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At least 109 records · Page 6

The Way to the Future Has Already Started: ICAO Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) Using Internet Protocol Suite (IPS) Standards and Protocol Evolution Update

Millions of people are able to exchange information over phones, computers, tablets and an array of new interconnected devices such as sensors, cameras, home appliances and others are increasingly becoming networked. At the core of this sizeable interconnection is a set of underlying protocols that enable millions of devices to seamlessly talk to each other. Aviation, as many other industries have, utilizes the internet protocol for ground-to-ground network communications and efforts are underway to bring it to the cockpit.In 2015, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) published the second edition of Document 9896 (Doc 9896) titled: Manual on the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) using Internet Protocol Suite (IPS) Standards and Protocol. This manual adopted the Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) for Internet layer interoperability. Document 9896 defined data communications protocols and services to be used for implementing aeronautical telecommunication network (ATN) using the Internet protocol suite (IPS). The document provided technical specifications that addressed security, network and transport protocols, described applications, supported by ATN/IPS and provided communications guidance. The international aviation community working under the guidance of ICAO initiated work on updates to Doc 9896. Under the ICAO Communication Panel, Working Group Internetworking (WG-I) got this challenging task. Key areas of work for WG-I are related to ATN/IPS Security and ANT/IPS Mobility. Two sub-groups have been assembled to work on these elements. The ICAO anticipates the release of updated Doc 9896 in 2020. Additional ATN/IPS standardization efforts include Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics Special Committee 223 (RTCA SC-223) IPS profile development, Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) A658 Roadmap of IPS future activities and European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) WG-108 development of guidance documentation.This paper describes ICAO WG-I approach to update key areas of the document in closed coordination with AEEC, RTCA and EUROCAE committees supporting the development of ATN/IPS. Additionally, the paper will explore WG-I mobility solutions under investigation, security developments, IPv6 addressing challenges and other proposed updates. Finally, as new operational expectations such as Free Route and Remote Piloted Aircraft System integration are currently pushing the boundaries set by old operational concepts, the paper identifies the emerging new challenges that will drive the ATN/IPS development beyond 2020. They are related to future voice utilization, System Wide Information Management and Remotely Piloted Aircraft System deployment. IPS systems are seen as the only way forward.

Apaza, Rafael↗

Communication training for aircrews: A review of theoretical and pragmatic aspects of training program design

This study is the final report of a project studying methods of communications training applicable to both civilian and military aviation personnel, including multiperson teams or single pilot fixed wing or rotary wing aircraft. A review is provided of a number of theories proposed as relevant for producing training materials for improved communications. Criteria are given for evaluating the applicability of training programs to the aviation environment, and these criteria are applied to United Airlines' Resources Management Training, as well as to a number of commercially available general purpose training programs. The report considers in detail assertiveness training and grid management training, examining their theoretical background and attempts made to validate their effectiveness. It was found that there are substantive difficulties in assessing the effectiveness of both training programs, as well as problems with the theories underlying them. However, because the aviation environment offers unique advantages for studying the effectiveness of communications training, recommendations are made on the design of appropriate training programs and on procedures that might be used to validate them.

Linde, Charlotte↗

Broadcast control of air traffic

Applications of wide range broadcast procedures to improve air traffic control and make more airspace available are discussed. A combination of the Omega navigation system and the very high frequency omnirange (VOR) is recommended as a means for accomplishing improved air traffic control. The benefits to be derived by commercial and general aviation are described. The air/ground communications aspects of the improved air traffic control system are explained. Research and development programs for implementing the broadcast concept are recommended.

Litchford, G. B.↗

Characteristics of a future aeronautical satellite communications system

A possible operational system scenario for providing satellite communications services to the future aviation community was analyzed. The system concept relies on a Ka-band (20/30 GHz) satellite that utilizes multibeam antenna (MBA) technology. The aircraft terminal uses an extremely small aperture antenna as a result of using this higher spectrum at Ka-band. The satellite functions as a relay between the aircraft and the ground stations. The ground stations function as interfaces to the existing terrestrial networks such as the Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN). Various system tradeoffs are first examined to ensure optimized system parameters. High level performance specifications and design approaches are generated for the space, ground, and aeronautical elements in the system. Both technical and economical issues affecting the feasibility of the studied concept are addressed with the 1995 timeframe in mind.

Sohn, Philip Y.↗

Characteristics of a future aeronautical satellite communications system

A possible operational system scenario for providing satellite communications services to the future aviation community was analyzed. The system concept relies on a Ka-band (20/30 GHz) satellite that utilizes Multibeam Antenna (MBA) technology. The aircraft terminal uses an extremely small aperture antenna as a result of using this higher spectrum at Ka-band. The satellite functions as a relay between the aircraft and the ground stations. The ground stations function as interfaces to the existing terrestrial networks such as the Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN). Various system tradeoffs are first examined to ensure optimized system parameters. High level performance specifications and design approaches are generated for the space, ground, and aeronautical elements in the system. Both technical and economical issues affecting the feasibility of the studied concept are addressed with the 1995 timeframe in mind.

Sohn, Philip Y.↗

A Formal Messaging Notation for Alaskan Aviation Data

Data exchange is an increasingly important aspect of the National Airspace System. While many data communication channels have become more capable of sending and receiving data at higher throughput rates, there is still a need to use communication channels efficiently with limited throughput. The limitation can be based on technological issues, financial considerations, or both. This paper provides a complete description of several important aviation weather data in Abstract Syntax Notation format. By doing so, data providers can take advantage of Abstract Syntax Notation's ability to encode data in a highly compressed format. When data such as pilot weather reports, surface weather observations, and various weather predictions are compressed in such a manner, it allows for the efficient use of throughput-limited communication channels. This paper provides details on the Abstract Syntax Notation One (ASN.1) implementation for Alaskan aviation data, and demonstrates its use on real-world aviation weather data samples as Alaska has sparse terrestrial data infrastructure and data are often sent via relatively costly satellite channels.

communications↗

Take Off! Aeronautics and Aviation Science: Careers and Opportunities

Funded by National Aeronautic and Space Administration's High Performance Computing and Communications/ Learning Technologies Project (HPCC/LTP) Cooperative Agreement, Aeronautics and aviation Science: Careers and Opportunities was operative from July 1995 through July 1998. This project operated as a collaboration with Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications, the Federal Aviation Administration, Bridgewater State College and four targeted "core sites" in the greater Boston area: Dorchester, Malden, East Boston and Randolph. In its first and second years, a video series with a participatory website on aeronautics and aviation science was developed and broadcast via "live, interactive" satellite feed. Accompanying teacher and student supplementary instructional materials for grades 6-12 were produced and disseminated by the Massachusetts Corporation for Educational Telecommunications (MCET). In year three, the project team redesigned the website, edited 14 videos to a five part thematic unit, and developed a teacher's guide to the video and web materials supplement for MAC and PC platforms, aligned with national standards. In the MCET grant application it states that project Take Off! in its initial phase would recruit and train teachers at "core" sites in the greater Boston area, as well as opening participation to other on-line users of MCET's satellite feeds. "Core site" classrooms would become equipped so that teachers and students might become engaged in an interactive format which aimed at not only involving the students during the "live" broadcast of the instructional video series, but which would encourage participation in electronic information gathering and sharing among participants. As a Take Off! project goal, four schools with a higher than average proportion of minority and underrepresented youth were invited to become involved with the project to give these students the opportunity to consider career exploration and development in the field of science aviation and aeronautics. The four sites chosen to participate in this project were East Boston High School, Dorchester High School, Randolph Junior-Senior High School and Malden High School. In year 3 Dorchester was unable to continue to fully participate and exited out. Danvers was added to the "core site" list in year 3.

Source record↗

Operation Heli-STAR - Atlanta Communications Experiment (ACE)

Operation Heli-STAR (Helicopter Short-Haul Transportation and Aviation Research) was established and operated in Atlanta, Georgia, during the period of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games. Heli-STAR had three major thrusts: (1) the establishment and operation of a helicopter-based cargo transportation system, (2) the management of low-altitude air traffic in the airspace of an urban area, and (3) the collection and analysis of research and development data associated with items 1 and 2. Heli-STAR was a cooperative industry/government program that included parcel package shippers and couriers in the Atlanta area, the helicopter industry, aviation electronics manufacturers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and support contractors. Several detailed reports have been produced as a result of Operation Heli-STAR. These include four reports on acoustic measurements and associated analyses, and reports on the Heli-STAR tracking data including the data processing and retrieval system, the Heli-STAR cargo simulation, and the community response system. In addition, NASA's Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) program has produced a report describing the Atlanta Communications Experiment (ACE) which produced the avionics and ground equipment using automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) technology. This latter report is restricted to organizations belonging to NASA's AGATE industry consortium. A complete list of these reports is shown on the following page.

Source record↗

Outcomes of the 2015 World Radiocommunication Conference for Aeronautical Spectrum and Applications

At the conclusion of a nearly four year study cycle following the closing of the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12), the 2015 WRC in November of 2015 considered a number of agenda items and issues relevant to systems and spectrum allocations supporting communications, navigation and surveillance for the operation of civil aviation. Among a number of WRC-15 agenda items and issues, the key agenda items affecting civil aviation included: unmanned aircraft systems use of the Fixed Satellite Service for command and control communications; global flight tracking; new allocations to International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT); and protection of the Fixed Satellite Service to support safe operation of aircraft. A number of other agenda items affecting or potentially affecting civil aviation were also addressed by WRC-15. In this paper we describe the outcomes of WRC-15 for these civil aeronautical-relevant issues. We then outline the civil aviation-related agenda items and issues that will be considered at the upcoming 2019 WRC.

air traffic control↗

Proceedings of the Second NASA Aviation Safety Program Weather Accident Prevention Review

The Second NASA Aviation Safety Program (AvSP) Weather Accident Prevention (WxAP) Annual Project Review held June 5-7, 2001, in Cleveland, Ohio, presented the NASA technical plans and accomplishments to the aviation community. NASA-developed technologies presented included an Aviation Weather Information System with associated digital communications links, electronic atmospheric reporting technologies, forward-looking turbulence warning systems, and turbulence mitigation procedures. The meeting provided feedback and insight from the aviation community of diverse backgrounds and assisted NASA in steering its plans in the direction needed to meet the national safety goal of 80-percent reduction of aircraft accidents by 2007. The proceedings of the review are enclosed.

Martzaklis, K. Gus↗

A flight investigation of simulated data-link communications during single-pilot IFR flight. Volume 2: Flight evaluations

Key problems in single pilot instrument flight operations are in the management of flight data and the processing of cockpit information during conditions of heavy workload. A flight data console was developed to allow simulation of a digital data link to replace the current voice communications stem used in air traffic control. This is a human factors evaluation of a data link communications system to determine how such a system might reduce cockpit workload, improve flight proficiency, and be accepted by general aviation pilots. The need for a voice channel as backup to a digital link is examined. The evaluations cover both airport terminal area operations and full mission instrument flight. Results show that general aviation pilots operate well with a digital data link communications system. The findings indicate that a data link system for pilot/ATC communications, with a backup voice channel, is well accepted by general aviation pilots and is considered to be safer, more efficient, and result in less workload than the current voice system.

Parker, J. F., Jr.↗

A Laboratory Glass-Cockpit Flight Simulator for Automation and Communications Research

A laboratory glass-cockpit flight simulator supporting research on advanced commercial flight deck and Air Traffic Control (ATC) automation and communication interfaces has been developed at the Aviation Operations Branch at the NASA Ames Research Center. This system provides independent and integrated flight and ATC simulator stations, party line voice and datalink communications, along with video and audio monitoring and recording capabilities. Over the last several years, it has been used to support the investigation of flight human factors research issues involving: communication modality; message content and length; graphical versus textual presentation of information, and human accountability for automation. This paper updates the status of this simulator, describing new functionality in the areas of flight management system, EICAS display, and electronic checklist integration. It also provides an overview of several experiments performed using this simulator, including their application areas and results. Finally future enhancements to its ATC (integration of CTAS software) and flight deck (full crew operations) functionality are described.

Pisanich, Gregory M.↗

Aerospace Communications Security Technologies Demonstrated

In light of the events of September 11, 2001, NASA senior management requested an investigation of technologies and concepts to enhance aviation security. The investigation was to focus on near-term technologies that could be demonstrated within 90 days and implemented in less than 2 years. In response to this request, an internal NASA Glenn Research Center Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance Aviation Security Tiger Team was assembled. The 2-year plan developed by the team included an investigation of multiple aviation security concepts, multiple aircraft platforms, and extensively leveraged datalink communications technologies. It incorporated industry partners from NASA's Graphical Weather-in-the-Cockpit research, which is within NASA's Aviation Safety Program. Two concepts from the plan were selected for demonstration: remote "black box," and cockpit/cabin surveillance. The remote "black box" concept involves real-time downlinking of aircraft parameters for remote monitoring and archiving of aircraft data, which would assure access to the data following the loss or inaccessibility of an aircraft. The cockpit/cabin surveillance concept involves remote audio and/or visual surveillance of cockpit and cabin activity, which would allow immediate response to any security breach and would serve as a possible deterrent to such breaches. The datalink selected for the demonstrations was VDL Mode 2 (VHF digital link), the first digital datalink for air-ground communications designed for aircraft use. VDL Mode 2 is beginning to be implemented through the deployment of ground stations and aircraft avionics installations, with the goal of being operational in 2 years. The first demonstration was performed December 3, 2001, onboard the LearJet 25 at Glenn. NASA worked with Honeywell, Inc., for the broadcast VDL Mode 2 datalink capability and with actual Boeing 757 aircraft data. This demonstration used a cockpitmounted camera for video surveillance and a coupling to the intercom system for audio surveillance. Audio, video, and "black box" data were simultaneously streamed to the ground, where they were displayed to a Glenn audience of senior management and aviation security team members.

Griner, James H.↗

A Study of Future Communications Concepts and Technologies for the National Airspace System-Part I

The National Aviation and Space Administration (NASA) Glenn Research Center (GRC) is investigating current and anticipated wireless communications concepts and technologies that the National Airspace System (NAS) may need in the next 50 years. NASA has awarded three NASA Research Announcements (NAR) studies with the objective to determine the most promising candidate technologies for air-to-air and air-to-ground data exchange and analyze their suitability in a post-NextGen NAS environment. This paper will present progress made in the studies and describe the communications challenges and opportunities that have been identified during the studies' first phase.

National Airspace↗

Communication as group process media of aircrew performance

This study of group process was motivated by a high-fidelity flight simulator project in which aircrew performance was found to be better when the crew had recently flown together. Considering recent operating experience as a group-level input factor, aspects of the communication process between crewmembers (Captain and First Officer), were explored as a possible mediator to performance. Communication patterns were defined by a speech act typology adapted for the flightdeck setting and distinguished crews that had previously flown together (FT) from those that had not flown together (NFT). A more open communication channel with respect to information exchange and validation and greater First Officer participation in task-related topics was shown by FT crews while NFT crews engaged in more non-task discourse, a speech mode less structured by roles and probably serving a more interpersonal function. Relationships between the speech categories themselves, representing linguistic, and role-related interdependencies provide guidelines for interpreting the primary findings.

Aviation↗

Investigation and Evaluation of Advanced Spectrum Management Concepts for Aeronautical Communications

With the emergence of new aerial vehicles into the airspace and the continued growth of aviation operations, there will be an increasing demand for voice and data communications within the National Airspace System (NAS). The continued use of existing VHF and UHF frequency allocations is not a sustainable approach, and as a result, a new spectrum management solution is required to support future mission needs. The proposed spectrum management concepts leverage modern advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to dynamically optimize the spectrum utilization based on the predicted communications demand throughout the airspace. This technical investigation considers both air-ground and air-air communications networks, and can be applied to both existing applications such as the air traffic control (ATC) system, as well as future applications, such as the emerging Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). To support the evaluation of the proposed concepts and technologies, a modeling and simulation capability is currently under development and will continue to evolve to support new and advanced airspace applications. It is anticipated that this proposed spectrum concept will better serve the spectrum needs of future NAS applications.

Eric J Knoblock↗

Investigation and Evaluation of Advanced Spectrum Management Concepts for Aeronautical Communications

With the emergence of new aerial vehicles into the airspace and the continued growth of aviation operations, there will be an increasing demand for voice and data communications within the National Airspace System (NAS). The continued use of existing VHF and UHF frequency allocations is not a sustainable approach, and as a result, a new spectrum management solution is required to support future mission needs. The proposed spectrum management concepts leverage modern advancements such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data to dynamically optimize the spectrum utilization based on the predicted communications demand throughout the airspace. This technical investigation considers both air-ground and air-air communications networks, and can be applied to both existing applications such as the air traffic control (ATC) system, as well as future applications, such as the emerging Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). To support the evaluation of the proposed concepts and technologies, a modeling and simulation capability is currently under development and will continue to evolve to support new and advanced airspace applications. It is anticipated that this proposed spectrum concept will better serve the spectrum needs of future NAS applications.

Eric J Knoblock↗

Aeronautical-Satellite-Assisted Process Being Developed for Information Exchange Through Network Technologies (Aero-SAPIENT)

Communications technologies are being developed to address safety issues during aviation travel. Some of these technologies enable the aircraft to be in constant bidirectional communications with necessary systems, people, and other aircraft that are not currently in place today. Networking technologies, wireless datalinks, and advanced avionics techniques are areas of particular importance that the NASA Glenn Research Center has contributed. Glenn, in conjunction with the NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, and NASA Langley Research Center, is investigating methods and applications that would utilize these communications technologies. In mid-June 2000, the flight readiness of the network and communications technologies were demonstrated via a simulated aircraft. A van simulating an aircraft was equipped with advanced phased-array antennas (Advanced Communications/Air Traffic Management (AC/ATM) Advanced Air Transportation Technologies (AATT) project) that used commercial Ku-band satellite communications to connect Glenn, Dryden, and Ames in a combined system ground test. This test simulated air-ground bidirectional transport of real-time digital audio, text, and video data via a hybrid network configuration that demonstrated the flight readiness of the network and communications technologies. Specifically, a Controller Pilot Data Link Communications application was used with other applications to demonstrate a multiprotocol capability via Internet-protocol encapsulated ATN (Aeronautical Telecommunications Network) data packets. The significance of this combined ground test is its contribution to the Aero Information Technology Base Program Level I milestone (Software Technology investment area) of a real-time data link for the National Airspace System. The objective of this milestone was to address multiprotocol technology applicable for real-time data links between aircraft, a satellite, and the ground as well as the ability to distribute flight data with multilevel priorities among several sites.

Zernic, Michael J.↗