NASA Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports

20060002302 Federal Aviation Administration, USA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) System Wide Information Management (SWIM) Program
Loynes, John W.; Proceedings of the Fifth Integrated Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (ICNS) Conference and
Workshop; November 2005, pp. 1-17; In English; See also 20060002231; Original contains color illustrations; No Copyright;
Avail.: CASI: A03, Hardcopy; Available from CASI on CD-ROM only as part of the entire parent document
Information management is a key element to future improvements in National Airspace System (NAS) safety and
capacity. Current NAS systems are mostly hard-wired in point-to-point configurations, do not share information with each
other, and have individual data management process, even if the data is the same. This is costly and inefficient, but more
importantly, vital information is not readily available to all who need it. To address these problems, FAA has initiated the
System Wide Information Management (SWIM) Program. SWIM will develop and implement policies, standards,
infrastructure, and tools to permit NAS-wide information sharing. With SWIM execution, FAA will be able to move to
network enabled or network centric operations. Network enabled operations is a synergistic operational mode that leverages
the capabilities of networks by linking individual systems together and allowing them to interoperate. The international
aviation community, other government agencies and industry are all embracing concepts of network enabled operations. There
is a definitive need for shared information in the NAS and by Presidential directive, with other government agencies. SWIM
will provide the NAS with the capability to securely access the right information in the right format at the right time at the
right location. Ultimate integration with systems and sensors from other agencies will allow FAA to share information for
homeland security, national defense, and other governmental purposes. Meanwhile, the availability of information in a timely
fashion promises significant operational, efficiency and cost savings benefits to all members of the NAS community. SWIM
will be an IP-Based (Internet-like network-enabled) architecture that permits sharing of information between all users and
systems, delivers game-change cost benefits, and prepares a NAS infrastructure for implementing the Next Generation Air
Transportation System. By applying a modern information management approach, SWIM will bring value to FAA legacy
systems and provide the platform for future systems.
Derived from text
Air Transportation; Information Management; National Airspace System; Systems Engineering; Air Traffıc Control
20060002308 AeroTech Research, Inc., Hampton, VA, USA
An Integrated Turbulence Avoidance Decision-Aid for Pilots, Dispatchers & Controllers
Robinson, Paul A.; Proceedings of the Fifth Integrated Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance (ICNS) Conference and
Workshop; November 2005, pp. 1-20; In English; See also 20060002231; Original contains color illustrations; No Copyright;
Avail.: CASI: A03, Hardcopy; Available from CASI on CD-ROM only as part of the entire parent document
Turbulence has been identified by the FAA, NTSB, and airline sources as the leading cause of aviation injuries, which
costs the major airlines at least $100 million per year. This paper will describe such a distributed turbulence avoidance
decision-aid, its communications requirements, and its operational concepts in optimizing the use of airspace in regions of
turbulence. The work draws on experience gained by the in-service evaluation of a prototype turbulence reporting system on
Delta Air Lines aircraft currently underway. In an effort to reduce turbulence accidents, the Turbulence Prediction and Warning
Systems (TPAWS) element of NASA s Aviation Safety Program is developing technologies to reduce the turbulence accident
rate by 50% by 2007. This paper will focus on the application of one of the systems under development in TPAWS the
Turbulence Auto-Pirep System (TAPS) - which utilizes reports of aircraft experienced turbulence loads as the basis for
generating realtime turbulence reports. These reports are downlinked to the ground and uplinked/datalinked to other aircraft.
Such a system provides a real-time graphical display of the location and severity of turbulence hazards in the cockpit as well
as on the ground. TAPS removes the subjectivity and latency in current, verbal, PIREPS. The downlinking and display of
TAPS reports to dispatchers ground stations is currently undergoing an in-service evaluation on Delta Air Lines B-737-800,
B-767-300/300ER, and B-767-400ER aircraft1. This paper will deal with the much broader application of TAPS. Effective
avoidance of turbulence hazards requires the coordinated information sharing amongst three key parties: flight crews (pilots),
dispatchers, and air traffic controllers. This applies both for the strategic flight planning element, as well as the tactical in-flight
avoidance of turbulence. For all three parties, there are different requirements for the turbulence hazard information. While
all parties primary concern is the safe operation of the aircraft, pilots are concerned for the prevention of injuries of crew and
passengers due to unexpected encounters with turbulence, dispatchers want to provide the most efficient and economical
routing, and controllers, while maintaining spacing between aircraft, want to optimize the use of the airspace, thereby
maximizing capacity. In order to collaborate effectively in the strategic and tactical avoidance of turbulence, all must have the
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