NHL Ops Dashboard Help

What the dashboard is for

The dashboard is an operational weather screen for NHL bases and sites. It is built to help users quickly compare current conditions, the remainder of today, and tomorrow's operating window across all loaded locations in one place.

• It is a decision-support screen, not a replacement for full pre-flight weather planning.
• The site list can be filtered with the dashboard Search sites box.
• The map and list remain linked, so selecting one highlights the other.
• The top counters summarise the currently active Today cutoff and the fixed Tomorrow window.

Status meanings

GO Within configured limits for that window.

MARGINAL Near limits, caution flags present, or trend not comfortably clear.

NO-GO Outside configured limits or forecast to be outside them.

NO-DATA No usable weather source available for that time window.

Timeframes and cutoffs

• Now is based on the latest usable METAR observation time shown on the row.
• Today is forecast logic from now until the selected cutoff. The selector defaults to Auto 19:00.
• The Today selector offers hourly cutoff times only, and times already passed are not offered.
• Tomorrow is a fixed operational window of 08:00Z to 18:00Z.
• The site map automatically flips between Today and Tomorrow based on the active auto switch time shown on the dashboard.

Data refresh and age

• Dashboard data is cached for roughly 30 minutes to reduce upstream load and improve resilience.
• METAR and TAF age text is shown on the row so stale data is easier to spot.
• If upstream services briefly fail, the server is designed to fall back cleanly instead of crashing the dashboard response.
• The age text shown is the data age currently being used by the display, not a promise that the source has issued something newer.

Sources used

• METAR and TAF are pulled from the configured upstream weather source. In the current server build this is metar-taf.com for METAR/TAF retrieval.
• Source badges on each row tell you which station and source type were actually used.
• Rain radar uses the dashboard radar panel and external radar view.
• Some screens may also show a cloud-base map layer for wider situational awareness.

Proxy logic and overrides

• If a site does not have a direct usable source, the server can use a configured proxy ICAO or the nearest available station.
• Where a better operational source is known, a manual weather source override can be used for that site.
• The row text and source line are there to make proxy use obvious, not hidden.

Decision assumptions and thresholds

The current dashboard server logic uses these main operational assumptions for scoring:

These are application scoring rules to help standardise the dashboard view. They do not remove pilot judgement, aircraft-specific limits, or any stricter operational requirement.

How to read a site row

• Site name on the left.
• Status chips for Now, Today, and Tomorrow.
• Reason text describing the main limiter.
• Source line showing station, type, and time data.
• Grouped into Bases and Event sites.

Search and list features

• The main dashboard search box filters by site name, ICAO, and source ICAO text.
• The full-screen desktop layout is set so the site list gets more width than the map.
• The top counter row is compressed so search and Today cutoff controls fit on one line at desktop size.

Transit check explained

• Transit check compares route weather using the same general NHL go / marginal / no-go logic as the site view.
• The route supports From, optional Via, and To.
• It uses a fixed 12nm corridor plus an extra 10nm witness margin to include nearby useful stations.
• The transit result clearly states that minimum AGL is assessed on 700ft AGL.
• Cruise kt is only used for route timing context, not to relax weather thresholds.

Map and radar panels

• Sites map shows site markers and follows your current selection.
• Rain radar gives broader precipitation context and opens externally if embedding is limited.
• The map window chip shows whether the map is currently colouring for Today or Tomorrow.

What this help page covers

• Features in the main dashboard view.
• Decision assumptions and key thresholds.
• Weather sources, proxy use, and row interpretation.
• Time windows and the Today cutoff selector.
• Transit check assumptions and route logic.
• How users should report faults and what details make a report useful.