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AIS-AIMSG/7-SN/13/
International Civil Aviation Organization / AIS-AIMSG/7-SN/13
11/01/2013
AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION SERVICES-AERONAUTICAL
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT STUDY GROUP (AIS-AIMSG)
SEVENTH MEETING
Montreal, 14 to 18January 2013
Agenda Item 9:Other businessUpdating location indicator concepts in doc 7910
(Presented by Stéphane Dubet, DGAC France)
SUMMARYThe purpose of this paper is to share France AIS analysis on the increase of NOTAM in circulation, as a follow-up of SN/9 presented by UK CAA at AISAIMSG/6 in Buenos Aires. It is expected that this analysis is used to determine propositions and recommendations aiming at addressing the NOTAM proliferation issue.
1.INTRODUCTION
1.1During AIS AIM SG 6 inBuenos Aires, the group reviewed and discussed a paper from the IFPP/IWG which outlined certain limitations of the existing ICAO location indicator scheme for aerodromes. Specifically, it discussed the use by many States of specific schemes, which often use a combined alpha numeric description. It was highlighted that the impact on AIM systems needed to be assessed.
1.2While the impact on AIM, and more generally ATM systems, is still recognized as a necessary step, the IFPP developed a proposition for an extension of the ICAO location indicator scheme which was presented at the IFPP WGH11 in September 2012 (WP14 in attachment).
2.DISCUSSION
2.1The IFPP proposed to extend the ICAO location indicator scheme while maintaining a certain level of continuity with the existing scheme and aiming at global consistency.Such a scheme would thus be based on four alphanumeric characters and maintain at least the existing rule for the first letter (continental / regional) of the code. It should maintain as well, where possible, the second letter of the code for the given State. For example, for France (LF), codes could be LFA2, LF2B, LF23, etc. For the USA (K), codes could be K123, KB08, etc.
2.2At the IFPP WGH 11, with Mr. Steve Laskie from the IIM Section in attendance, the meeting agreed with the proposal to extend the scheme. It was also mentioned that the Secretariat would have to coordinate internally to make a proposal how this concept could be implemented.
2.3Consequently, the IFPP took action IFPP11/17 as follows: the Secretariat to coordinate with IIM how this proposal can be implemented and report back to the IFPP at the plenary WG meeting in Spring 2013.
3.ACTION BY THE AIS-AIMSG
3.1The AIS-AIMSG is invited to:
a) note the progress made by ICAO IFPP regarding the location indicator scheme extension, in particular proposals of amendment to Doc 7910; and
b)ask the AIM Secretariat to actively participate in the planned ICAO coordination.
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/International Civil Aviation Organization
WORKING PAPER / IFPP11/WGWHL/WP14
September 26 2012
INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PROCEDURES PANEL 11th MEETING
Montreal, Canada
24-28 September 2012
Agenda Item / : IntegrationUpdating location indicator concepts in doc 7910
Presented by John Kasten)
(WG-2 Rapporteur)
SUMMARYThis paper identifies the limitations to the existing ICAO location indicator scheme.
It discusses the conventions that have been developed to overcome the identified issues and addresses the related impacts on the aeronautical databases.
It includes a proposition for an extension of the ICAO location indicator scheme.
Action by the IFPP WGWHL is presented in Section 4.0 of the Paper
4.introduction
1.1Aerodromes used for commercial air transport are assigned an ICAO location indicator, according to a scheme defined in ICAO Doc 7910 (Location Indicators). These codes are made by a combination of four letters that has a regional structure. The first letter is allocated by continent and represents a country or group of countries within that continent. The second letter generally represents a country within that region, and the remaining two are used to identify each airport. The exception to this rule is larger countries that have single-letter country codes, where the remaining three letters identify the aerodrome. There is no duplication allowed in the aerodrome location indicator scheme.
1.2The ICAO codes are used for air traffic control and airline systems and operations. Examples include flight planning or aerodrome referencing in NOTAMs.
1.3There are limitations to the existing location indicator scheme: a combination of two letters among the 26 available letters lead to a maximum of 676 indicators for those States where the two first letters are “fixed”. Thus the ICAO location indicator scheme cannot be applied to all aerodromes (e.g. helistations, private airports, some domestic aerodromes) in States with more locations that require an identification.
5.DISCUSSION
2.1Consistent with the Resolutions of the 37th Assembly, the development of PBN, the number of aerodromes equipped with RNP procedures raises and will continue to steadily do so over the next few years. Given the limitation in the existing scheme, it is deemed important to have an extension of the existing scheme in order to be able to assign location indicators that can be used in various systems.
2.2For example, for NOTAMs, ICAO Doc 8126 states “If there is no available ICAO location indicator, use the ICAO nationality letter as given in Doc 7910, Part 2, plus XX and followed up in Item E) by the name, in plain language”. The problems are that with such a scheme, it is not possible to filter the NOTAM in flight briefing systems, encode procedures for navigation databases and create FAS Datablocks for LPV procedures.
2.3Some States have already established conventions for aerodrome location identifiers where the ICAO scheme cannot be applied. They are used regularly in those States for all the same purposes as the InternationalAirport Location Identifiers (except ICAO flight plans). These conventions have look alike but do not stick to a unique scheme, as shown in the examples below
- CDW2 CYCanada
- CEL8 CYCanada
- PPC MM Mexico
- C23 PTMicronesia
- N55 PKMarshall Islands
- APO SA Argentina
- Z08 NSAmerican Samoa
- 04G K5United States
- 22Y K3United States
- 2TA8 K4United States
2.4A database manufacturer indicated that nearly 7000 aerodromes in their standard ARINC 424 database with aerodrome identifiers not complying with the ICAO existing scheme. It also mentioned that there is a limitation to 4 characters in the database systems but that the use of alphanumeric characters is not a problem.
6.PROPOSITIONS
3.1It is proposed to extend the ICAO location indicator scheme while maintaining a certain level of continuity with the existing scheme and aiming at global consistency.
3.2Given afore mentioned considerations, such a scheme shall be based on four alphanumeric characters and maintain at least the existing rule for the first letter (continental / regional) of the code. It should maintain as well, where possible, the second letter of the code for the given State. For example, for France (LF), codes could be LFA2, LF2B, LF23, etc. For the USA (K), codes could be K123, KB08, etc.
7.RECOMMENDATIONS
The WGWHL is invited to:
(1)Discuss the propositions included in this WP
(2)Agree on the need to propose a globally consistent extension of the ICAO location indicator scheme
(3)Endorse this Working Paper for coordination with the ICAO IIM section, the actual ICAO material that would include the proposed extension to the location indicator scheme as provided in Attachment A.
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Attachment A
ICAO DOCUMENT 7910,
LOCATION INDICATORS
1. / Text to be deleted is shown with a line through it. / text to be deleted2. / New text to be inserted is highlighted with grey shading. / new text to be inserted
3. / Text to be deleted is shown with a line through itfollowed by the replacement text which is highlighted with grey shading. / new text to replace existing text
Make the following updates to Doc 7910:
FOREWORD
This document contains a list of ICAO four-letter location indicators and, for ease of reference, corresponding three-character
International Air Transport Association (lATA) location identifier codes for geographical locations throughout the world. Also
included is a list of addresses of centres in charge of flight information regions (FIRs) andlor upper flight information regions
(UIRs). This document also contains a list of State four-character, alpha/numeric identifies assigned to geographical locations throughout the world that are used domestically and for database encoding of RNAV Procedures.
LOCATION INDICATORS
Location indicators are assigned by States and are checked by ICAO for conformity with the "Formulation and assignment of
location indicators" set out below.
Stability in location indicators assigned is important, hence changes should be made only after due consideration. This
document is published quarterly as a service to international aviation. Any errors or omissions should be brought to the
attention of the Secretary General of ICAO, 999 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, CanadaH3C 5H7.
The development of a system of location indicators arose from Recommendations 1.2/3, 1.2/4 and 1.2/5 of the
Communications Division, Sixth Session (ct. Doc 7831), modified by Recommendation 3 of the Third Meeting and by
Recommendation 3/1 of the Sixth Meeting of the ICAO Panel of Teletypewriter Specialists. These recommendations were
approved by the Council at the 10th Meeting of its Thirty-second Session on 6 December 1957, at the 18th Meeting of its Thirtyfifth
Session on 15 December 1958, and the 12th Meeting of its Fifty-seventh Session on 4 April 1966 respectively. The
principles for the formulation and assignment of location indicators contained in these recommendations are given below.
In addition to the system of location indicators defined above, this document serves the States by listing location identifiers that have been established by the States for domestic use and for the database encoding of RNAV procedures to those domestic locations.
DEFINITIONS
(Annex 10, Volume II)
Domestic Location indicator - A four-character, alpha/numeric code group formulated in accordance with rules prescribed by ICAO and assigned to a landing site location published for domestic use.
2. ASSIGNMENT OF LOCATlON INDICATORS
2.6 Assignment of Domestic Location Identifiers
2.6.1Assignment of the first characters of a domestic location identifier
The first character of the location indicator shall be the letter assigned to the AFS routing area within which the location is situated,
except that where the location is served only by a single communication centre situated in another AFS routing area, the first
character shall be that assigned to the area in which that communication centre is situated.
Note.- An AFS routing area can consist of a single State.
2.6. 2 Assignment of the second character of a domestic location identifier
The second character of the location indicator shall be the letter assigned to the State or territory (or portion thereof) within which
the location is situated, except that where the location is served only by a single communication centre situated in another State
or territory, the second character shall be that letter assigned to the State or territory in which that communication centre is situated.
2.6.3 Assignment of the third and fourth characters of a location indicator.
The third and fourth characters are assigned by the State to uniquely identify a given landing location for domestic use. One of these characters, either the third or the fourth must be numeric to establish the distinction between the domestic location identifier and the ICAO Location Indicator schemes.
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