the service and will receive METAR/SPECIs as per the subscription or unsubscribes from the service.

The service shall distribute the METAR/SPECIs when they are available.

The service consumer receives the METAR/SPECIs.

There shall be a service policy to ensure that only service consumers within the aviation domain can use the service.

The service policy shall include a requirement that service consumers cannot pass the information obtained from the service to non-aviation users without prior authorisation from the service provider.

The service shall ensure consumer authentication in accordance with EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile requirement SWIM-TIYP-0042.

The service shall ensure provider authentication in accordance with EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile requirement SWIM-TIYP-0042.

The service shall ensure that satisfactory authorisation is put in place according to EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile requirement SWIM-TIYP-0070.

The service shall achieve a quality that is sufficient to ensure the service is fit for purpose.

The service shall ensure confidentiality by using SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile bindings.

The meteorological information offered by the service shall be verified by the service provider.

The meteorological information offered by the service shall be encoded according to the rules of the IWXXM standard.

The meteorological information offered by the service shall satisfy the WMO No. 8 (2018) Guide to Meteorological Instruments and Methods of Observation.

The service provider shall ensure that the meteorological data offered by the services is received from the appropriate authorised originating sources. This includes:

• REGULATED_METEOROLOGICAL_SERVICE_PROVIDER acting as the designated Aeronautical Meteorological Station (AMS); and
• REGULATED_METEOROLOGICAL_SERVICE_PROVIDER acting as the designated Aerodrome Meteorological Office (AMO) for the TREND.

• PUBLISH_SUBSCRIBE
• SYNCHRONOUS_REQUEST_REPLY

The service behaviour shall be in accordance with the patterns detailed in the Message Exchange Patterns: Identification Guidelines.

The interfaces have different behaviour. A combination of an AMQP 1.0 implementation and an OGC implementation shall be used for the basic behaviour.

The typical behaviour for PUBLISH_SUBSCRIBE means that:

• The subscription is handled by either:
  • a request-reply implementation (see IWXXM METAR-SPECI Subscription and Request Service Subscription Interface) or
  • an email request to the service provider.
•  The distribution of the messages is handled by an AMQP 1.0 implementation (see IWXXM METAR-SPECI Subscription and Request Service Distribution Interface).

The typical behaviour for REQUEST_REPLY (as used in IWXXM METAR-SPECI Subscription and Request Service Request Interface) is as follows:

Synchronous Request/Reply

• The request message is sent from the service consumer to the service
• The service consumer remains blocked while awaiting the reply
• The service remains blocked while processing the reply
• The METAR-SPECI, the reply message, is sent from the service to the service consumer.

Allows the service consumer to request the latest available METAR/SPECIs.

Note: This interface is used to group the operations offered by the chosen OGC standard.

Allows the service consumer to select and subscribe to METAR/SPECIs for aerodromes of interest. It allows the service consumer to manage the subscriptions e.g. to unsubscribe.

Note: This is an optional interface. Many service providers will prefer to receive subscription requests by email.

EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile

1.1

• for services that exchange the meteorological information as resources:
  • OGC API – Environmental Data Retrieval Standard;
• for services that exchange the meteorological information as features:
  • OGC Web Feature Service 2.0 Interface Standard;
  • OGC API – Features.

Note: it is a best practice for new services that exchange meteorological information to implement the OGC API – Environmental Data Retrieval Standard.

Existing services based on the OGC Web Feature Service 2.0 Interface Standard should indicate an end-of-life date.

EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile

1.1

WS_LIGHT

EUROCONTROL Specification for SWIM Technical Infrastructure (TI) Yellow Profile

1.1

AMQP 1.0 shall be used to distribute messages as explained in the Publish/Subscribe Push MEP: Implementation Guidance.

GetFeature

Request, METAR/SPECI

The standard operations for subscription and subscription management.

The following operations shall be implement at a minimum:

• subscribe
• unsubscribe

publish

This operation allows the service provider to publish METAR-SPECI report(s) to service consumers based on their subscriptions.

METAR/SPECI

METAR/SPECI

The message that is an output of the service, containing the METAR/SPECI information.

The METAR/SPECI information shall be provided in ICAO’s Meteorological Information Exchange Model (IWXXM) format containing a collection of features.

The service shall offer meteorological information in accordance with ICAO Annex 3.

The service shall offer meteorological information in accordance with the rules of latest applicable version of IWXXM.

Note: the latest applicable version of IWXXM (IWXXM 2023-1) contains the METAR/SPECI schema version 3.1.0.

The IWXXM METAR/SPECI Subscription and Request Service Request Interface shall support filtering based on the ICAO location indicator of the aerodrome of interest.

The IWXXM METAR/SPECI Subscription and Request Service Subscription Interface shall allow for the selection of subscription based on clearly defined criteria.

The service may support other filters based on the operators defined in the OGC Filter Encoding 2.0 Encoding Standard on a case by case basis.

The object of the meteorological service outlined in Annex 3 is to contribute to the safety, efficiency and regularity of air navigation. This is achieved by providing necessary meteorological information to operators, flight crew members, air traffic services units, search and rescue units, airport management and others concerned with aviation. Close liaison is essential between those supplying meteorological information and those using it.

• https://www.ogc.org/standard/ogcapi-edr/
• https://docs.ogc.org/is/19-086r6/19-086r6.html 

WFS offers direct fine-grained access to geographic information at the feature and feature property level. 

Note: This is equivalent to ISO 19142 - Geographic Information - Web Feature Service.

This jointly developed OGC and ISO TC/211 International Standard describes an XML and KVP encoding of a system neutral syntax for expressing projections, selection and sorting clauses collectively called a query expression. These components are modular and intended to be used together or individually by other standards which reference this International Standard.

Note: This is equivalent to ISO 19143 - Geographic Information - Filter encoding.

• Generate graphical representations of data in support of responsibilities.
• Retrieve dynamic data to support digital integrated briefing concepts.
• Ensure safe operations by responding to changes in the situation.
• Require information on unique weather constraints such as fog, snow, convection etc., or on particular operational constraints such as runway throughput, winter procedures, noise abatement procedures, free routing, etc.

• Generate graphical representations of data in support of responsibilities.
• Retrieve dynamic data to support digital integrated briefing concepts.
• Ensure safe operations by responding to changes in the situation.
• Require information on unique weather constraints such as fog, snow, convection etc., or on particular operational constraints such as runway throughput, winter procedures, noise abatement procedures, free routing, etc.

• Ensure safe operations by responding to changes in the conditions of the airspace infrastructure.
• Support real-time displays in, for example, remote towers.
• Require information on unique weather constraints such as fog, snow, convection etc., or on particular operational constraints such as runway throughput, winter procedures, noise abatement procedures, free routing, etc.

This role is recognised in the SESAR Deployment Programme as a service consumer of the aerodrome and en-route services.

The real-time aspects will have an impact on the service architecture.

• Ensure safe operations by responding to changes in the conditions of the airspace infrastructure.
• Require information on unique weather constraints such as fog, snow, convection etc., or on particular operational constraints such as runway throughput, winter procedures, noise abatement procedures, free routing, etc.

• Support situational awareness of APP and TWR units due to provision of current weather information

• MET providers shall have the possibility and ability to consume needed information to perform their tasks e.g. flight briefing or to update their forecast products based on the latest weather information

This role is not recognised by the SESAR Deployment Program as a service consumer. However, it is recognised in ATM Master Plan (https://atmmasterplan.eu/data/enablers/20417016.)

Moreover, looking at the EU Reg. 2017/373, a MET Service Provider has to support stakeholders and for that MET-data is needed from other MET-providers. Also such MET-data is needed for their own purpose to evaluate the correctness of forecasts.

• Not applicable

• CNS service providers shall have the possibility and ability to receive current wind information, especially during timeframes strong winds are forecasted.

• In case a provider of data services also offers/handles MET data, the provider shall have the possibility and ability to receive the data needed

• Not applicable

• Support airport-CDM.
• Support aerodrome processes including low visibility operations, aerodrome warnings and runway configuration management.

• Provide information to ground handlers especially in regard to hazardous weather which might affect their operations (thunderstorms, freezing rain,..)

A military defence centre.

Note: these centres, e.g., check for diplomatic clearance.

• Not applicable