Can run in the background, pilot can use any other app meanwhile. Or just leave the iPad with screen off. Our app keeps recording and alerting as long as you are in flight.
I'm assuming that the most valuable data for predicting turbulence during a flight is timely data from the accelerometers of the iPads on nearby airliners, which gets me curious as to whether these iPads usually have connectivity (to your AWS servers) during a flight, and how that connectivity is provided. (I'm guessing satellite.)
Yes, satellite internet is now standard on many Western airlines. In addition to this, we utilize weather data and real-time turbulence reports to predict Clear Air Turbulence (CAT) events across the entire sky, even where iPads are currently not on flights.