Collision Risk Model for High-Density Airspaces

This chapter describes a collision risk model (CRM) of airspace scenarios to describe their safety levels when populated by given air traffic. The model requires the use of representative data, containing a description of the flown aircraft trajectories. It is a combination of deterministic and probabilistic mathematical tools able to estimate the level of safety. Furthermore, the model captures the frequency and spatial distribution of the encounters and conflicts, the time in advance the conflict is identified and the overall reaction time of the Air Traffic Control ATC system, and finally, the effectiveness of the ATC as safety layer. The model considers that the risk of an air miss depends on two different factors: on the one hand, the frequency of exposure to risks and, on the other, the chance of collision associated to this exposure. The exposure to risk is captured following a deterministic data-driven approach, whereas the associated chance of collision is derived from a statistical mathematical model, fed by the kinematics of the encounter and the statistics associated to the accuracy of the aircraft state vector when following a planned trajectory

Analysis of the geometric altimetry to support aircraft optimal profiles within future 4D trajectory management

The use of barometric altimetry is to some extent a limiting factor on safety, predictability and efficiency of aircraft operations, and reduces the potential of the trajectory based operations capabilities. However, geometric altimetry could be used to improve all of these aspects. Nowadays aircraft altitude is estimated by applying the International Standard Atmosphere which differs from real altitude. At different temperatures for an assigned barometric altitude, aerodynamic forces are different and this has a direct relationship with time, fuel consumption and range of the flight. The study explores the feasibility of using sensors providing geometric reference altitude, in particular, to supply capabilities for the optimization of vertical profiles and also, their impact on the vertical Air Traffic Management separation assurance processes. One of the aims of the thesis is to assess if geometric altitude fulfils the aeronautical requirements through existing sensors. Also the thesis will elaborate on the advantages of geometric altitude over the barometric altitude in terms of efficiency for vertical navigation. The evidence that geometric altitude is the best choice to improve the efficiency in vertical profile and aircraft capacity by reducing vertical uncertainties will also be shown. In this paper, an atmospheric study is presented, as well as the impact of temperature deviation from International Standard Atmosphere model is analyzed in order to obtain relationship between geometric and barometric altitude. Furthermore, an aircraft model to study aircraft vertical profile is provided to analyse trajectories based on geometric altitudes

Identifying open issues for reduced-crew operation in the cockpit of large civil aircrafts and implications for the future ATM system

Workshop durante el World ATM Congress celebrado el año 2015 en el que se abordaron temas de cómo afectará al futuro sistema de gestión de tráfico aéreo la reducción del número de pilotos a bordo de las aeronaves comerciales en el futuro

Air Traffic Management - Historic background and present situation

Ponencia invitada sobre gestion de trafico aereo en el curso de verano de la UPM Research in Decision Support Systems for future Air Traffic Managemen

Radar track segmentation with cubic splines for collision risk models in high density terminal areas

This paper presents a method to segment airplane radar tracks in high density terminal areas where the air traffic follows trajectories with several changes in heading, speed and altitude. The radar tracks are modelled with different types of segments, straight lines, cubic spline function and shape preserving cubic function. The longitudinal, lateral and vertical deviations are calculated for terminal manoeuvring area scenarios. The most promising model of the radar tracks resulted from a mixed interpolation using straight lines for linear segments and spline cubic functions for curved segments. A sensitivity analysis is used to optimise the size of the window for the segmentation process

Introduction to the SESAR WP-E research nerwork: HALA (Higher Automation Levels in ATM)

HALA! (Higher Automation Levels in Automation) is a SESAR WP-E Research Network inspired and underpinned by the highest principles of collaboration, transparency and innovation for the effective application of automation of the ATM processes. HALA! is ready to support and complement SESAR R&D activities in Automation, providing a Scientific Collaborative Platform through the participation by the most relevant world class universities, R&D centers and industry in AT

Criteria for Positioning Active Multilateration Stations Located Close to Distance Measuring Equipment

The need for the use of another surveillance system when radar cannot be used is the reason for the development of the Multilateration (MLT) Systems. However, there are many systems that operate in the L-Band (960-1215MHz) that could produce interference between systems. At airports, some interference has been detected between transmissions of MLT systems (1030MHz and 1090MHz) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) (960-1215MHz)

Using aircraft as wind sensors for estimating accurate wind fields for air traffic management applications

A study which examines the use of aircraft as wind sensors in a terminal area for real-time wind estimation in order to improve aircraft trajectory prediction is presented in this paper. We describe not only different sources in the aircraft systems that provide the variables needed to derivate the wind velocity but the capabilities which allow us to present this information for ATM Applications. Based on wind speed samples from aircraft landing at Madrid-Barajas airport, a real-time wind field will be estimated using a data processing approach through a minimum variance method. Finally the accuracy of this procedure will be evaluated for this information to be useful to Air Traffic Control

Complexity in the Optimisation of ATM Performance Metrics

Today's motivation for autonomous systems research stems out of the fact that networked environments have reached a level of complexity and heterogeneity that make their control and management by solely human administrators more and more difficult. The optimisation of performance metrics for the air traffic management system, like in other networked system, has become more complex with increasing number of flights, capacity constraints, environmental factors and safety regulations. It is anticipated that a new structure of planning layers and the introduction of higher levels of automation will reduce complexity and will optimise the performance metrics of the air traffic management system. This paper discusses the complexity of optimising air traffic management performance metrics and proposes a way forward based on higher levels of automation

Novel Negotiation protocol to support CDM process in a layered ATM System

In the SESAR Step 2 concept of operations a RBT is available and seen by all making it possible to conceive a different operating method than the current ATM system based on Collaborative Decisions Making processes. Currently there is a need to describe in more detail the mechanisms by which actors (ATC, Network Management, Flight Crew, airports and Airline Operation Centre) will negotiate revisions to the RBT. This paper introduces a negotiation model, which uses constraint based programing applied to a mediator to facilitate negotiation process in a SWIM enabled environment. Three processes for modelling the negotiation process are explained as well a preliminary reasoning agent algorithm modelled with constraint satisfaction problem is presented. Computational capability of the model is evaluated in the conclusion