MET Data Pulled from IFIS website. Anyone know why?

[benwynn]

QUOTE

MET DATA VIA IFIS - REVISED

With effect from 1 September Airways will only purchase meteorological data to comply with the requirements of CAA Rule Part 172 for the provision of a Flight Information service and to meet the needs of the Airways Air Traffic Management System.

The following information will not be available via IFIS:

- SIGMET

- SPAR

- ATIS

Pre-flight weather information is available from the MetService websites - contact MetService (04) 4700 700 or enquiries@metservice.com[/quote]

Does anyone know why met data seems to be so ridiculously protected in this country? You can still access the same data on Metra, but only if you have a valid pilots licence. Which begs the question, who are they trying to protect the data from being accessed by if they've handed it to registered pilots on the metra site?

[benwynn]

Thats stupid, how are we going to access it for online flying now?

[Ace]

I'm guessing its because airways want to have nothing to do with that side of it anymore. I never used ifis to grab weather anyhow - always grabbed it from Metflight (just seems to be a better format).

What you could do though is send an email to them and ask if they could perhaps spot the simmers a NZFF account. The flight school I went to had a generic username and password anyone could use to grab their weather - no reason why NZFF couldn't have the same.

Info is here:

For Flight Training organisations or flying clubs to register for access to the General Aviation Weather Briefing System, (MetFlight GA), contact Ray Thorpe by e-mail ( Ray.Thorpe@metservice.com ).

[greaneyr]

QUOTE (Ace @ Sep 20 2009, 03:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm guessing its because airways want to have nothing to do with that side of it anymore. I never used ifis to grab weather anyhow - always grabbed it from Metflight (just seems to be a better format).

What you could do though is send an email to them and ask if they could perhaps spot the simmers a NZFF account. The flight school I went to had a generic username and password anyone could use to grab their weather - no reason why NZFF couldn't have the same.

Info is here:

Yeah, although there are bigger issues at hand. The biggest one is whether it's possible to use such data to feed into the VATSIM network, as without it our online weather takes a real hit. They might not be keen as it would make the data available to the world again through the vatsim network. Going by the wording on the release from Airways, it sounds like they used to pay metservice to host their data on the ifis website.

I've always been befuzzled by the notion that someone, somewhere, allowed us in New Zealand to get to the point where met data at airports has become 'commercial data'. To me, it's pretty clear cut. You can't copyright facts, and that's essentially all a weather feed is. Look at the USA... look at Australia. All their met data is publicly available for the world to see. It's another example of privatisation destroying something imho.

[A185F]

QUOTE (greaneyr @ Sep 20 2009, 04:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

look at Australia. All their met data is publicly available for the world to see.

Are you sure ?? You need a username and password to log onto NAIPS or airservices and you have to email them to get one and I think you need an ARN for that. Cant just sign up and get a username automatically from mem. Could be wrong though.....
Is there another website for oz weather that you dont need logon ? I would be interested to know...


My first guess as to the reason you need a licence would be that with NAIPS and airservices in oz, and IFIS in nz, you can log/cancel/amend flight plans and you cant just go round letting every nob have access to do that.

[greaneyr]

QUOTE (A185F @ Sep 20 2009, 05:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure ??

Positive.

Go to http://www.airservices.gov.au/brief/locnbrf.asp and enter the airport as a location indicator. No logon necessary. As far as I can tell, any Australian airport with METARs can be downloaded.

Sure, you can't have any old joe bloggs able to log flight plans, but my point is, why put the MET data behind a username/password requirement in the first place?

[A185F]

QUOTE (greaneyr @ Sep 20 2009, 09:29 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Positive.

Go to http://www.airservices.gov.au/brief/locnbrf.asp and enter the airport as a location indicator. No logon necessary. As far as I can tell, any Australian airport with METARs can be downloaded.

Sure, you can't have any old joe bloggs able to log flight plans, but my point is, why put the MET data behind a username/password requirement in the first place?

Hrrrmmm well I'll be. I've never noticed that part of airservices site before. When not using NAIPS (which is alot for me because I hate it) I use the "pilot briefing service" part of airservices website (linked from homepage) which you must log on to use.

http://www.airservices.gov.au/brief/default.asp

NAIPS has all the weather and flight plan stuff in the one place instead having to go to one website to get some weather, another to get another sort of weather and yet another site to submit a flight plan. With that system, you can log on, load your saved route profile, print weather for it, log aircraft profile, add POB and fuel etc, submit the plan and you're off. Quick and convenient for those pilots/ planners on the move.

I guess that maybe NZ is moving towards the same thing ? You used to have to log on to ifis to get your main weather, then to metflight to get the smaller places (e.g west coast) then back to ifis to submit your plan.
Perhaps they are on the way to some how incorperating it all ? Im not sure I haven't used the system in NZ for ages so not up with the play with the changes.

I can't see the issue with weather being availiable to joe blo, but I can see the issue with flight plans.

If they are moving towards a single system, what is the point of maintaining website (or pages etc) of info which is solely intended for pilots/planers etc to be availiable to Joe blo for no particular reason and definitely no benefit to them (especially when they are paying for it).
Perhaps that might be near their line of thinking ??
Who knows.

A good point raised though

[HardCorePawn]

The short answer is: money

The long answer is: who really knows what goes on in the minds of those who are "in charge"

[WasFlightOps]

Airways NZ apparently not in the business of providing weather. Duplication of data provided by MetService on Metflight/MetJet. Auto METARs replacing ATC observed METARs. That's the general gist of it I'm told.

[greaneyr]

In the USA, it's not the FAA who distribute met data, it's NOAA. In Australia, it's the other way around - Airservices do it. In New Zealand, it's not our ATS provider, but is our met provider. What I can't understand is why the data is so protected in NZ. Metservice share all their weather data but not their aviation weather. That is only shared with pilots and flight training schools etc. But why? Surely bandwidth can't be the issue. A METAR is far smaller than the satellite/rain radar/MSL analysis maps that they distribute to the general public.

I understand that each country has a different system for who owns and distributes the data... What I don't understand is why METAR observations are considered 'restricted access' when at the same time they distributed the observational data every 3 horus to the general public.

A big reason why I'm asking this is I'm thinking it might make a good idea for my next magazine article. If there was a really obvious reason for why the data is so guarded, it wouldn't have made such interesting reading.

It sure sounds like it could get interesting. Now... whether anyone will be forthcoming with information is, of course, another story.