Plain English Meaning
A wireless connection that lets two computers send information to each other -- in this case, sending traffic data from a radar on the ground up to your aircraft.
Full Definition
A digital communication channel that transmits information between two systems, such as between a ground-based radar facility and equipment on board an aircraft. In the Traffic Information Service context, the data link carries traffic position and altitude information from a ground radar to the aircraft's cockpit display.
Context Anchor
Seen in Traffic Information Service discussions, especially when cockpit traffic displays depend on information sent from ground equipment.
Derivation
Plain English: 'data' (information in digital form) plus 'link' (a connection between two things). Together it describes a connection that carries information rather than voice.
Why Pilots Care
It supplies real-time traffic and weather updates without voice calls, improving situational awareness during instrument flight.
Intuition Check
Do not think of a data link as an internet connection or a wire. Here it means an electronic communication path used to send aircraft information, usually by radio.
Example Sentence 1
The TIS traffic shown on the cockpit display arrives via a data link from the ground radar.
Example Sentence 2
The pilot checked weather information received over the data link before descending.