ASOS advises air traffic management of the current weather conditions in support of the national airspace, safety of the flying public and Navy, Marine Corps, and Army operational airfields
The surface weather observation is a crucial component of day to day operations at these locations
An ASOS (Automated Surface Observing System) station is functionally similar to AWOS (Automated Weather Observation System) stations but is managed, maintained and controlled by NOAA rather than the FAA or the organization that operates the airport
ASOS installations are newer and more advanced than AWOS
All ASOS stations match the capabilities of the AWOS-III or are even better
They have been installed around the country as a joint effort between the FAA, the NWS (National Weather Service), and the DOD (Department of Defense)
