"It would be most useful for countries where they don't have much rain gauge data or weather radar - in Africa for instance, they do have mobile phones, at least in areas where the population density is high enough, " he told BBC News.

BBC: Rain tracked with mobile network

Rockwell will be producing the backbone communications, cockpit displays, pilot controls, weather radar and collision-avoidance systems for an estimated 1, 775 Dreamliners.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Over the past two decades, enhanced pilot training, better weather radar and improved cockpit decision-making have substantially reduced the hazards posed by wind shear around the world.

WSJ: Weather Scrutinized as Possible Cause of Lion Air Crash

These provide readings on location, charting, weather, sonar and radar via a proprietary Ethernet-based network.

FORBES: Garmin: Navigating Its Way To Holiday Profits

After the 1953 disasters, developers of weather radar convinced Congress to support a national network of detectors known as the WSR-57 (for 1957), a very acceptable machine for picking up tornadoes capable of causing significant damage.

FORBES: The Great Tornadoes Of 2011 Put In Perspective

The most advanced weather radar on the market, for example, lets pilots page through screens showing ever-changing maps of what's ahead--rain, approaching thunderstorms, turbulence, wind-shear threats--all color-coded on flat liquid crystal displays.

FORBES: Top Gun

Within a few years, the lab developed radar systems used for naval navigation, weather prediction, and the detection of bombers and U-boats.

NEWYORKER: Groupthink

And, Air Force officials say, with radar systems now installed in Hungary and Bosnia, the weather should be less of a problem -- although it could still shut down transports for days.

CNN: Finally, troops leave Germany for Bosnia