VALUE PROPOSITION FOR TRAINING AND SIMULATION A White Paper on Electronic Terrain & Obstacle collection

Transcription

1 VALUE PROPOSITION FOR TRAINING AND SIMULATION A White Paper on Electronic Terrain & Obstacle collection The FANS Group 8703 Yates Drive, suite 125 Westminster, Colorado

2 Revision History: Version Date Comments Author 1.0 April 2016 Preliminary Draft DMD 1.1 July 2016 Editorial Review STG 1.2 Sept nd Working Draft DMD 1

3 Table of Contents 1.0 Background ICAO s concept of Future Air Navigation System Enabling Technologies Implementation of FANS SESAR and NextGEN Why there is a Data Gap Our solution: Traceable Source to Bridge the Data Gap Value Proposition for Training & Simulation Companies More cost-efficient management of airport changes Photo-realistic terrain & obstacles Rapid creation of EFB Refresher visualization Creation of combined Air & Marine 3D Visual Environments... 9 Table of Figures Examples of Reduced Separation in Flight Operations... 3 Components of a FANS Implementation, in NEXTGEN or SESAR... 5 Aeronautical data gap what exists, what is missing for FANS Operations... 6 The FANS Group Process to bridge the Data Gap... 7 Example of FANS AIXM AMDB coupled to Digital-NOTAM... 8 Example of Xiangtang Airport in PRC China photorealistic features... 9 Example of FANS Group 3D Harbor Mapping Database Table of Tables Table of FANS Enabling technology... 5 ii

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5 Executive Summary US and EU aviation authorities have established a future vision (SESAR & NEXTGEN) by which airline operations are accomplished with performance-based navigation (implementation deadline spans from 2015 thru 2020). While that vision is pure, it is unobtainable without a highly refined fresh set of digital terrain, obstacle and highly accurate airport mapping detail. Present day mapping data is old, paper based, unverified and not reliable it cannot support safe air or ground based navigation in the FANS environment. This is the FANS information deficit that mandated our origination. SESAR & NEXTGEN will also requirement an unparalleled level of training and simulation, to allow aircrews to embrace, understand and rehearse the numerous new procedures and Performance-Based-Navigation Departures, Arrivals and Instrument Procedures that increasingly mandate aircrew training (RNP-AR, SAAR, etc). Much of the information regarding the flight operations of SESAR and NEXTGEN will require exceptional strength in the management of AIXM, FIXM and WIXM information, to support the real-time changes in the Airspace and Airways environment that SESAR & NEXTGEN demand. We can provide outstanding value to the Training & Simulation user communities in the rapid creation of visual environments that include photo-real terminal areas, special qualification airports and other complex, blended environments in support of training aircrews for their future roles in SESAR and NEXTGEN. Courtesy FAA Courtesy FAA Courtesy EU Courtesy EU 1

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7 1.0 Background Electronic Terrain & Obstacle data (etod) for Training & Simulation 1.1. ICAO s concept of Future Air Navigation System It is widely accepted within the Air Transportation industry that conventional, voice-based Air Traffic Control (ATC) has become saturated worldwide. With the monotonic increase in fuel prices of the past several decades, the only option for air carriers to increase profitability is to embrace the migration to ICAO Future Air Navigation Systems (FANS). As it is not possible to grow the physical size of airspace worldwide, the only way to increase air traffic is the reduction of separation between aircraft, and the airport, coupled with increased awareness of 4D position reporting and navigation of those aircraft. This concept was originally described as Required Navigational performance, but is today known as Performance Based Navigation or PBN. Here are three examples of reduced separation in Flight Operations: Reduced Separation horizontally Reduced Separation vertically Reduced Separation Taxiing Examples of Reduced Separation in Flight Operations In order for ICAO to provide a clear pathway towards implementation of FANS, they wrote a document known as the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP). This provides a 15-year global vision for all ICAO member states to collaboratively move into FANS-style air transportation. The 4 primary areas for CAA and air carriers to augment and improve are listed below: 1) Airport Operations. 2) Globally-interoperable systems and data. 3) Optimum capacity and flexible flights. 4) Efficient Flight Paths. 3

8 In order to ensure that each ICAO Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) implements these improvements in an coordinated and structured manner, the GANP groups together specific collections of improvements into what are defined as Block Upgrades. List of ICAO Block Upgrades The vision is that each cooperating ICAO state will implement specific Blocks in a cohesive manner, and that the metric for progress for any ICAO state be defined in terms of these specific goals. This allows all ICAO member states to proceed towards the common goal of FANS-type Operations. For each of the four blocks, there are specific improvements in each of the four key areas listed above. In Block Zero, some of the key improvements include: B0-SURF, Safety & Efficiency of Surface Operations B0-ACDM, Improved Airport Operations thru 1.2. Enabling Technologies For this broad vision to succeed, a number of key technology hurdles had to be overcome: AIXM D-NOTAM Aeronautical Information Exchange Model was invented by EUROCONTROL and elaborated in partnership with the FAA and other agencies. This allows aeronautical information about Airspace, Airways, Navaids, Procedures, Airports, Terrain & Obstacles to be electronically shared between CAA, ANSP, Air Carriers AIXM forms the nucleus of the concept of Digital NOTAMS which are in effect AIXM transactions that turn on or turn off aviation assets such as Runways, 4

9 Taxiways, Aprons, Gates, Airways, Waypoints, Navaids, etc. FIXM WIXM SWIM Flight Information Exchange Model was invented by EUROCONTROL and FAA to allow the automated exchange of aircraft movements in ATM environments, to standardize position reporting under all flight regimes. Weather Information Exchange Model was invented by members of the ICAO and CAA community to allow the automated exchange of Weather across all countries and ATM environments, to standardize Wx reporting and decision-making. System Wide Information Management is an Enterprise Information Sharing concept that uses the Aviation world (as defined in AIXM data), coupled to the position of all aircraft (as defined in FIXM data) to make optimum decisions about how to regulate and manage air traffic, as amended by existing weather conditions (as defined in WIXM data) Table of FANS Enabling technology 1.3. Implementation of FANS SESAR and NextGEN In order to take advantage of their FANS-compliant flight operations, the NEXTGEN and SESAR authorities have implemented a simple notion Best Equipped, Best Served. Air carriers who choose to implement the necessary components and infrastructure will benefit 1 st : 1. New Aircraft with more fuel-efficient and self-diagnosing engines. 2. New FMS & EFIS avionics that support PBN 4D operations everywhere. 3. New, highly accurate Terrain & Obstacles to allow smaller separation of PBN. 4. New, highly accurate Airport Mapping Database to enhance Surface Movements. 5. Increased training of Flight Crew to support PBN 4D operations everywhere. 6. Real-time Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) between Dispatch, Crews and ATM. 6 Components of NEXTGEN or SESAR Example of AMDB + etod Components of a FANS Implementation, in NEXTGEN or SESAR 5

10 1.4. Why there is a Data Gap Electronic Terrain & Obstacle data (etod) for Training & Simulation The interaction between all components of the FANS solution is known as System-Wide Information Management or SWIM. SWIM takes all Aeronautical data, places it into the three formats described above, and ensures that Air Traffic will be governed by explicit business rules, implemented by all participants or actors in the FANS environment. Some of the Aeronautical Information required by SWIM does already exists published by the FAA and or other CAA s such as the UK CAA, the DGAC in France or the DFS in Germany. This includes Enroute information Airspace, Waypoints, Low/High Enroute and navaid-based Terminal Procedures. What is missing is the much more precise etod and Airport and Environmental data required by PBN procedures, that use all of the FANS benefits of lower noise, lower carbon emission and lower fuel consumption. This data is not available today, and until it is, FANS is not achievable. Aeronautical data gap what exists, what is missing for FANS Operations In the legacy ATC world Operators were limited by their choices of data provision. Commercial Chart Providers could duplicate paper AIP s, but not manufacture any original data. Civil Aviation Authorities lack the budgets & expertise to acquire all of the new etod and Airport information to enable the smaller separations of PBN procedures. In order to deliver the benefits of NEXGEN & SESAR now we need a better approach. The key specific challenges and opportunities are summarized as follows: Present-day etod that was surveyed before the new ICAO Area-2 standards do not meet the closer proximity measurements of Terrain and Obstacles demanded by PBN operations. In July of 2010, ICAO published version 13 of the Annex-15 document that mandates collection of etod for all commercial airports by November2015. Since that time, only Ireland has complied with the mandate, leaving close to 200 other ICAO countries and the USA as delinquent. This prevents widespread FANS operations. Most countries are fully aware of their mandate, and are now actively researching solutions to meet it. FANS Group offers the only turnkey value proposition to do this. This is a unique opportunity for IATA Member airlines to leverage having the most accurate and current data possible for their own key market segments: o o Engine-Out Performance (our Obstacle & Terrain product) Electronic Flight Bag (our 3D Airport Mapping Database product) 6

11 o o o Electronic Terrain & Obstacle data (etod) for Training & Simulation LOFT Training (Our 3D Airport & etod product) Flight Planning (our Obstacle & Terrain and our AMDB products) Digital NOTAM inter-operation for increased flexibility & safety The graphic below illustrates how we mitigate this challenge: The FANS Group Process to bridge the Data Gap 1.5. Our solution: Traceable Source to Bridge the Data Gap We have developed a simple 3-step process to Inspect a customer s FANS data requirements, Originate what data they lack, and Execute the delivery in a SWIM environment. The outcome of the above process enables the completion of your FANS Building Blocks: Existing etod & Airport Data that met all PBN requirements is transformed into AIXM. Existing etod & Airport Data that lacked some attributes or accuracy metrics is upgraded and transformed into AIXM. Missing etod & Airport Data data needed for your NEXTGEN & SESAR operations is originated, validated, and transformed into AIXM. FANS Group has the unique combination of Aeronautical Information expertise, geospatial information manufacturing, Subject Expertise in all relevant RTCA, EUROCAE, and ICAO specifications to bridge the information Gap for any Air Carrier. 7

12 1.6. Value Proposition for Training & Simulation Companies Our value proposition centers around the logistics of creating visual databases (OpenFlight, Common Database and others) and maintaining them as the environments change. These changes are primarily focused on the airport environment, but also include significant changes to the local surroundings. Our advantages in rapid ability to create Terrain, Obstacles and Airport features are enabling technology to support: More cost-efficient management of airport changes tied to Digital NOTAMS Photo-realistic terrain & obstacles for Special Qualification airports. Rapid creation of EFB Refresher visualization for Special Qualification airports. Creation of combined Air & Marine 3D Visual Environments More cost-efficient management of airport changes Traditional modelling production streams require interpretation of textual NOTAMS or legacy AIP amendments in order to make changes to Airport 3D environments for modelling and simulation purposes. This must them be replicated across many legacy formats. With the FANS Group 3D Airport Maps and Obstacles in AIXM 5.1 format, we can import Digital NOTAMS (D-NOTAMS) that immediately reflect changes being made at those airports in near-real time. This can then be exported in a variety of formats to support OpenFlight and other CDB formats.tiff, Geo-tiff, JPEG-2000, Shapefiles, XML and GML. Example of FANS AIXM AMDB coupled to Digital-NOTAM 8

13 Photo-realistic terrain & obstacles Our expertise in the rapid creation of Digital Elevation models coupled to geospatially matching terrain from Stereo Source imagery allows us to create OpenFlight databases for such scenery, to speed up the process of the final visual database. This also enables 3D airport familiarization for a wider, larger range of airports for Airline, Corporate and Military training customers. Example of Xiangtang Airport in PRC China photorealistic features Rapid creation of EFB Refresher visualization With the combination of the matching terrain, obstacles, airport features and matching source imagery, our end-users may readily and easily create training video s in a variety of public formats, such as ipad and Android tablets, and unlisted video s. Many challenging airports require special aircrew qualification for normal operations, engineout operations, noise-abatement operations and even wildlife habitat avoidance. The training scenario s may be quickly encapsulated and visualized in lessons for Initial Qualification, and refresher Qualification for aircrews worldwide. An example of such a video may be seen at: Creation of combined Air & Marine 3D Visual Environments For our military customers, the FANS Group s team of geospatial data creation experts have pioneered not only mapping airports, but also in mapping harbors for marine training and visualization requirements for civil and military customers. 9

14 As we deliver our Airport Mapping Databases in the international standards known as DO- 272/ED-99 from the RTCA/EUROCAE organizations, we similarly can create Harbor Mapping Databases (HMDB) using the International Hydrographic Organization s S-100/S-101 geospatial mapping standard. This 21 st century geospatial mapping format has been embraced by organization such as NATO, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) and others. The S-100/S-101 specification provides a geospatially unified platform for: Raster-based Imagery Digital Elevation Models Bathymetry 3D Harbor Features Extensions or Private features unique to military customers For all those regions of the world where maritime environments create Hot Zones (South Spratley s, Senkaku, Horn of Africa, Gulf of Aden) we can rapidly create complete 3D Visual environments to enable civil and military authorities to provide training in passage thru these areas or operations within or adjacent to these areas. Example of FANS Group 3D Harbor Mapping Database 10