WIFEX

Why in News?

Recently, WiFEX has completed a remarkable ten successful years milestone stepping into next phase WiFEX-II which led to active response even during dense fog.

• WiFEX - Winter Fog Experiment, is one of the world’s few long-term open-field experiments.
• Aim - Dedicated research into North India’s dense winter fog and its impact on daily life and aviation safety.
• Launched in - Winter of 2015 at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), New Delhi.
• Led by - Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM).
• Supported by - India Meteorological Department (IMD) and National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).
• Nodal ministry - Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Instruments used - Micrometeorology towers, ceilometers, and high-frequency sensors
• Data collected on - Temperature layers, humidity, wind, turbulence, soil heat, and aerosols.
• Features
  • Region’s most advanced High-resolution (3 km) probabilistic fog prediction model.
  • It will predict when fog will begin, how dense it will be, how long it will last, and when it will clear.
  • Achieving more than 85% precision for very dense fog (visibility below 200 meters).
• Advantages
  • Aviation safety & fog solution – It will ensure less costly diversions, fewer delays, safer runways, and more informed travel during the challenging winter fog season.
• WIFEX II’s next phase
  • Localized extension, runway-specific fog predictions to more airports in north India.
  • Enhancing performance through Installation of dedicated sensors at additional sites
  • Airport operators will gain real-time data to help them activate response plans and ensure operations remain safe and efficient even during winter’s thickest fog.

Reference

PIB| WIFEX - A Remarkable 10-Year Milestone