A networked station system for high-resolution wind nowcasting in air traffic operations: A data-augmented deep learning approach

PLoS One. 2025 Jan 14;20(1):e0316548. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316548. eCollection 2025.

Abstract

This study introduces a high-resolution wind nowcasting model designed for aviation applications at Madeira International Airport, a location known for its complex wind patterns. By using data from a network of six meteorological stations and deep learning techniques, the produced model is capable of predicting wind speed and direction up to 30-minute ahead with 1-minute temporal resolution. The optimized architecture demonstrated robust predictive performance across all forecast horizons. For the most challenging task, the 30-minute ahead forecasts, the model achieved a wind speed Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.78 m/s and a wind direction MAE of 33.06°. Furthermore, the use of Gaussian noise concatenation to both input and label training data yielded the most consistent results. A case study further validated the model's efficacy, with MAE values below 0.43 m/s for wind speed and between 33.93° and 35.03° for wind direction across different forecast horizons. This approach shows that combining strategically deployed sensor networks with machine learning techniques offers improvements in wind nowcasting for airports in complex environments, possibly enhancing operational efficiency and safety.

MeSH terms

  • Airports
  • Aviation*
  • Deep Learning*
  • Forecasting / methods
  • Models, Theoretical
  • Wind*

Grants and funding

This study was supported by multiple funding sources: M.R. (Marko Radeta) received funding through the INTERWHALE project (FCT Grant No. PTDC/CCI-COM/0450/2020), the strategic project UIDB/04292/2020 awarded to MARE, and the project LA/P/0069/2020 granted to the Associate Laboratory ARNET. F.M.D. (Fernando Morgado-Dias) and F.M. (Fábio Mendonça) were funded by the Interactive Technologies Institute (ITI/Larsys) through the projects LA/P/0083/2020, UIDP/50009/2020, and UIDB/50009/2020. All funding was provided by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) [https://www.fct.pt]. The sponsors and funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.