They gather data that gets blended with numerical models to aid in track and intensity prediction, which provide quite a significant benefit to humanity.

Yes, a small bottleneck. Great circle distance calculations for operational weather forecast models can take up to 4-5% of the total run time, but we are always looking for greater efficiency.

You might try a meteorological journal like MWR (Monthly Weather Review, although the title is now quite anachronistic -- this is the journal I'd recommend for your work) or JAS (Journal of Atmospheric Science) for this sort of thing (these are both first-tier journals in our field), as we (meteorologists) care very much about the accuracy and speed of great circle distance calculations for weather/climate forecast models and data assimilation. The American Meteorological Society website has a set of guidelines for submission, so just follow those and submit. You automatically have copyright, of course, but this isn't a patentable sort of thing -- it sounds like a short journal article or note to me. You don't need any kind of qualifications to submit -- if the paper is good and appropriate for the journal, it will get published. It will not be free; however, if you refrain from using color, the page charges won't be too bad. Dr. William F. Campbell Marine Meteorology Division Data Assimilation Section Naval Research Laboratory Monterey, CA