Major new functionality for Where2Fly: The Prediction Update

Purpose: Making W2F search engine even smarter by looking into the future of weather forecasts and VATSIM controllers and event details to give you a prediction/forecast of how things will be when you arrive at the destination airport.

Why: Today W2F is totally reliant at now-picture in the moment of search, if you search long haul, you don't get correct weather status as METAR will change within you arrival, so will the online controllers.

Detailing:

Weather (TAF's)

• On each update add TAF to dataset and airports (https://aviationweather.gov/data/api/)
• Rework the scores model to accept from-to timestamps
• When searching use scores, but scoped to timestamps to give correct predictions
• In search results rename "conditions" table column to "forecast"

When applying a forecast for VATSIM controllers check the following:

• If there's an event within the timestamp of arrival +/- X hours -> Forecast online controllers at destination airport
• If there's no event, check VATSIM's controller bookings to see if someone at airport is present at time of arrival
• If there's no event or bookings, but controller is logged on, estimate 2 hours since logon before they logoff. Useful for shorter hauls predictions.

Hello again,

I'm failing to see how the TAF update works. I initially selected any widebody flight between 11 and 12+ hours. It seeks and gives me a set of airports. The conditions column can't be changed to forecast. All I can change from the Conditions Column is the order. Ideally, the TAF's would be searched for weather conditions from the filters page. (i.e. fetch me a major airport in North America that is IMC for an expected arrival time of 1100z) and the search will then check if any major North American airport has a TEMP, PROB30, PROB40, BECMG or such that would be considered IFR.

Hello again,

I'm failing to see how the TAF update works. I initially selected any widebody flight between 11 and 12+ hours. It seeks and gives me a set of airports. The conditions column can't be changed to forecast. All I can change from the Conditions Column is the order. Ideally, the TAF's would be searched for weather conditions from the filters page. (i.e. fetch me a major airport in North America that is IMC for an expected arrival time of 1100z) and the search will then check if any major North American airport has a TEMP, PROB30, PROB40, BECMG or such that would be considered IFR.

Hi, the update is not implemented. This is just a thread detailing the wished update, which then can be voted to be implemented by the community at https://where2fly.today/feedback :)

Ah, Ok. The process is now clear to me.