Jeppesen teams up with The Weather Co.
Data, weather giants join forces
Less than a week after Jeppesen made headlines by partnering with software innovator ForeFlight, the aviation charting giant announced it was teaming up with The Weather Co. to deliver unified weather products for pilots. The May 8 agreement calls for The Weather Co. to provide “real-time, forecast services and weather briefings” for all Jeppesen aviation market segments, which includes general and business aviation, the airlines, and the military.
Jeppesen, a Boeing company long known for its aviation-driven maps, charts, and electronic flight bag software, is familiar to both GA and professional pilots. The Weather Co., an IBM business known for its Atlanta-based The Weather Channel, provides consumers with live coverage of weather disasters, daily meteorological forecasts, and a robust online presence that many pilots use for a big-picture view of current and forecast conditions.
The release explained that the synergy between the two industry giants would allow The Weather Co. to “serve as the primary weather source across Jeppesen and Boeing aviation products,” likely benefiting GA and other aviation interests alike.
The news release said The Weather Co. “will replace all previous weather sources for Jeppesen flight deck and flight planning services.”
Some of the products affected by the collaboration include Jeppesen’s FliteDeck Pro, an EFB charting app for large-scale operators and airlines; Aviator, an all-in-one pilot resource suite for iOS and Windows devices; and other specialized data for military and air transport operations.
Ken Sain, the chief operating officer for Jeppesen, said, "The Weather Company is the clear leader in providing the most accurate, personalized, and actionable weather services and insights to the global aviation industry, and there is a strong demand across our customer base to use The Weather Company as our core weather source."
He added that the agreement eliminates variables caused by different weather sources and “establishes a unified weather experience,” which is of particular importance to air carrier operations keeping an eye on performance and efficiency through a variety of unforeseen weather events.
Mark Gildersleeve, the vice president of business solutions for The Weather Co., added that his company is “committed to providing every pilot and dispatch center with access to the best weather data available."
