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Concept and Laboratory Analysis of Trajectory-Based Automation for Separation Assurance in the National Airspace System
January 16, 2007 / 11 a.m. ET
Presented By: Mr. David McNally
A safe and efficient air traffic management system is vital to the
nation's economy. Demand for air traffic operations is expected to grow
by a factor of two or three over the next 20 years. Today's operating
concept, however, where air traffic controllers ensure safe separation
primarily through visual and cognitive analysis of radar traffic
displays, will not support a substantial increase in traffic volume.
The Next Generation Air Transportation System addresses this problem
through the introduction of higher levels of automation based on
four-dimensional trajectory modeling and analysis, emerging flight deck
avionics, and reliable air/ground and air/air data communications. In
response to this initiative, an operating concept and a laboratory
analysis methodology were developed and tested to examine how
four-dimensional trajectory analysis methods could support higher levels
of automation for separation assurance in the National Airspace System.
Real-time simulations were conducted in which a human controller
generated conflict resolution trajectories using an automated trial
planning resolution function, but only in response to conflicts detected
and displayed by an automatic trajectory-based conflict detection
function. Visual scanning for traffic conflicts, which is central to
today's operations and a major contributor to controller workload, was
not used. Objective metrics were developed to compare aircraft
separation characteristics and flying time efficiency under automated
operations to that of today's operations using common airspace and
traffic scenarios.
Simulations were based on recorded air traffic data from Fort Worth and
Cleveland Centers and conducted using today's and nearly two-times
today's traffic levels. Results suggest that a single controller using
trajectory-based automation and data link communication of control
clearances to aircraft could manage substantially more traffic than they
do now with improved route efficiency while maintaining separation. The
simulation and analysis capability provides a basis for further analysis
of semi-automated, or fully automated, separation assurance concepts.
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