Planes flying into Cherryland Airport could soon provide more than just transportation. That’s already the case for commercial air travel. Meteorologist Richard Mamrosh with the National Weather Service in Green Bay, says they’re a treasure trove of information with nearly real-time data that can be plugged directly into forecast models.

The information is received by NWS within 15 minutes from when it is first measured. United Parcel Service was the first company to include data recorders on its flights to help make sure packages weren’t slowed in winter ice storms. Soon after, Federal Express added its own system and commercial carriers like United, Delta, and others followed suit.