Efficient retrieval of aviation data and weather over low bandwidth links

An aircraft weather radar system, comprising:

• a processor;
• a display;
• and
• memory coupled to the processor and containing program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• select a display area to display weather data based on the location of an aircraft;
• select a weather condition to display within the selected display area from among a plurality of potential weather conditions;
• determine that a weather condition from among the plurality of potential weather conditions is detected outside the selected display area and that the weather condition detected outside the selected display area is relevant to the aircraft based on a flight path of the aircraft and a severity of the weather condition detected outside the selected display area;
• receive, from an external weather data source, weather data representative of the selected weather condition for the selected display area and representative of the weather condition detected outside the selected display area and determined to be relevant to the aircraft, the weather data including location data for the weather conditions;
• and
• display an image representative of the selected weather condition within the selected display area and the weather condition determined to be relevant to the aircraft outside the selected display area, the image based on the received weather data.

An aircraft weather radar system, comprising:

• a processor;
• a display;
• and
• memory coupled to the processor and containing program instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• transmit to an external weather data source a selected display area to display weather products, the weather products selected from a plurality of available weather products offered by the external weather data source;
• receive weather data from the external weather data source, including weather data representative of the selected weather products for the selected display area and weather data for the selected weather products available outside the selected display area, the weather data including location data for the weather products;
• and
• display the selected weather products in the selected display area and display the selected weather products available outside the selected display area, wherein the weather products displayed in the selected display area are separately identified from the weather products displayed outside the selected display area, and wherein the selected display area automatically and simultaneously changes location based on movement of the aircraft.