openmss/mss repository overview

The Mission Support System (MSS) is a software that is written by scientists in the field of atmospheric science. The purpose is to have a tool that simplifies the process for planning a scientific flight in which parameters of the atmosphere are measured. The research aircrafts typically carry a comprehensive scientific payload comprised of data aquisition instruments by different companies and research institutions. The measurement of relevant parameters, for example the chemical composition of trace gases, temperature or aerosol particle characteristics, are needed to improve the scientific understanding of the processes in the atmosphere. This is of significant importance for the understanding for example of climate change or the recovery of the ozone hole.

Typically, scientific research flights are conducted to answer different scientific questions. Forecasts of relevant parameters by a model simulation for a specific location give hints where to fly, to answer the scientific questions by measurements. A lot of other conditions apply to research flights, that concern flight altitude and range, ambient temperature, flight permissions in different flight information regions and aircraft traffic routes.

MSS helps to optimize the scientific outcome of the research flights by displaying the planned flight route and the corresponding model parameters in the same platform for many discussed options. It does therefore reduce somehow the amount of flight hours that is needed to answer a scientific question and thus saves in the end taxpayers money. In detail, this software helps to review a big amount of meteorological and model data by viewing the forecasted parameters of interest along possible regions of a proposed flight path. Data and possible flight paths can be displayed on a horizontal view (map projection) or on a vertical view (along the proposed flight path). Flight paths can be constructed and modified on these views. Exchange through a waypoint table is also possible.

Further details: https://mss.readthedocs.io/⁠