UniATIS provides automatically spoken voice messages of weather and airport conditions for air traffic use.
UniATIS receives ICAO Annex 3 compatible METAR/MET REPORT messages from Automatic Weather Observation System, adds airport specific information and produces spoken ATIS messages which are transmitted over radio to pilots. Standard messages are in English. As an option other languages and bilingual version are available.
Airport specific information could be inserted manually or automatically using SNOWTAM, RWYINUSE and CAB messages.
UniATIS VOLMET version combines information from several airports in the same message.
UniATIS runs on ordinary Windows workstation. ATIS messages could be heard over telephone network as well. User recorded messages could be checked locally using alternative audio output.
UniATIS main features:
- Scalable from single unit installation in the same PC with AWOS for small airports up to dual hot swap server system with detached tower workstation for large airports
- System runs on standard PC under latest Windows OS versions
- Clear and crisp natural sounding voice is well understandable for all pilots
- High quality and reliability based on over 20 years of experience and proofed by installations in over 170 airports in over 30 countries worldwide
- Continuous development and updates which follow new ICAO requirements
- System can be used under operator full manual control or in fully automatic mode depending on local airport requirements
- Optional interface which allows to listen to the currently aired ATIS message remotely via telephone or SIP telephone system
- Optional VOLMET system which transmits ATIS messages of several airports in the region in the single voice message
UniATIS issues ATIS messages based on weather reports sent by Automatic Weather Observation System (AWOS) typically every 30 minutes. METAR or MET REPORT type weather reports should comply with ICAO Annex 3 20th edition amendment 80 requirements including new GRF (Global Reporting Format) runway condition information with corresponding SNOWTAM. Reports that comply with older standards starting from 16th edition are accepted as well. UniATIS adds to this weather information airport specific ATC data based on special RWYINUSE, CAB and SNOWTAM messages from other ATC systems. Operator may also add ATC data manually using directly UniATIS server on-screen editor.
ATIS voice messages are built from human speaker or text-to-speech prerecorded words and phrases to ensure high voice quality. A full set of all required words and phrases which are sufficient to run any airport is always included in the system delivery. If required, local tower operator can record special on-site phrases using system microphone and add these phrases to the automatically generated ATIS message. Operator can edit and listen to these recordings before their release.
ATIS messages are continuously repeated over PC audio output and fed into the radio transmitter. Any delay starting from 0 could be set between the repetitions. If required, an optional dial-up unit will allow listening current ATIS messages over the phone.
UniATIS system scalable configuration
UniATIS system hardware consists of standard PCs running Windows 11 64 bit and an optional SIP Gateway for dial-up telephone interface. No proprietary hardware is used even in dual server hot swap configuration.
Each UniATIS unit is full package software which includes all ATIS functionality from data communication with AWOS and other airport systems to ATIS message voice production and operator graphical user interface.
In small airports UniATIS single unit software could be installed in the same PC with AWOS system.
Medium size airports install UniATIS single unit software in a separate PC.
Large airports could use additional UniATIS Workstation with single UniATIS unit or dual hot swap UniATIS servers.
Optional phone interface using SIP Gateway can be added to any UniATIS configuration.
All information between system units is exchanged using TCP/IP communication over Local Area Network. AFTN communication reaches the system also over LAN.
Issued ATIS messages in text format are sent over network to airport other systems for display or current ATIS message letter indication. Text ATIS messages as well as Keep Alive messages could be sent over network to four different destinations using TCP/IP.
In dual hot swap UniATIS configuration only one unit at a time is active and speaks. If the active unit is switched off or it fails, another unit is activated and it starts continuous speaking of ATIS messages exactly from the status where the previously active unit was. Audio outputs of both server units are connected in parallel to the VHF Radio Transmitter input without any switching device because only one PC at a time produces audio signal.
Voice
Usually ATIS messages are spoken in English. As an option UniATIS can provide a bilingual operation which is used at remote airports where ordinary pilots may be accustomed to listen to ATIS messages in their own language. In this mode ATIS messages are spoken repeatedly one after another in English and in selected other language.
If UniATIS unit is located far from Radio Transmitter, special arrangements using OEM devices could be used to transmit voice signal over significant distances.
Radio Transmitter with its own dedicated VHF frequency should be constantly switched on because UniATIS produces uninterrupted ATIS messages one after another. If required some silence period could be introduced between consequent messages.
Security
UniATIS is very safe. It runs as a service so that users can not shut it down by mistake. As many system users as necessary could be configured with their own passwords and access rights.
There is an extensive logging of all user activities, received AWOS messages and issued ATIS messages in text form for unlimited time period. As an option, all issued ATIS messages could be saved as sound files as well.
Flexibility
UniATIS can be flexibly configured to meet various requirements of different airports.
Typically it runs either fully automatically without any Tower Operator interference or semi-automatically when operator manually adds to automatically received meteorological data essential airport specific data such as Runway in use and its condition, Approach type, ATC Instructions etc. This additional information could be also inserted by operators of other ATC systems using RWYINUSE, CAB and SNOWTAM messages.
However, if required, Tower operator could manually enter and edit the whole METAR/MET REPORT message. Edited message is accepted only after automatic syntax check. Current ATIS message is played uninterruptedly during editing.