SINOPTICA · Project

Better Weather Forecasts That Help Air Traffic Avoid Storms and Cut Delays

transportTestedTRL 5

Imagine you're an air traffic controller and a thunderstorm is heading toward the airport — but your weather data is two hours old. SINOPTICA combined satellite images, radar, GPS signals, and local weather stations to create hyper-local weather predictions updated every few minutes. Think of it as giving controllers a live weather GPS for the sky, showing exactly where storms will form so planes can be rerouted before delays pile up. The team built working tools that display this weather directly on the controller's screen and automatically calculate new flight paths around dangerous weather.

By the numbers

EUR 999,285

EU funding for development

consortium partners

countries involved (AT, DE, ES, IT)

demonstration deliverables built

total project deliverables

trajectory updating capability for weather avoidance

The business problem

What needed solving

Weather-related disruptions are one of the biggest causes of flight delays across Europe, and air traffic controllers often rely on weather data that is too coarse or too old to predict exactly where and when dangerous convective storms will form. This leads to reactive rerouting, wasted fuel, cascading delays, and safety risks. Controllers need hyper-local, frequently updated storm predictions delivered directly into their working tools — not as a separate weather briefing they have to interpret themselves.

The solution

What was built

The team built a forecast system demonstrator that fuses satellite, radar, GNSS, and ground weather station data into very high-resolution, very short-range weather predictions. They also delivered an extended radar display with weather visualization for controllers, an AMAN module that automatically calculates weather-avoiding trajectories, and a report documenting the demonstrator results — 4 demonstration deliverables out of 13 total.

Audience

Who needs this

Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) managing busy European airspaceMajor airport operators at weather-exposed hub airportsAirlines seeking to reduce weather-related fuel waste and delaysATM technology vendors building next-generation controller toolsAviation weather service providers looking to upgrade prediction capabilities

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Air Navigation Services

enterprise

Target: Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) like ENAV, DFS, or ENAIRE

If you are an Air Navigation Service Provider dealing with weather-related flight delays and safety incidents — this project developed a forecast system demonstrator and an extended radar display with weather visualization that feeds real-time storm predictions directly into controller screens. The system was built by a 6-partner consortium across 4 countries and tested with ATM professionals to reduce weather-induced disruptions.

Airport Operations

enterprise

Target: Major hub airport operators managing high traffic volumes

If you are an airport operator struggling with convective weather causing cascading delays during peak hours — this project built an AMAN module that automatically calculates weather-avoiding trajectories for arriving aircraft. Instead of manual rerouting, the tool generates 4D trajectories that keep planes safely spaced while avoiding storm cells, helping maintain landing rates even in bad weather.

Airlines

enterprise

Target: Commercial airlines with European route networks

If you are an airline losing revenue to weather diversions and missed connections — this project created a decision-support system that predicts extreme weather events earlier and more accurately by combining satellite, radar, GPS, and ground station data. Earlier warnings mean fewer last-minute diversions, better fuel planning, and more predictable schedules for passengers across your European network.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this weather prediction system?

The project received EUR 999,285 in EU funding to develop and test the full system across 6 partners. Deployment costs would depend on integration with existing ATM infrastructure, but the core components — sensor data pipelines, numerical weather model, and display tools — are already built as demonstrators. Licensing or integration pricing would need to be discussed with the coordinator.

Can this scale to cover multiple airports or entire airspace sectors?

The system was designed to work with existing weather data sources — satellites, radar, GNSS, and weather stations — that already have wide geographic coverage. The project specifically investigated deploying dedicated sensor networks near ATM hotspots like airports, suggesting the architecture supports scaling to multiple locations. The automated data assimilation pipeline was built to run continuously.

Who owns the intellectual property and can we license it?

The project was funded under Horizon 2020 RIA (Research and Innovation Action), which typically means IP stays with the consortium partners who developed it. The consortium includes 2 industry partners alongside 2 universities and 2 research organizations. Licensing discussions would go through the coordinator, CIMA Foundation in Italy.

How does this integrate with existing air traffic management systems?

SINOPTICA was specifically designed for ATM integration — the extended radar display adds weather visualization to the controller's existing screen, and the AMAN (Arrival Manager) module plugs into standard arrival sequencing tools. The project falls under SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research), meaning it follows European ATM interoperability standards.

What is the timeline from current state to operational deployment?

The project ran from June 2020 to November 2022 and delivered working demonstrators including a forecast system demonstrator and an AMAN weather-avoidance module. As a SESAR exploratory research project, the next steps would typically involve SESAR industrial research and validation phases before operational deployment. Based on available project data, no commercial deployment has been confirmed yet.

Does this meet aviation regulatory requirements?

The project was developed within the SESAR program under topic SESAR-ER4-05-2019, which aligns with the Single European Sky regulatory architecture. The demonstrators were evaluated with ATM professionals involved in the consortium and advisory board. Full EASA certification would still be required before operational use.

Consortium

Who built it

The SINOPTICA consortium brings together 6 partners from 4 European countries (Austria, Germany, Spain, Italy), mixing operational know-how with research depth: 2 industry players, 2 universities, and 2 research organizations, with 1 SME in the group. The 33% industry ratio signals this was not purely academic — real ATM operators and technology providers shaped the tools. The coordinator, CIMA Foundation in Italy, specializes in environmental monitoring. The multi-country setup covering major European aviation markets (Germany, Spain, Italy) strengthens the case for cross-border applicability of the weather prediction tools.

CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE IN MONITORAGGIO AMBIENTALE - FONDAZIONE CIMACoordinator · IT
AUSTRO CONTROL OSTERREICHISCHE GESELLSCHAFT FUR ZIVILLUFTFAHRT MBHparticipant · AT
GEOMATICS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT SRLparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVAparticipant · IT
DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EVparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONAparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

CIMA Foundation (Italy) — Centro Internazionale in Monitoraggio Ambientale. Contact through project website or CORDIS portal.

Order a report on this consortium See CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE IN MONITORAGGIO AMBIENTALE - FONDAZIONE CIMA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the SINOPTICA team to discuss integrating their weather prediction tools into your ATM operations? SciTransfer can arrange a direct meeting with the developers.

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