ICAO ACP Working Group C-9 Meeting

ICAO ACP Working Group C-9 meeting

Montreal, 4-8 April 2005

REPORT

Introduction: The ninth Meeting of the ACP-WG C was held from 4-8 April 2005 at the IATA offices Montreal, Canada. The participants (see attachment A) in attendance introduced themselves and agreed on the Agenda (see attachment B). The list of working papers is contained in Attachment C.

It was agreed that no paper copies would be made available as the papers were available from the ICAO website through a WLAN operating in the meeting room.

Agenda Item 1:Review of WGC8 meeting report

1.1No comments were received.

Agenda Item 2:Task List

2.1 The Working group went through the action list resulting from WGC8 with the following results:

Task No / Description / Action / Status
WGCT_1 / Provide regular updates on the VHF radio spectrum congestion / No updates were received since the VHF predicted band saturation date is still 2015 / Action stays open. Eurocontrol/FAA will provide up date in case date will shift.
WGCT-6 / Develop a draft concept of voice operation / Not yet available / Target WG_10
WGCT_7 / Comments on assessment parameters / No comments received. / Action closed.
WGCT_12 / Provide information on AOC traffic / WPC 9-16 provides information / Action closed
WGC8-1 / Secretariat to ask WGF clarification on the exclusion of the 5030-5090 MHz band / New MLS planning criteria will require larger MLS bandwidth / Action closed
WGC8-2 / Coordinate with WG F the possible input from WG-C for Agenda Item 1.6 / WG-F at present doesn’t require WG-C input. / Action closed
WGC8-3 / Comments on draft UAT SARPs Validation Report, Revision 0.2 to the Secretariat and UAT Subgroup Rapporteur / Comments were submitted to subgroup and incorporated in SARPS presented to WG-C9 / Action closed
WGC8-4 / Comments on draft UAT Implementation Manual, Revision 0.5 to the Secretariat and UAT Subgroup Rapporteur / Comments were submitted to subgroup and incorporated in the UATimplementation manual presented to WG-C/9. / Action closed
WGC8-5 / Generate a document, which includes all identified candidate technologies included in the pre-screening process / All technologies being considered are contained in the WP C9/11.. See agenda Item 5. / Action closed
WGC8-7 / WGC members to provide comments on the content of WP 26 to Greg Anderson / New version of IOCR was submitted to WGC9. See agenda Item 5. / Action closed
WGC8-8 / Establish a small drafting group to provide a new draft on institutional elements. / Results from drafting group are contained in WP 15. / Action closed
WGC8-9 / Provide information on the average size of a typical AOC message / Information contained in WPC-16. / Action closed

Agenda Item 3:Update on ICAO activities, ITU and industry

3.1ICAO activities:

3.1.1The main event for ACP in 2005 will be the Working Group of the Whole meeting which is scheduled to take place from 21 to 29 June 2005 at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, Canada. The main issues to be addressed at this meeting are:

• Approval of Draft SARPs for UAT
• Feasibility of using TCP/IP protocols in the ATN
• Revision of AMSS SARPs
• Progress on the development of new communication systems

It is expected that during ACP WGN/5 in May 2005 a report on feasibility of TCP/IP in the ATN will be made available as well as information on the progress of work on using VoIP.

ACP Working Group M has completed draft generic SARPs for the Aeronautical Mobile satellite (en-route) Service (AMS(R)S) to replace the existing SARPs for the Aeronautical Mobile Satellite Service (AMSS). The detailed technical specifications on AMSS, currently in Annex 10, Volume III should be published as a separate manual. The new draft generic SARPs take into consideration the core SARPs of current provisions in Annex 10 and the draft SARPs and guidance material on alternate provisions for AMS(R)S, as developed at AMCP/7 and sent for comments to States and relevant international organizations (State Letter AN 7/1.3.81-00/70 refers).

A combined meeting of the Regional Preparatory Group for the ITU World Radiocommunication Conference 2007 (WRC-2007), Working Groups F and B of the Aeronautical Communications Panel (ACP) and the Spectrum Subgroup of the Navigation Systems Panel (NSP) was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 17 to 25 February 2005. The main goal of the meeting was to complete the ICAO position for the ITU WRC-2007, in the light of comments received from States and international organizations on State letter E 3/5-04-99 dated 30 November 2004. The report and working papers submitted to the meeting will be made available on the website of the ACP (

3.2ITU activities:

3.2.1.ITU-R TG 1/8: The meeting was also provided with a brief oral report on the current status of ITU-R Task Group 1/8 activities in the area of ultra wideband (UWB) technology. The fourth meeting of TG 1/8 was held in Geneva from 4-10 November 2004. This meeting received 93 input documents covering characteristics of UWB systems, impact of systems using UWB technology on systems operating within radiocommunication services, a spectrum management framework for UWB, and measurement techniques of UWB emissions. It is envisaged to develop four ITU-R Recommendations (technical characteristics of UWB devices, compatibility with other radio services, spectrum management framework and measurement techniques) and an ITU-R Report on electromagnetic compatibility issues. UWB devices are intended to operate across numerous frequency bands and may affect existing and future aeronautical radio services.

Agenda Item 4:UAT

4.1The Rapporteur of the UAT Subgroup, George Ligler, introduced Working Paper ACP/WGC9-WP05, the Validation Cross Reference Index (VCRI) for the UAT SARPs and Manual on the Detailed Technical Specifications, Draft Version 3.6, dated March 17, 2005. The meeting was provided an overview of the validation process for the draft UAT SARPs and Detailed Technical Specifications as well as of recent meetings of the UAT Subgroup, three of which had occurred at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal and a fourth of which had occurred at DFS facilities in Langen, Germany. Coordination with three ICAO Panels, SCRSP, NSP, and OPLINKP was also discussed, as well as UAT-related preparation of the ICAO position for WRC 2007 (to develop a footnote to the Radio Regulations to support UAT Ground Station uplinking of FIS-B information). The validation techniques used in the VCRI were summarized, particularly with regard to the use of end-to-end Flight Tests using certified UAT avionics, production-level UAT Ground Stations, and an ATC automation system (Micro-EARTS) that had been modified to accept UAT inputs for operational air traffic control for the FAA Capstone Program. The use of prototype air-transport-class (Equipage Class A3) UAT transmitters and receivers to validate a number of SARPs requirements was also discussed.

4.2Dr. Ligler then introduced Working Papers ACP/WGC9-WP02, the Draft SARPs for UAT, Revision 4.3, and ACP/WGC9-WP06, the Validation Report on the Requirements of the SARPs for UAT, Revision 1.6. He highlighted those aspects of requirements in the draft SARPs that had changed since WGC8, discussed a number of improvements to the draft SARPs that had been suggested primarily by the Secretariat and Nikos Fistas, and went through portions of the Validation Report dealing with, inter alia, the rationale for UAT transmit frequency selection, the incorporation of multiple avionics transmit power levels in the draft SARPs, mandatory carriage requirements, a change in Section 12.3.2.4 of the pulsed interference tolerance requirement for DME interference emanating from DME stations transmitting between 980 MHz and 1213 MHz inclusive, and the modulation rate requirements of Section 12.4.1. The meeting was informed of how the UAT Subgroup had dealt with equipment tests when results were mixed (i.e., some tests of a given requirement indicated that the equipment under test passed, and other tests of the same requirement indicated that equipment under test did not meet the requirement). In one such case, given the prototype nature of the equipment under test (a certified UAT Standard Receiver modified to approximate a High Performance Receiver), the Subgroup was confident that the dynamic range requirement not met by the modified receiver would be met by production equipment. In another case, the SARPs requirement (for receiver tolerance to pulsed interference from DME transmissions between 980 and 1213 MHz), was deemed to be unnecessarily stringent and was modified. In all cases, the UAT Subgroup reported all test results.

4.3After further discussion, the meeting agreed to designate the draft UAT SARPs as Revision 5.0 and the Validation Report for the draft SARPs as Revision 2.0. The meeting further agreed that the SARPs and Validation Report would be submitted to the June 2005 ACP Working Group of the Whole (WGW) meeting for further review and approval.

4.4The meeting was provided a demonstration of the CRABS reporting system developed by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) to provide on-line information concerning the implementation in the continental United States (additional to the implementation of UAT in the FAA’s Capstone Program in Alaska) of UAT Ground Stations, UAT-equipped aircraft seen by those Ground Stations, weather products uplinked by those Ground Stations, and TIS-B traffic information uplinked by the Ground Stations. Information concerning UAT Ground station installations in six U.S. states was depicted. Dr. Larry Bachman of APL indicated that further UAT Ground Station installations were expected in the near future in three additional U.S. states.

4.5The UAT Subgroup Rapporteur then introduced Working Papers ACP/WGC9-WP03, the Manual on the UAT: Detailed Technical Specifications, Edition 1, Revision 3.3, and ACP/WGC9-WP07, the Validation Report on the Requirements of the Manual of the UAT: Detailed Technical Specifications, Edition 1, Draft Version 0.7. Again, the meeting was provided information on any significant changes that had been made to the Detailed Technical Specifications since WGC8 as well as on a number of helpful improvements made to the document on the basis of comments from the Secretariat. The Validation Report for the Detailed Technical Specifications was then overviewed, with particular discussion on the methodology of validation for UAT message field requirements; discussion of a change in Section 2.1.5.2.5.2 to except Rotorcraft from the requirements for validation of air/ground indication; discussion of insertion into the UAT Implementation Manual of further guidance on the setting of the value of the System Implementation Level (SIL) parameter and a note 3 below Table 2-36 in the Detailed Technical Specifications to refer to that Implementation Manual discussion; review of new/expanded requirements in Sections 5.2 and 5.3 of the Manual on Detailed Technical Specifications; and movement of what had been Appendix A to the draft SARPs (requirements for Successful Message Reception) to a new Section 4 of the Detailed Technical Specifications.

4.6After further discussion, the meeting approved the designation of the Manual on Detailed Technical Specifications, as modified by the meeting, as Revision 4.0 and designation of the Validation Report on that Manual, as modified by the meeting, as Revision 1.0. The meeting further agreed that the Manual and Validation Report would be submitted to the June 2005 ACP WGW meeting for further review and approval.

4.7The UAT Subgroup Rapporteur then introduced Paper ACP/WGC9-WP04, the Implementation Manual for the UAT, Draft Revision 1.5. The meeting was provided an overview of which aspects of the Implementation Manual had changed since WGC8, with particular emphasis on Sections 6, 7.2, 8, and 9 as well as Appendix B and the addition of Appendices J and K. The meeting noted that the frequency planning criteria for UAT were being submitted in concert with the UAT SARPs and Manuals, and that these frequency-planning criteria, adopted as recommended initially by DFS, had been coordinated with the ICAO NSP. The meeting further noted that Section 8 of the UAT Implementation Manual, on spurious emissions, had been developed by the UAT Subgroup in response to an action assigned to the Subgroup at WGC6. Torsten Jacob introduced UAT Subgroup Working Paper UATSWG10-WP3, which provided numerous helpful comments from the Secretariat on the Implementation Manual, many of which had been incorporated and the remainder of which would be reviewed at a meeting specific to the UAT Implementation Manual to be held April 11-13 at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal. The meeting noted that the definition of “Eye Diagram” in Appendix A to the Manual needed to be reviewed.

4.8After further discussion, the meeting approved the designation, after the April 11-13 meeting mentioned above, of the draft UAT Implementation Manual as Revision 2.0 and the submission of that Manual to the June 2005 ACP WGW meeting for further review and approval.

4.9The UAT Subgroup agreed to provide a further Working Paper for the June 2005 ACP WGW meeting indicating the recommended changes to Annex 10, Volume 1 to reflect the use of 978 MHz by UAT. Mike Biggs indicated that these changes had been submitted to the NSP Spectrum Subgroup, which had already agreed to the UAT frequency planning criteria.

4.10The UAT Subgroup Rapporteur then introduced Working Paper ACP/WGC9-WP08, Draft Version 1.1 of Requirements and Desirable Features for the UAT. Dr. Ligler indicated that this document, Revision 1.0 of which had been approved by AMCP/8, reflected a number of comments provided by OPLINKP at the request of AMCP/8. He also discussed several OPLINKP comments which had not been adopted owing to the need for ongoing work in the Requirements Focus Group (RFG) commissioned by RTCA and EUROCAE to be completed before the subject matter of those comments could be considered mature enough to be acted upon. The meeting was informed that OPLINKP had indicated that no further coordination by the UAT Subgroup was necessary.

4.11After further discussion and the deletion of an introductory note in WP08, the meeting agreed to designate the Requirements and Desirable Features Document, as amended by the meeting, as Revision 1.2 and to have the document submitted to the June 2005 ACP WGW for further review and approval.

4.12The meeting discussed the future work programme for the UAT Subgroup. The meeting agreed to recommend to the June 2005 ACP WGW meeting that the UAT Subgroup, after effecting any necessary coordination of the draft Edition 1 UAT SARPs and Manuals after the WGW meeting, be retained from an organizational point-of-view while being put into a “dormant” state until it was deemed appropriate to develop further standards for, e.g, the future capabilities of the UAT system discussed in Section 9 of the UAT Implementation Manual.

Agenda Item 5:New Technologies-Selection Criteria

5.1WP 10 provided an update from the work on the B-VHF, in particular the results from the analysis on channel occupancy and the capacity. Based on both worst-case simulations performed with the NAVSIM tool from University of Salzburg and VHF band measurements on different flight levels within U.K. airspace, the available percentage of the VHF band is estimated which can be re-used for the B-VHF overlay system. At the current stage of the project, it is expected that an interference power threshold of -75 dBm is acceptable for the B-VHF overlay system. This leads to the following estimation of available bandwidth for B-VHF communications:

• High density area, e.g. Brussels airport: 50% (cell radius 20 nm) of the VHF band,
• Less dense areas, e.g. Munich airport: 47% (cell radius 60 nm) of the VHF band,
• Low density area: Around 50% (cell radius 100 nm), estimated value.

Final verification of the B-VHF system concept with simulations and testing against current VHF DSB equipment is expected to be completed by the end of 2006.

5.2WP 13 introduced a New Operational Concept using Three-dimensional Adaptable Route Navigation (NOCTARN). Supported by a TDMA UHF Transceiver operating on a bit rate of 19200 bps, three following aspects were validated in an integrated flight simulation:

• Operational Aspect containing
• Data Link Communication Procedure
• Airspace & Trajectory Definition
• ATC Procedure
• Noise Abatement by 3D Trajectory

• Airborne Aspect
• Pilot HMI for Guidance and a customized ADS-B CPDLC message set.
• Navigation System
• Ground Aspect
• ATC Workstation

Future flight tests will be focused on the update of the Multi Functional Display and associated procedures, inclusion of an ATC controller while the UAT transceiver might be considered to support the trials. Further work might extent to high-density operation and self-separation assurance and sequencing for smaller airport and heliports.

5.3WP 9 was supported by a power point presentation and contained the Initial Communications Operating Concept and Requirements (ICOCR) as presently developed by the Future Communication Study as part of Action Plan 17 (See Agenda Item 6).

25 ATS services (includes 6 FIS and 7 ADS-B) and 21 AOC Services were defined for COCR Services. A set of scenarios using these services are developed and will be used to simulate message traffic voice and data for time frame 2015-2030. Scenarios include micro-jets, UAVs and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) – which are assumed to be “just another aircraft” for ATC purposes. Traffic is 2.5 to 3 times today’s traffic, but forecasts indicate spread over less dense periods (versus adding to current peaks). Two types of airspace are assumed: Managed airspace and unmanaged (more for use by autonomous aircraft, traffic types E, F, G) airspace. Equipped aircraft in the context of the document will have digital communication capability, but it does not necessarily imply they have ADS-B and some other features. Two operational scenarios are assumed one for the 2015 and one for the 2030 time frame.