Exploitable results
The aeronautic world is entering into a new age of aviation - the age of sustainable growth - characterised by the need for more affordable, cleaner, quieter, safer and more secure air travel. European aeronautics is committed to playing a prime role in the shaping aviation of this new age. Research and technology development is essential in responding to this challenge.
Nowadays, concepts, procedures and technologies to optimise task distribution between aircraft and ground with a medium term perspective, including airborne separation assurance system applications are being studied and developed. These concepts and technologies have to reduce uncertainty in the air traffic management system to integrate air traffic flow management, airports, air traffic control centres, aircraft and airline operating centres in a strategic and dynamic layered planning system based on four dimensional (4D)-trajectory information.
Within the scope of the Aspasia project an agreed group of ASAS application scenarios have been configured for a simulation study of their operation with the availability of satellite data links. In addition to the ASAS scenarios in which satellite based communications provides a means of executing an ASAS manoeuvre, consideration have also been given to scenarios in which the available aircraft borne information is insufficient for a safe and/or efficient devolved ASAS operation.
In parallel to the general study of Satcom applicability to ASAS applications, we have pre-selected four applications in which Satcom provides a clear advantage, and we plan to develop five test beds, one for each selected application and the other for TIS-B, in order to achieve the project objectives.
The following applications were considered:
- Enhanced sequencing and merging operations (ASPA-S&M): This is a well-defined ASAS application in the TMA, where there is ground-radar coverage to support a complete and coherent TIS. Working from this specification of the application as a baseline, "worst case" Satcom communications requirements can be identified. For areas without ground radar coverage, e.g. oceanic, the application can be adapted to support en-route manoeuvres. Thus, this test bed application is based on the requirements of S&M manoeuvres in oceanic airspace.
- In-trail procedure in oceanic airspace (ATSA-ITP). The test bed for this application is a computer-based simulation and analysis toolkit with the functionality to evolve to a hardware in-the-loop, real-time simulation facility. To test this application the airspace functions of traffic generation, ATC/ASAS operation procedures and airspace environmental characteristics will be specifically developed.
- ATC surveillance in non-radar areas (ADS-B-NRA). This application aims to provide radar like separation services in non-radar, or other remote, areas where the installation of radar could not be justified otherwise.
- Aircraft derived data for ATC tools (ADS-B-ADD). There are several ground ATC tools that benefit from this application. Concretely we focus on AMAN (arrival manager) tool that is a tactical ATC tool helping the final en route and TMA controllers to optimise the aircraft landing sequence by using flight information. To validate this application the adaptation of commercial Maestro software tool has been used.
These end-to-end test beds consisted of the integration of surveillance application framework on the validation platform. Two independent validation subsystems were considered in the Aspasia validation platform:
- the demonstrator system, based on A9780 DVB-RCS Thales Alenia space product, makes use of real satellite capacity;
- the software Satcom simulator system that has been developed in the scope of this project, will follow up the "state of the art" findings of last networking and logical channel studies regarding next generation satellite system performs in the framework of an ESA activity.
As driver to the validation platform traffic generators had to be incorporated. The traffic generators should be developed as part of the applications development workpackage and should be integrated in the end to end test bed.
Aspasia project has adopted OCVM (Operation concept validation methodology) as the project validation methodology. This validation methodology, developed under the CAATS project, is currently been applied to other aeronautical projects with excellent results.
Shortly before the finish of the project, the expected outcome of this project was fully integrated surveillance applications/satellite platform allowing the assessment of satellite as a powerful enabler of surveillance services adoption in many European areas.
In detail, the main results were:
- requirements of GS/AS applications in a Satcom environment;
- design and implementation of the application test beds;
- requirements and design of the Satcom architecture;
- implementation of the validation platforms;
- cost-benefit analysis;
- system validation and conclusions.
The assets developed and demonstrated by Aspasia project can be synthesised and proposed as contributions to ICAO technical process for the assessment of the feasibility to integrate new satellite communication systems in the next aeronautical mobile communication infrastructure.
The results of Aspasia project can be used as input to future development of broadcast applications and broadcast inter-networks in further ICAO standards.
Additionally, the outcomes of Aspasia will also contribute to a more 'global' ATM Satcom case, by bundling the services required by Aspasia (in the surveillance domain) with other satellite services in the communications domain: CPDLC and METEO.
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