United Kingdom Overseas Territories Aviation Circular OTAC 175-1 Aeronautical Information Services Issue 1 30 May 2012 GENERAL Effective: on issue Overseas Territories Aviation Circulars are issued to provide advice, guidance and information on standards, practices and procedures necessary to support legislation and the Overseas Territory Aviation Requirements. They are not in themselves law but may amplify a provision of the Air Navigation (Overseas Territories) Order or provide practical guidance on meeting a requirement contained in the Overseas Territories Aviation Requirements. PURPOSE The AN(OT)O gives the Governor responsibility for ensuring that appropriate arrangements are made for the provision of Aeronautical Information Services within the Territory. The Governor, or the body charged by the Governor, with responsibility for ensuring provision of AIS shall set out the services to be provided within the Territory and arrange for provision of such services. This Circular sets out the procedures for defining the services to be provided and the production of a Service Definition Document in accordance with OTAR Part 175 Subpart B. RELATED REQUIREMENTS This Circular relates to OTAR Part 175. CHANGE INFORMATION This Circular replaces OTAC AIS-1, following the publication of OTAR Part 175 dealing with AIS. ENQUIRIES Enquiries regarding the content of this Circular should be addressed to Air Safety Support International or to the appropriate Overseas Territory Aviation Authority. OTAC s/n 082
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 GENERAL... 3 2 DEFINITIONS SPECIFIC TO THIS OTAC... 3 3 DEFINITION OF SERVICE REQUIRED... 4 4 ARRANGING FOR SERVICE PROVISION... 5 5 AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION PUBLICATION... 5 6 NOTAM... 6 7 AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION REGULATION AND CONTROL (AIRAC)... 6 8 AERONAUTICAL INFORMATION CIRCULARS... 7 9 ONGOING OVERSIGHT AND AUDIT OF THE SERVICE PROVIDER... 7 10 NON-COMPLIANCES... 8 11 CHARGES FOR AIS... 8 OTAC s/n 082 Issue 1 Page 2 of 8
1 General ICAO (in Annex 15) requires the State to: (1) provide an aeronautical information service; or (2) agree with one or more other contracting States for the provision of a joint service; or (3) delegate the authority for the provision of the service to a nongovernmental agency, provided that the Standards and Recommended Practices of this Annex are adequately met. Whichever means is adopted, the responsibility for the publication of AIS information remains with the Territory. The AN(OT)O places responsibility on the Governor to ensure the provision of an aeronautical information service. The Governor will usually delegate this responsibility to the body already designated by him to regulate AIS. 2 Definitions specific to this OTAC In order to avoid confusion, and because in some cases the meanings are unique to Annex 15 and this OTAC, the following words or phrases have the following specific meanings when used in this OTAC: AIS product means aeronautical information provided in the form of the elements of the Integrated Aeronautical Information Package (except NOTAM and PIB), including aeronautical charts, or in the form of suitable electronic media. Application means manipulation and processing of data in support of user requirements. Assemble means a process of merging data from multiple sources into a database and establishing a baseline for subsequent processing. Bare Earth means Surface of the Earth including bodies of water and permanent ice and snow, and excluding vegetation and man-made objects. Canopy means Bare Earth supplemented by vegetation height. Culture means all man-made features constructed on the surface of the Earth, such as cities, railways and canals. Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) means a mathematical algorithm applied to the digital expression of data that provides a level of assurance against loss or alteration of data. Feature means abstraction of real world phenomena (ISO 19101*). Feature attribute means characteristic of a feature (ISO 19101*). Feature operation means operation that every instance of a feature type may perform (ISO 19110*). OTAC s/n 082 Issue 1 Page 3 of 8
Integrated Aeronautical Information Package means a package which consists of the following elements: - AIP, including amendment service; and - Supplements to the AIP; and - NOTAM and Pre-flight Information Bulletins (PIB); and - Aeronautical information Circulars (AIC); and - checklists and lists of valid NOTAM. Post spacing means angular or linear distance between two adjacent elevation points. Relief means the inequalities in elevation of the surface of the Earth represented on a aeronautical charts by contours, hypsometric tints, shading or spot elevations. 3 Definition of Service Required This role should be undertaken by the regulator, as the designated authority on behalf of the Governor. However, as stated above, it is critical that there is particularly close co-operation between regulator and service provider at this stage. As part of the process there should be consultation with users, including: (1) commercial and private pilots; (2) commercial air operators; (3) airport operators; (4) air traffic services; (5) other interested parties (including the Regulator). (e) In addition to the users' opinions, consideration should also be given to the requirements of Annex 15 and the ICAO Regional Plan. The users should be formally consulted at periods not greater than five years in order to ensure that the services provided remain appropriate. The results of the definition process should be captured within a Service Definition Document (SDD). This should define: (1) the services to be provided, including the definition of the area of coverage of the information, the International Notam Office for the Territory (which must be connected to the aeronautical fixed service), and the methods by which information will be collected, collated and distributed; (2) the locations and hours during which they will be provided; (3) the standards and criteria to be applied (ICAO Annex 15 at minimum). Of particular importance is the requirement for publication of information which is adequate, of required quality and timely (Annex 15); OTAC s/n 082 Issue 1 Page 4 of 8
(4) It should be noted that Annex 15 specifically requires a service provider to have a QMS. The Quality Management system established should follow the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 series of quality assurance standards Such a QMS must cover, at minimum, the following items: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) staff initial and recurrent training and qualifications; data handling, verification, accuracy and traceability standards and procedures; procedures for the management and control of the publication and dissemination process; the level of provision of communications facilities. 4 Arranging for Service Provision Having achieved a suitable definition of the service to be provided in the SDD, it is now for the regulator to determine how best the service may be provided. The service may be provided by any of the three methods identified in Annex 15 and in all cases, the Standards and Recommended Practices of Annex 15 are to be met: (1) State provision of the aeronautical information service; or (2) provision by agreement with one or more other contracting States for the provision of a joint service; or (3) delegation to a non-governmental agency. The SDD should form the basis of a Letter of Agreement (LoA) or contract with the service provider to ensure that the services and standards are clearly defined and that any contingency measures which may arise from potential system or equipment failures are taken into account. Except where the service is provided as a result of a commercial contract with the State, any LoA or contract should allow for charges to recover the cost of production and dissemination of AIS information to be included within the airport or air navigation service charges. A full Integrated Aeronautical Information Package is required by Annex 15. As this is the standard, any new agreements with service providers should recognise this requirement and seek to achieve it within a reasonable timescale. 5 Aeronautical Information Publication AIPs are defined by ICAO as satisfying the international requirements for the exchange of aeronautical information of a lasting character, essential to air navigation. The production and distribution of the AIP may be part of the overall agreement/contract for AIS, or may be treated as a separate service. Some Territories operate an AIS system within the Territory, but contract out the compilation and distribution of an AIP. Whatever method is adopted, the process will be, essentially: OTAC s/n 082 Issue 1 Page 5 of 8
(1) definition of the service this will be by the regulator if it is a separate service or the AIS provider in conjunction with the regulator if it is a part of the agreement for the provision of AIS; and (2) auditing of its accuracy by the regulator. (e) The service definition will need to include provision for publication of both operationally-relevant generic differences between the AN(OT)O and OTAR requirements and ICAO SARPs to be supplied by the regulator and of specific differences relating to deficiencies in facilities or technical deviations from SARPs within the area covered by the AIP. The increasing use of automated information processing means that an AIP must be formatted in accordance with Annex 15 Chapter 4 and Appendix 1 requirements. AIP information which is not up to date is useless at best and dangerous at worst. It is therefore essential that any agreement or contract ensures that the information distributed will be current and accurate. ICAO requires that the AIP, its Amendments and Supplements are distributed by the most expeditious means. Territories may wish to consider whether this requirement could be best met by publication on a web site, rather than physical distribution. If electronic means are chosen, then the QMS must specifically address this issue and produce an audit trail which proves the maintenance of the integrity of information in compliance with Annex 15. 6 NOTAM The AIS agreement should include specific reference to the requirements for Notams and their receipt and distribution. Notams are to be originated and distributed whenever the conditions require, as defined in Annex 15 Chapter 5. Their format should comply with Annex 15 Appendix 6. Collation and distribution of outgoing Notams should be on a logical basis, both avoiding unnecessary receipt by those with no interest in the topic at the same time as ensuring any agency with an interest receives the Notam. Distribution lists and separate series of Notams (at least for international and domestic operations) should be established to achieve this end. The AIS provider s procedures should specifically list those agencies and individuals in the Territory who are able to initiate a Notam, and the integrity checking procedures that are to be followed prior to distribution. Distribution of Notams received by AIS from other States should be circulated within the Territory in accordance with pre-determined distribution lists, included within the QMS. 7 Aeronautical Information Regulation and Control (AIRAC) Certain information is distributed in accordance with a specific timetable which has a periodicity of 28 days, and is known as the Airac Cycle. It is OTAC s/n 082 Issue 1 Page 6 of 8
important that the agreement with the service provider includes this requirement, as specified in Annex 15 Chapter 6. and Appendix 4. The information which is subject to this cycle is listed in Appendix 4 to Annex 15. 8 Aeronautical Information Circulars AICs are originated and distributed whenever situations exist which are of importance to the aviation community, but which do not qualify for inclusion in the AIP or the issue of a Notam. The AIS agreement should include specific reference to the requirements for AICs, their contents and distribution in accordance with Annex 15 Chapter 7. 9 Ongoing Oversight and Audit of the Service Provider Whichever of the alternative methods of service provision is adopted, the audits of the service provider will be undertaken against: (1) OTAR Part 175; (2) the requirements of the SDD; and (3) the SARPs in ICAO Annex 15. The purpose of the audit is to ensure that: (1) the service provider is providing AIS in line with the requirements expressed in OTAR Part 175, the SDD and Annex 15; and, in particular, (2) the service provider's quality management system is functioning appropriately. (e) In order to reduce the burden on both regulator and service provider, the oversight of AIS should be combined with the oversight of the ATS wherever possible. The audit should include both accommodation and facilities provided for the AIS service provider's staff including, in particular, communications equipment. The QMS should specify alternative acceptable means of communication in the event of the failure of the primary means. The availability and suitability of such alternative systems should be included in the audit. The audit should ensure that accommodation and equipment are suitable for the provision of the service defined in the SDD. This means, for example, that where a face to face briefing system is required, then the briefing room should have a staff area and a crew/public area and that notice boards, document receipt and duplication facilities are readily available. OTAC s/n 082 Issue 1 Page 7 of 8
10 Non-compliances In the event that the audit reveals non-compliances in service provision non-compliances should be drawn to the attention of the service provider in accordance with normal audit practice and the method of rectification agreed. If the deficiencies are not rectified to the satisfaction of the regulator, then the following may be considered as means to support the request for rectification: (1) variation or cancellation of the agreement or contract; or (2) withholding of payments in the event of a commercial contract. In the ultimate, it may be necessary to consider the identification of alternative means of service provision to ensure that the service provided reaches the required standards. Wherever a safety-critical non-compliance is identified, unless it is to be rectified immediately, then notification of the deficiency in service should be distributed to users by the most appropriate means available. 11 Charges for AIS It is recognised that the operation of an aeronautical information service can be an expensive process. The recovery of the cost of AIS may be considered to be a reasonable objective. ICAO offers the following guidance on charging for AIS: (1) a request from another state s AIS provider for any part of the Integrated Aeronautical Information Package should be fulfilled without charge (unless a specific agreement is in force); (2) requests for information from other sources should be subject to specific agreement; (3) the cost of AIS should be recovered by inclusion within airport and air navigation services charges. In light of the above, it is therefore for individual Territories to determine whether, and if so, how, they intend to recover the cost of AIS provided that they seek to meet the overarching ICAO principle (in Doc 9082) that charges should reflect only the cost of providing the service. OTAC s/n 082 Issue 1 Page 8 of 8