Weather conditions have a critical impact on all offshore operations, and on helicopter traffic and helideck operations in particular. Hundreds of take-offs in severe weather conditions happen all the time as most operating companies rely on helicopters to transport their crews sometimes hundreds of kilometers out to sea. This is important as most operating companies rely on helicopters to transport their crews sometimes hundreds of kilometers out to sea. Installations in the North Sea or Brazilian deep waters, for example, run over 100,000 flights a year, often in difficult flying conditions like fog or darkness, at an average cost of $1,500 a passenger. Because these flights are one of the biggest risk factors facing offshore workers, accurate and reliable environmental monitoring is a vital tool for ensuring safety and efficiency.