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AIS-AIMSG/2-IP/2/ AIS-AIMSG/3-IP/2
25/10/2010
AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION SERVICES-AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT STUDY GROUP (AIS-AIMSG)
THIRD MEETING
Montréal, 9 to 12 November 2010
Agenda Item / 4: / Development and implementation of AIS-AIM transition4.3: / Information on NextGen and SESAR
NEXTGEN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT
(Presented by Gregory Pray)
SUMMARYThis information paper describes the NextGen Aeronautical Information Management activities in the context of information management and SWIM.
1. INTRODUCTION – nextGen
1.1 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in cooperation with the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO)[1], has embarked on a comprehensive system upgrade that will allow fundamental changes in air traffic management. The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) focuses on leveraging new technologies and involves meaningful collaboration among government departments and agencies as well as companies in the aerospace and related industries. NextGen will enable critical transitions:
§ From ground based to satellite-based navigation and surveillance
§ From voice communications to digital data exchange
§ From a disparate and fragmented weather forecast delivery system to a system that uses a single, authoritative source, and
§ From operations limited by visibility to sustaining the pace of operations even when impacted by adverse weather or difficult terrain.
1.2 Most significant, however, is the one transition that makes all the others possible — moving from disconnected and incompatible information systems to a scalable, network-centric architecture. This will ensure that everyone using the system has easy access to the same information at the same time, when needed.
1.3 Integrated Information - Strategic Vision
1.3.1 Integrated NextGen information provides authorized aviation stakeholders timely, accurate, and actionable information (e.g., aeronautical information, weather, surveillance, operational and planning information, and position, navigation and timing information) to shorten decision cycles and improve situational awareness using a net-centric environment managed through (a) enterprise services and physical infrastructure, assuring its availability and security, and (b) content management services that provide discovery, storage, and delivery of information from producers to consumers to meet the information exchange requirements of the NextGen stakeholder community. The transformational objective of this NextGen capability is to create an environment that gets the right information, at the right time, in the right format, and under the right protection, to authorized decision makers and their decision support tools.
1.4 NextGen Phases
1.4.1 The FAA already has achieved a number of critical NextGen milestones. It has initiated and expanded satellite-based surveillance, improved airport runway access, increased safety and efficiency on the ground, and enhanced airspace safety and operations. The use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) to control traffic in the Gulf of Mexico made possible the provision of air traffic services in some areas of active airspace where surveillance has never before been possible. Airfield construction and improvements around the nation, along with the continued deployment of surface safety technology, such as Airport Surface Detection Equipment-Model X, have helped increase runway safety and reduce delays. Airspace redesign and Performance Based Navigation (PBN) procedures already are saving fuel, reducing emissions and managing noise in demonstrations with our domestic and international partners. The United States has worked closely with European and Pacific Rim operators to ensure that aircraft operating globally are equipped with technology that can function and take advantage of operational benefits in various international air traffic environments.
1.4.2 Since FY2009[2], infrastructure improvements have been building a foundational net-centric environment by (a) implementing and upgrading physical infrastructure; (b) integrating existing interagency enterprise networks into an interoperable information sharing environment that meets minimum NextGen requirements for safety, security, and network management; (c) incorporating information from modular legacy sources and new decision support tools; and (d) developing and implementing the security policies (i.e., physical and cyber security), information sharing standards and protocols, enterprise governance mechanisms, and standards for the content management framework. Content management services will enable authorized stakeholders to provide, discover, and consume timely and accurate NextGen-relevant information through available enterprise-wide services, trusted aviation stakeholder partnerships, and aligned data policies, regulations, and standards (including data conflict resolution).
1.4.2 The mid-term (FY2012 – FY2018) system is enabled by policy, procedures and systems both on the ground and on the flight deck. It makes the most of technologies and procedures that are in use today, while introducing new systems and procedures that fundamentally change air traffic automation, surveillance, communications, navigation and the way we manage information. In the mid-term, information management improvements incorporate additional data types and information sources into the content management framework and improve integration and interoperability of systems across the net-centric enterprise. Common weather and system status information services dramatically improve flight planning. Shared Situational Awareness is further enhanced as flight risk management systems are integrated with more dynamic risk assessment and decision support capabilities to provide increased response coordination.
1.4.3 In the far-term, FY2019 – FY2025, improvements provide the full Integrated NextGen Information capability. Enterprise and content management improvements link producers and consumers of information in a robust, scalable, resilient, secure, and globally interconnected net-enabled environment. In this net-enabled environment, information is timely and shared consistently among authorized aviation users, systems, and platforms. Information structures and management frameworks are in place and operational to support full consideration of risk information during decision cycles across the enterprise. Completing the integration of weather observation sources and decision tools enables full 4-D Weather Cube capability to improve forecasts and minimize weather impact to National Airspace System (NAS) operations. Air Domain Awareness coupled with a risk management system incorporates integrated surveillance information and risk profiles to provide situational awareness across the NAS and enable a unified, national command, control, and communications architecture to respond to threats and incidents in the NAS.
1.4.4 A graphical depiction of the Aeronautical Information Flow, as part of NextGen information communication, in the far-term is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: NextGen 2025 Systems Communications Description – Aeronautical Information Flow
Aeronautical information is considered an enterprise-wide operation in the NextGen environment.
2. System Wide Information Management
2.1 The System Wide Information Management (SWIM) program is the advanced technology the NextGen program designed to facilitate greater sharing of Air Traffic Management (ATM) system information, such as airport configuration and operational status; weather information; flight data; definition, scheduling and status of special activity airspace; and NAS restrictions. The Concept of Operations is depicted in Figure 2.
Figure 2: SWIM Concept of Operations
SWIM will provide information management governance and core capabilities in the NextGen net-centric environment.
2.2 SWIM will use commercial off-the-shelf hardware and software to support a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) that will promote a common situational awareness by facilitating the addition of new systems and data exchanges. SWIM infrastructure will be implemented based on accepted industry standards and recommended practices. Not all data will be made available to all users and systems; comprehensive security rules will define who can publish data to the system and who can access it.
2.3 The SWIM use of SOA technology allows software applications in the NAS to interact with one another through information services that can be accessed without knowledge of another application’s underlying platform implementation. This simplifies interface requirements to existing NAS systems and ensures new systems can be built with minimum technology (hardware, software, and data definition) constraints. Thus, NextGen development and implementation costs and risks for new applications will be lower.
2.4 For applications and systems to be accessible and interoperable via SWIM services, it is necessary for these applications and systems to be SWIM-compliant. SWIM compliance includes complying with specific Information Technology (IT) standards and SWIM policies. These include Data Compliance, SOA Service Interface Compliance, Service Messaging and Transport Compliance, and SWIM Programmatic Compliance. Specific standards and/or policies are associated with each of these compliance categories.
2.5 SWIM Program
2.5.1 The SWIM program has been divided into phases, called segments. In Segment 1, the SWIM program provides Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) core capabilities software to the first set of NAS implementing programs. These Segment 1 implementing programs include Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) - Special Activity Airspace (SAA).
2.5.2 The SWIM Segment 1 core capabilities include: interface management, messaging, security, and enterprise service management. SWIM governance defines activities to architect, design, develop, test and implement services. It also defines the methods employed to perform those activities, roles and responsibilities, and metrics to characterize success and adherence to policies.
2.5.3 When development of a SWIM service is complete, the service is deployed and monitored on a NAS System platform in the run-time environment. During service execution, the approved platform provides the services using the SWIM-provided government-furnished software. A service provider exposes a service that is ready for use through the SWIM registry. In turn, the registry enables searches (by service category) allowing a service consumer to discover the service. In the run-time environment, a service consumer invokes a service provider using precompiled interface codes.
2.5.4 SWIM core capabilities separate information technology concerns from business concerns, promote the re-use of existing services, and encapsulate the infrastructure. This generates cost savings, mitigates integration technology risk, and provides a point of control for implementing enterprise-level guidance.
2.5.5 SWIM Segments 2 and 3 are under development.
3. AIM
3.1 The Air Traffic Organization, Office of Airspace and Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) is responsible for providing aeronautical data throughout the NAS. Aeronautical information refers to data concerning aeronautical facilities, services, procedures, or hazards that are needed by personnel concerned with flight operations. In the current system, two classes of data exist: static and dynamic data. Static data is published at regular (28-day, 56-day, and 6-month) cycles or on demand. Dynamic data describe any changes in the static data. Dynamic data that perpetuate or are considered permanent changes in terms of the static data publishing lifecycle time-scale are incorporated as static data.
3.2 The Office of Airspace and Aeronautical Information Management provides Aeronautical Information Services (AIS). This office is the single authoritative government source for collecting, validating, storing, maintaining and disseminating aeronautical data concerning the United States and its territories to support real-time aviation activities. AIS provide mission essential information used for strategic, tactical and operational air traffic control. AIS also provide safety essential information and data used for piloting aircraft and air traffic separation assurance.
3.3 AIM Modernization
3.3.1 The purpose of the AIM Modernization program is to provide the aviation community with digital aeronautical information that conforms to international standards and supports NextGen objectives. Digital aeronautical data will enable the real-time processing of data to improve flight planning, the timeliness and accuracy of air traffic control instructions and charting.
3.3.2 As AIM Modernization progresses, AIS will transition from an emphasis on publishing aeronautical information to providing data through common aeronautical services. The transition will lead to a focus on the management of information and data to ensure a real-time digital data exchange environment where the dichotomy between static and dynamic information may disappear.
3.4 AIM and NextGen
3.4.1 As discussed above, aeronautical information will be a crucial component of the NextGen integrated information domain. Safe and efficient global air traffic operations can only occur with access to accurate, timely and quality-assured aeronautical data. AIM is considered a national enterprise-wide operation and the pre-implementation phase of the AIM Modernization effort is supported by the NextGen Common Structure and Status Data (CSSD) program discussed below.
3.5 AIM and SWIM
3.5.1 Systems resulting from the AIM Modernization effort will be fully SWIM-compliant.
3.6 AIM and AIXM
3.6.1 The basis for all AIM Modernization data modelling and exchange is the Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM). AIXM supports information collection, transformation and dissemination throughout the data chain from national and international originators to end users. It is comprised of a conceptual model, described in UML (Unified Modeling Language), and a GML (Geography Markup Language) [based on the XML (Extensible Markup Language)] schema for the exchange model. The AIXM Conceptual Model describes the features and their properties (attributes and associations) within the aeronautical domain. The AIXM GML Schema exchange model provides for the delivery of aeronautical information in the form of GML encoded data. If the AIXM data model does not contain the features needed for AIM Modernization, they may be added as extensions. Conversely, AIM tools and applications will be updated based on changes contained in new versions of AIXM.
3.7 AIM Modernization Segments
3.7.1 AIM Modernization is being implemented in three segments through the NextGen Midterm time period. Segment 1 addresses Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) and Central Altitude Reservation Function (CARF) and provides for a SWIM-compliant infrastructure. The program planning, solution development and implementation schedule for Segment 1 is expected to be completed during the FY 2010 – 2015 period.
3.7.2 Segment 2 focuses on implementing an aeronautical common service and defining standards and protocols for sharing common structure and status data with emphasis in key aeronautical information domains, in particular, on airspace definition and status; airport information maintained in a Geographic Information System (GIS); information from Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) / Letters of Agreement (LOA); and special activity airspace information. These scenarios will define the scope of the requirements for general aeronautical information management.
3.7.2.1 It will use AIXM, SWIM, and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards to convey the common operating picture to systems for processing and users for visualization; and business services including:
§ Pre-flight briefing capabilities for providing aeronautical information during
flight planning
§ De-confliction of airspace schedules
§ Post-operational metrics
3.7.2.2 The Segment 2 schedule (program planning through solution implementation) will take place from FY 2011 – 2016. Segment 3 is planned to modernize static data management. The Segment 3 schedule (program planning through solution implementation) will take place from FY 2012 – 2016.