Explanation of Capabilities

Electronic Flight Data

TFDM provides air traffic controllers with a view of available surface and terminal area surveillance information when integrated with electronic flight data information. The EFD exchange replaces paper flight strips with electronic processing and distribution of Instrument Flight Rules and Visual Flight Rules data. Automated manual flight data processes enable enhanced data sharing between air traffic, traffic management, and Flight/Airline Operators, and other aviation stakeholders. The TFDM system will replace the Electronic Flight Strip Transfer System (EFSTS) in the tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities (TRACON), and the Advanced Electronic Flight Strip (AEFS) Prototype System in the towers.

Traffic Flow Management

TFDM improves Traffic Flow Management (TFM) using Surface Situational Awareness capabilities to provide a common view of the airport surface. It integrates surface data with data from the NAS traffic management systems by exchanging and processing data from Time-Based Flow Management (TBFM) and Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS). TFDM also includes support for the automated release time requests, subsumes Airport Resource Management Tool (ARMT) capabilities and the integration of surface scheduling functions and data. Through TFDM, a predictive airport/runway scheduler delivers flight specific data and current/scheduled airport resource changes using adapted rules and data from external systems at runways (including assignments), de-ice pads and holding areas within the active movement area, hand-off spots, and parking gates. Airport resource management tools facilitate the planning of airport configuration changes and runway balancing based on the predicted schedule.

Collaborative Decision Making on the Surface

TFDM provides surface Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) to support Departure Reservoir Management (DRM) for surface metering and demand information displayed at Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs), Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities (TRACONs), Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), and the Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC). Surface CDM is the sharing of flight movement and related operational information among Airport Operators, Flight Operators, Flight Service Providers, and FAA Stakeholders and improves demand and capacity predictions. It maximizes the use of available airport and airspace capacity, while minimizing adverse effects on Stakeholders, passengers, and the environment.

Systems Consolidation

With TFDM, multiple costly legacy systems will be replaced with a single, easily maintained state-of-the-art TFDM platform. Systems to be replaced include:

• Departure Spacing Program (DSP)
  • DSP operational functions will be allocated to TFDM, TFMS and TBFM.
• Airport Resource Management Tool (ARMT)
  • ARMT operational functions will be allocated to TFDM, TFMS and TBFM.
• Surface Movement Advisor (SMA)
• Electronic Flight Strip Transfer System (EFSTS)