Systems and methods for presenting environment information on a mission timeline

A method for automating processes of receiving, prioritizing, and grouping weather data into a weather event with an associated extent for presentation on a displayed mission timeline in an aircraft having a flight plan (FP), the method comprising:

• receiving, by a controller circuit with a processor configured by programming instructions, weather data from at least one weather source;
• referencing, by the controller circuit, aircraft state data and aircraft system status data;
• and
• identifying, by the controller circuit, a weather phenomenon that impacts the FP by processing the weather data with the aircraft state data, the aircraft system status data, and the FP;
• creating an information structure for the weather phenomenon, the information structure including a type, a subtype, a severity, a start of impact and an end of impact;
• presenting a weather event indicator overlaid on the mission timeline to depict the weather phenomenon;
• presenting an alphanumeric notice of the weather event next to the weather event indicator;
• and
• depicting an extent of the weather event with a beginning of the weather event indicator and an end of the weather event indicator;
• wherein:
• the beginning of the weather event indicator is aligned with a beginning of a flight segment when the start of impact occurs at or within a first prescribed snap-to start percent of the flight segment;
• the beginning of the weather event indicator is placed after the beginning of the flight segment when (i) the start of impact occurs after the first prescribed snap-to start percent of the flight segment (ii) the end of the weather event indicator occurs prior to a last prescribed snap-to end percent of the flight segment;
• the beginning of the weather event indicator is placed at a center of the flight segment when the start of impact occurs after the prescribed snap-to start percent of the flight segment;
• the end of the weather event indicator is aligned with an ending of the flight segment when the end of impact occurs at or within a final prescribed snap-to end percent of the flight segment;
• and
• the end of the weather event indicator is placed at the center of the weather event indicator or before the ending of the flight segment when the end of impact occurs prior to the last prescribed snap-to end percent of the flight segment.

A mission timeline display system displaying a mission timeline for a flight plan (FP) of an aircraft, comprising:

• a significant environment processing module configured to:
• communicate with aircraft ownship data sources and external data sources using a communications circuit;
• and
• identify a weather phenomenon that impacts the FP;
• a creation of information structure module configured to operate on the weather phenomenon and create an information structure therefrom;
• and
• a display processing module configured to operate on the information structure to generate and display on the mission timeline display:
• a weather event indicator, overlaid on the mission timeline to depict the weather phenomenon;
• and
• an alphanumeric notice of the weather event, next to the weather event indicator;
• and
• wherein the weather event has an extent indicated with a beginning of the weather event indicator and an end of the weather event indicator;
• wherein:
• the beginning of the weather event indicator is aligned with a beginning of a flight segment when the start of impact occurs at or within a first prescribed snap-to start percent of the flight segment;
• the beginning of the weather event indicator is placed after the beginning of the flight segment when (i) the start of impact occurs after the first prescribed snap-to start percent of the flight segment (ii) the end of the weather event indicator occurs prior to a last prescribed snap-to end percent of the flight segment;
• the beginning of the weather event indicator is placed at a center of the flight segment when the start of impact occurs after the prescribed snap-to start percent of the flight segment;
• the end of the weather event indicator is aligned with an ending of the flight segment when the end of impact occurs at or within a final prescribed snap-to end percent of the flight segment;
• and
• the end of the weather event indicator is placed at the center of the weather event indicator or before the ending of the flight segment when the end of impact occurs prior to the last prescribed snap-to end percent of the flight segment.