Story ID: 
WSI wx coverage goes global
By: Harry Weisberger
Caption: WSI has rolled out the Fusion 2.2 version of its online software service, which provides worldwide information on changing flight, airport and airspace con
Word Count: 317
WSI has rolled out the Fusion 2.2 version of its online software service, which provides worldwide information on changing flight, airport and airspace conditions. The company reported  that Version 2.2 offers expanded international tracking of lightning information, satellite-derived tropical “pseudo-radar” imagery of convective activity and projected aircraft positioning.
WSI Fusion, the company said, aids international operations by combining public and proprietary weather information, airspace constraints, flight information and operational data into a unified operational on-screen picture. Users include dispatchers, operations personnel and aviation managers. WSI, which is based in Andover, Mass., is demonstrating Fusion 2.2 at Booth No. 5482. 
The company claims the latest version of the Fusion software will help operators better identify areas of enroute turbulence or icing. WSI’s team of aviation meteorologists helps operators  plan to mitigate the effects of weather events and to achieve optimal routing, a spokesman said. The expanded “pseudo-radar” depicts convective activity in areas between 30-deg N and 30-deg S latitudes, where traditional ground-based precipitation radar coverage is unavailable. 
The Fusion service is available only directly through WSI. Users include several large North American air carriers as well as “a growing number of regional airlines, charter operations, corporate flight departments and airports globally,” according to the company, which  does not currently offer a version specifically for individual pilots.
Fusion 2.2 pricing differs according to operator requirements. The basic package includes NOWrad radar, echo tops, infrared and visible satellite, Sigmets, Airmets, Metars, TAFs, Pireps and flight-level winds and temperatures. The company said among its premium features are real-time North America and global lightning coverage, expanded geographic coverage and WSI’s global enroute convective and turbulence hazard guidance alerts and forecasts. An enhanced flight data interface supports flight information from sources other than traditional FAA and Eurocontrol records. It has additional capabilities that enable aircraft operators to participate in the Eurocontrol electronic flight data trial program.