OEP Plan Reference Sheet ADS-B - NAS
Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) National Airspace (NAS) Wide Implementation
Flight Plan Goal #1 – Increased Safety
Flight Plan goal #2 – Greater Capacity
Objective #1 - Increase Capacity to meet projected demand
Objective #2 – Reduce the number of fatal accidents in general aviation
Objective # 3 - Increase the on-time performance of scheduled air carriers
The FAA has identified this as a “contributor” program for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). The most direct alignment to a NextGen goal is “Network Enabled Information Access.”
Background / Need:
The current surveillance will not support the anticipated growth in aviation without loss of efficiency within the NAS. As the requests for additional services increase – including from traffic demand growth – system inefficiencies will increase in the form of delays and restrictions across the NAS. Surveillance methods used in today’s environment will not support continued aviation growth. Current surveillance systems do not take advantage of new technologies in navigation, communication, and flight management. Expansion of surveillance coverage is essential to support air traffic control modernization efforts. Improvements made to surveillance capabilities must sustain or enhance current levels of safety, capacity, and efficiency.
ADS-B Air Traffic Control (ATC) Services, Air to Air applications and the weather up linking to the cockpit improve safety. For example, the State of Alaska relies heavily on aviation for year-round transportation of people, food, supplies, and medical assistance since there is no road infrastructure linking remote communities to larger cities. Alaska also has the highest aircraft accident rate in the nation due to the adverse weather, rough terrain, and extreme isolation.
According to the Joint Government/Industry Roadmap for Surveillance Modernization, the air traffic environment of the future will be increasingly dependent on more accurate and timely information being available to Air Traffic Service providers and aircraft operators. Information pertaining to a variety of airspace conditions and accurate position data, including aircraft intent, will be necessary. Surveillance data will be a key ingredient in this paradigm of information sharing. Improved decision tools will be able to take advantage of aircraft intent information to provide a more accurate situational awareness. This, along with improved accuracy, will allow for more accurate trajectory modeling for use in conflict prediction and resolution, metering applications, and spacing tools. In addition, sharing the surveillance information with the cockpit will increase the pilot’s situational awareness, reducing the need for requests for information, and will enable the use of cockpit based procedures that safely support efficiency and capacity goals.
Solution(s):
ADS-B is an advanced surveillance technology that provides highly accurate and more comprehensive surveillance information via a broadcast communication link. ADS-B is a surveillance technique in which aircraft provide, via a data link, flight data derived from on-board position-fixing and navigational systems. Aircraft determine their position (longitude, latitude, altitude, and time) via Global Positioning System (GPS), internal navigational reference system, or otherwise. The aircraft’s ADS-B equipment function processes this position information, along with other aircraft-derived flight parameters, into a periodic broadcast transmission, typically once a second, of the aircraft’s position. Any airborne or ground-based ADS-B capable receiver, within range of broadcast, may receive and process the surveillance information for a variety of functions or uses.
The greater positional accuracy and ability to provide aircraft-derived, additional flight parameters (flight objects or flight data message elements), in addition to position data, defines ADS-B as “enhanced surveillance.” The aircraft provides unique flight parameter information with the broadcast of its surveillance position. These other parameters, such as identification, directional vector, velocity, next waypoint, and other data are limited only by the equipment’s capability, the communication link capacity, and the receiving system’s capability. Additionally, ADS-B equipment may be placed on ground vehicles or obstacles to allow locating and identifying these items. The FAA’s ADS-B system is based primarily on providing three fundamental broadcast services to support the ADS-B enabled applications:
ADS-B: Provides highly accurate, aircraft-derived ADS-B reports that contain identification, state vector, and status/intent information about the aircraft. The information will be used for surveillance applications. ADS-B information is broadcast by the ADS-B equipped aircraft, received and processed by the ADS-B on-board avionics, and displayed on the aircraft’s multi-function display. In addition to the on-board avionics, the ADS-B ground stations provide ATC separation services.
TIS-B: Traffic Information Services - Broadcast provides ADS-B equipped aircraft with a more complete “picture” in situations where not all aircraft are equipped with ADS-B. TIS-B is a service that provides ADS-B equipped aircraft with surveillance data about non-ADS-B equipped aircraft. TIS-B comprises surveillance information provided by one or more surveillance sources, such as secondary or primary surveillance radar. The surveillance information is processed and converted for use by ADS-B equipped aircraft. TIS-B can also be used in ADS-B implementations involving multiple ADS-B data links to provide a cross-link or gateway between ADS-B equipped aircraft using the different data links. This TIS-B sub-function is identified as Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Rebroadcast (ADS-R). Two communication link protocols have been approved for ADS-R use. Universal Access Transceiver (UAT), used mostly by general aviation type aircraft, and the 1090 extended squitter*, normally used in commercial transport aircraft.
* “Squitter” is the random firing, intentional or otherwise, of a transponder transmitter in the absence of interrogation.
FIS-B: Flight Information Services -Broadcast provide ground-to-air broadcast of non-control, advisory information which provides users valuable, near real-time aeronautical information to operate safely and efficiently. FIS-B products include graphical and textual weather reports and forecasts, Special Use Airspace Information, Notices to Airmen, and other aeronautical information.
In FY 2007, the primary activities are:
- Competing and awarding the service contract for the National program, to include turning on options for implementation of limited areas of ADS-B in the Gulf of Mexico, Juneau, Louisville/Philadelphia/Ontario, and an expansion of the TIS-B/FIS-B services in the East Coast, Great Lakes, and Southern California areas.
- Begin deployment of weather and communications services in the Gulf of Mexico
- Development of the interfaces between ADS-B and four of the agency’s automation platforms (STARS, CARTS, HOST/ERAM, and MEARTS).
- Completing activities associated with a Segment 2 Final Investment Decision planned for February 2007.
- Completing Systems Engineering activities such as development of a separation standards work plan, standards development, safety assessments, risk management, completion of the backup analysis, simulation and modeling of some of the future air to air applications, such as Merging and Spacing, currently being developed with UPS.
- Continued operations and maintenance of the current legacy infrastructure along the East Coast, North Dakota, and Arizona areas.
For FY 2008, the primary activities will be:
- Design reviews, testing and validation of the vendor designed architecture.
- Continued activities for the development of the interfaces between ADS-B and four of the agency’s automation platforms (STARS, CARTS, HOST/ERAM, and MEARTS).
- Continued operations and maintenance of the current legacy infrastructure along the East Coast, North Dakota, and Arizona areas.
- Contract management activities associated with selecting Segment 2 options, if approved, on the prime contract so that work efforts may begin in FY 2009.
- Completion of Alaska Capstone Phase I and II activities
- Begin installation of the approved ADS-B locations
- Begin deployment of weather and communications systems in Alaska.
Operational Benefits:
The ADS-B/TIS-B/FIS-B services provide new or improved operational capabilities. Service providers will use the new surveillance capability to provide ATC services – Users will use the surveillance and broadcast services capability to support flight operations.
Safety: ADS-B, TIS-B, and FIS-B help to prevent accidents by providing increased situational awareness to air traffic controllers and pilots.
- Provides air-to-air surveillance capability
- Provides surveillance to areas that do not currently have surveillance coverage
- Provides real-time, in-the-cockpit, traffic, and aeronautical information (weather, temporary flight restrictions, and special use airspace).
Capacity and Efficiency:
Airspace can be better used by providing the capability for reduced separation and allowing for greater predictability in departure and arrival times.
- Provides radar-like separation procedures in remotes or non-radar areas, possibly decreasing travel time.
- Supports common separation standards (horizontal and vertical) in all classes of airspace
- Improves the ability to manage traffic and aircraft fleets
- Improves air traffic controllers ability to plan the arrivals and departures or aircraft far in advance
- Provides the infrastructure necessary to operate the NAS at reduced cost.
