IBM’s The Weather Company partners with Gogo Business Aviation to improve turbulence safety

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., 16 June 2016. Turbulence incidents cost airlines approximately $100 million each year in unscheduled maintenance, operational inefficiencies, crew and passenger injuries, and revenue lost while planes are out of service. The Weather Company, an IBM Business (NYSE:IBM), has entered into a groundbreaking deal with Gogo Business Aviation (NASDAQ:GOGO) that will deliver precise, real-time turbulence reports and alerts directly to pilots, dispatch, and other operations personnel.

Dedicated to improving aviation safety, The Weather Company, an IBM Business announced a groundbreaking deal with Gogo Business Aviation that will enable the delivery of real-time turbulence reports and alerts directly to pilots, dispatch, and other operations personnel.

Mark Gildersleeve, president of business solutions at The Weather Company, announced at The Weather Company Aviation Conference that Gogo will be implementing Weather’s patented Turbulence Auto PIREP System (TAPS), a turbulence detection algorithm, on their aircraft-based communications server. The TAPS software will reside on Gogo’s server, which provides access to the necessary data generated by the aircraft to create reports of turbulence intensity. Gogo's US-based air-to-ground and global satellite communication network is used to send the reports for immediate action in flight operations and weather forecasting. This is the first time a non-traditional system on the aircraft will be used to help enhance flight safety.

Traditionally, flight operations personnel, pilots and aviation meteorologists received coded verbal reports with limited information on flight conditions, also known as PIREPS. Due to multiple reasons, including a lack of cockpit data connectivity, pilots were not able to get real-time updates. Using the Gogo network, pilots in the cockpit will now be able to access real-time turbulence reports and forecaster created alerts through Weather’s flight planning and operations applications like WSI Fusion and WSI Pilotbrief, and aircraft communication displays.

“Leveraging Gogo's expanded fleet of aircrafts, The Weather Company can quickly share real-time turbulence data directly with pilots and dispatchers, thereby improving crew and passenger safety,” says Gildersleeve. “It is a great example of the Internet of Things in action, where we are collecting massive amounts of data very quickly and then using that insight to provide guidance to all flights that will be traveling through impacted air space."

“In this increasingly connected world, it’s no longer just about passenger connectivity, we have to consider all the other ways we can leverage the available technology to enhance the overall flight experience and improve safety - such as a connected aircraft,” says Andrew Kemmetmueller, vice president of connected aircraft services, Gogo. “Our ability to provide access to real-time data through our network will help pilots and operations teams improve flight planning, and ultimately, help airlines deliver the best in-flight customer experience throughout a flight.”

In addition to real-time alerting, Weather will be able to leverage the TAPS reports to continually improve turbulence forecasts, the skill of Weather’s overall forecast model, and the WSI Total Turbulence solution. Some customers of WSI Total Turbulence have seen a reduction in turbulence injuries and unnecessary turbulence-induced maintenance inspection by about 50% each. The reports will also empower Weather’s team of 40 aviation meteorologists to alert clients of weather-related safety risks globally.

The Weather Company, an IBM Business, is the largest private weather enterprise, helping people make informed decisions – and take action – in the face of weather. The company offers accurate, personalized, and actionable weather data and insights to millions of consumers and thousands of businesses via Weather’s API, its business solutions division, and its own digital products from The Weather Channel (weather.com) and Weather Underground (wunderground.com). The company delivers up to 26 billion forecasts daily for 2.2 billion locations.

Weather’s portfolio includes award-winning products such as the fourth most-downloaded app and a top weather app on all major mobile platforms globally; the world’s largest network of personal weather stations; a top-20 U.S. website; the seventh most data-rich site in the world; one of the world’s largest IoT data platforms; and industry-leading business solutions.

Weather Means Business. The world’s biggest brands in aviation, energy, insurance, media, and government rely on The Weather Company for data, technology platforms, and services to help improve decision-making and respond to weather’s impact on business.

With more than two decades of experience, Gogo provides in-flight connectivity and wireless entertainment services for commercial and business fleets around the world. Gogo connects aircraft, providing its aviation partners with the world's most powerful network and platform to help optimize their operations. Gogo's superior technologies, best-in-class service, and global reach help planes fly smarter, our aviation partners perform better, and their passengers travel happier.

Today, Gogo has partnerships with 14 commercial airlines and is installed on more than 2,500 commercial aircraft. Nearly 7,000 business aircraft are also flying with its solutions, including the world's largest fractional ownership fleets. Gogo also is a factory option at every major business aircraft manufacturer. Gogo has more than 1,000 employees and is headquartered in Chicago, Ill., with additional facilities in Broomfield, Colo., and various locations overseas.

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