The Flight Object,

1

• The Flight Object,
• A New Flight Data Management Concept for Europe
• Presentation to the DASC,
• October 2003
• Andrew Hill, EUROCONTROL, Brussels, Belgium
• andrew.hill_at_eurocontrol.int

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Contents of Presentation
1. The Problems of Flight Data Inconsistency,
with Examples 2. EUROCONTROLs Flight Data
Management Concept (the Flight Object) 3.
Approach and Planning 4. Conclusion.
3
Problem StatementTodays Flight Data Exchanges
On board Flight Management Systems (FMS)
Aircraft Operators
Systems at Eurocontrol Central Flow Management
Unit, Brussels/Paris
Initial Flight Plan Processing System (IFPS)
Military Air Traffic Control Air Defence Units
Enhanced Tactical Flow Management System (ETFMS)
Airport Operators
NONE of the entities shown here has consistent
data about the same flights!
Air Traffic Service Unit (ATSU) Flight Data
Processing Systems (about 60 in Europe)
xN
ATSU
ATSU
4
Discrepancies between Actual and Planned 2D
Routings
Example Planning versus Reality
VIOLET Actual Track Data RED Enhanced
Tactical Flow Management System
Impact on sectors list
BAW 597U
5
Example Application of ATC Constraints

• Flight from Brussels Charleroi to London Stansted

Aircraft Operator Operational Flight Plan
Enhanced Tactical Flow Management System
LILSI

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Different Assumptions about Performance and
Constraints in Climb
Example Assumptions about ATC Constraints
VIOLET Actual Track Data RED Enhanced
Tactical Flow Management System BLUE Aircraft
Operator (AO) Operational Flight Plan
Aircraft Operator profile is often closer to
Actual Tracks in Climb phase
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Overall Results of Study of ATFM and ATC flight
data
44
40
45
Variation across
40
the centres
Variation across
considered
35
the centres
26
considered
30
Percentage of pairs of
flight plans for each Centre
25
13
20
15
10
5
0
2D DIFFERENCES
SECTOR LIST DIFFERENCES
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Objectives of EUROCONTROLs Flight Data
Management (FDM) Concept

• To describe a cost-effective and safe information
  environment enabling all stakeholders to have
  suitably controlled access to a set of flight
  data describing the latest confirmed status and
  intentions of each IFR GAT flight which concerns
  them, with the level of
• accuracy,
• availability,
• performance,
• consistency,
• that is necessary for their operations.

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The Solution The EUROCONTROL FDM Concept
Aircraft Operators
On-board Flight Management Systems (FMS)
Systems at Eurocontrol Central Flow Management
Unit, Brussels/Paris
Access
Military ATC Air Defence Units
Initial Flight Plan Processing System (IFPS)
Services
Data Model
Airport Operators
Flight Objects
Enhanced Tactical Flow Management System (ETFMS)
Common Flight Object (FO) Environment
Other Subscribers
The Flight Object becomes the single reference
for all systems for information about a flight
xN
Air Traffic Service Unit (ATSU) Flight Data
Processing Systems (about 60 in Europe)
ATSU
ATSU
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Overview of the Flight Object

• The FO Environment may be centralised or
  distributed - this is only a political/budgetary
  decision.
• Every flight that is foreseen, currently active,
  or has taken place, will have a flight object
  (FO) that contains the latest confirmed flight
  information of common interest for the
  stakeholders.
• The information within an FO is held in Data
  Elements relating to the flight as filed, as
  cleared and as actually flown, such as trajectory
  (estimated and/or actual), equipment, performance
  data, weight, etc
• The Data Elements of an FO may be held at a
  unique location, or may be distributed over
  several different servers.
• Each of the Data Elements in the FO will have an
  owner. The ownership helps to determine the
  approval process for any changes to the contents
  of a Data Element in an FO.

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Expected Benefits of FDM Concept

• Capacity
• Better flight planning information provided to
  all stakeholders --gt better use of available
  capacity and reduced delays.
• Safety
• Reduce possibilities for mis-understandings,
• Smoother workload patterns for controllers.
• Cost Reduction
• Reduce ATM delays,
• Standardise technical interfaces,
• Eliminate duplicated processing,
• Optimise data delivery (only delivered when it is
  needed).
• Risk Reduction during Development
• Reduced number of interfaces.
• Note The EUROCONTROL FDM Concept was endorsed at
  senior management level by EUROCONTROL member
  states in Feb.2003.

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Lets be Forward-Thinking!

• Feasibility and Cost-Effectiveness
• Can the Performance and Availability Requirements
  be met?
• Is Object Modelling technology sufficiently
  mature?
• Can distributed database technology sufficiently
  support a distributed database of flight objects,
  transparent to the user?
• What are the benefits compared to the
  implementation costs?
• Some Considerations
• Assuming technology maintains the rate of
  doubling speed and power every 1.5 years, as it
  has maintained for the past 15 years, then system
  processing power, memory, and communications
  bandwidth can be expected to be 1000x those of
  2000 by the year 2015.
• This rapidly evolving technical environment
  offers new possibilities that could not have been
  envisaged realistically before.

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Aims of EUROCONTROLs Flight Data Management
Activity

• To define the Flight Object in sufficient detail
  to become a European (Global?) standard.
• To ensure that the proposed Standard is
  sufficient for the needs of the new generation
  Flight Data Processing System developments now
  undertaken by several large European Service
  Providers. Target date for availability of the
  Standard to satisfy these developments is Q4
  2004.
• To demonstrate the Feasibility and
  Cost-Effectiveness of the Flight Object Concept.
• To achieve early pilot implementations for
  certain stakeholders.

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Inputs to the Flight Object Model Definition

• FDM Concept Document.
• 17 Interoperability Requirement Documents.
• First Stage UML Model prepared by EUROCONTROL
  (class and sequence diagrams).
• EUROCONTROLs Overall ATM/CNS Target Architecture
  Strawman.
• EUROCONTROLs AIXM Standard (for Environment
  related data)
• All of these inputs are publicly available on our
  web site.

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Approach

• EUROCONTROL will Contract EUROCAE to perform the
  FO Definition. Contractual arrangements
  currently in negotiation.
• EUROCAE will
• Complete the static model.
• Add dynamic elements (e.g. ownership of data
  elements at different parts of the life-cycle).
• Ensure Review by all concerned European
  stakeholders.
• Produce an Access Standard (in XML?).
• Ensure compatibility with other relevant
  standards (e.g. AIXM).
• The EUROPEAN COMMISSION will implement a
  regulatory framework to support the standard(s).
• Cooperation with FAA has started by means of a
  Flight Object Workshop held in Brussels in
  September 2003, and will continue through
  informal working arrangements.

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Prototyping/Piloting

• Need Prototyping to Prove Feasibility and
  Cost-Effectiveness of the Flight Object Model.
• Some stakeholders might benefit from early
  Piloting of the Flight Object Model, perhaps at
  the Regional level.
• Currently discussing these needs and
  opportunities with stakeholders - no definite
  plans yet.

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High-Level Planning

• By end 2004
• Flight Object Draft Standard Stable.
• Start of Feasibility/Cost-Effectiveness
  Activities (Prototyping/Piloting?).
• By end 2005
• Regulatory Framework in place supported by
  European Commission.
• Feasibility/Cost-Effectiveness demonstrated.
• Develop Regional Transition Plan?
• Start of Operational trials?
• Cooperation with Stakeholders World-Wide is
  needed to ensure global solutions.

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Conclusion

• If you do not know where you want to go, what
  does it matter which road you take?
• Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
• But we do know where we want to go.
• We have developed a Flight Data Management
  Concept to ensure Consistent Flight Data.
• This provides our Roadmap for the Future of
  European Flight Data Processing Systems.

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Questions?