A dispatcher faults the company's met office computer for the inaccurate sigmets and the forecast po...

Attributes
ACN	596936
Time
Date	200310
Day	Sat
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : zme.artcc
State Reference	TN
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zme.artcc
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	other personnel
Qualification	other
ASRS Report	596936
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : disp 1
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Company

Narrative:

For the second day running after arriving on day shift, we have had moderate turbulence or greater reported in the mid-atlantic states and south and have reported such to airline meteorological office. Coordinating SIGMET wasn't issued until approximately 3 hours later into the shift and then we were advised due computer programming, the flight planning guide wasn't able to depict an accurate picture of where the actual turbulence was. It automatically moved the turbulence to it's approximately position 3 hours down the road. To me this is a safety issue. I am having to go back to our partially manned meteorological office and have our metropolitan on staff plot the actual points on the map so that I can compare where it is in reference to where meteorological office is showing me it should be and then plan my flts accordingly.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DISPATCHER FAULTS THE COMPANY'S MET OFFICE COMPUTER FOR THE INACCURATE SIGMETS AND THE FORECAST POS OF MODERATE OR GREATER TURB AS RELATED TO ACTUAL PIREP RPTS BY FLTS IN THE MIDDLE WEST.

Narrative: FOR THE SECOND DAY RUNNING AFTER ARRIVING ON DAY SHIFT, WE HAVE HAD MODERATE TURB OR GREATER RPTED IN THE MID-ATLANTIC STATES AND S AND HAVE RPTED SUCH TO AIRLINE METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE. COORDINATING SIGMET WASN'T ISSUED UNTIL APPROX 3 HRS LATER INTO THE SHIFT AND THEN WE WERE ADVISED DUE COMPUTER PROGRAMMING, THE FLT PLANNING GUIDE WASN'T ABLE TO DEPICT AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF WHERE THE ACTUAL TURB WAS. IT AUTOMATICALLY MOVED THE TURB TO IT'S APPROX POS 3 HRS DOWN THE ROAD. TO ME THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I AM HAVING TO GO BACK TO OUR PARTIALLY MANNED METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE AND HAVE OUR METRO ON STAFF PLOT THE ACTUAL POINTS ON THE MAP SO THAT I CAN COMPARE WHERE IT IS IN REF TO WHERE METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE IS SHOWING ME IT SHOULD BE AND THEN PLAN MY FLTS ACCORDINGLY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

A dispatcher faults the company's met office computer for the inaccurate sigmets and the forecast position of moderate or greater turbulence as related to actual PIREP reports by flts in the middle west.