Traffic Information Service-Broadcast (TIS-B) is an aviation information service broadcast provided to aircraft using both the 1090 MHz extended squitter (1090 ES) and the Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) band of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast

Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast is a surveillance technology for tracking aircraft as part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System ...

 (ADS-B). Currently the service mainly benefits General Aviation

General aviation

General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

 (GA) aircraft who have equipped with ADS-B In hardware by providing a traffic information relay to a screen in the cockpit

Cockpit

A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft, from which a pilot controls the aircraft. Most modern cockpits are enclosed, except on some small aircraft, and cockpits on large airliners are also physically separated from the cabin...

. This allows pilots to see real time satellite and radar data similar to what an air traffic controller

Air traffic controller

Air traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...

 sees on the ground.
At this time TIS-B is meant to be only a supplement to visual separation when operating in visual meteorological conditions

Visual meteorological conditions

In aviation, visual meteorological conditions is an aviation flight category in which visual flight rules flight is permitted—that is, conditions in which pilots have sufficient visibility to fly the aircraft maintaining visual separation from terrain and other aircraft. They are the opposite of...

 (VMC) and as a backup to radar when operating under Instrument flight rules

Instrument flight rules

Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....

(IFR)