Plain English Meaning
A U.S. government department that, among other things, runs the agencies that supply weather information used in flying.
Full Definition
The U.S. federal executive department responsible for promoting economic growth, including oversight of agencies that support aviation and air traffic infrastructure such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which provides aviation weather data used in NextGen operations.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of navigation aid coverage, instrument procedure design, and NextGen navigation systems that still depend on ground-based radio signals.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to see critical obstacles and routes in real time without flipping through paper charts.