AIM, AICM and AIXM Introduction. AIXM 5 Second Design Review June 26, 2006 Madrid, Spain

AIM, AICM and AIXM Introduction AIXM 5 Second Design Review June 26, 2006 Madrid, Spain 1 1

Topics AIS to AIM AIS Data and Web Services Purpose and advantages Worldwide implementation of AIS interoperability AICM and AIXM 2 In this briefing I will cover the following topics: 1. AIS to AIM. An introduction to the transition from providing traditional AIS to supporting a range of user requirements through AIM (Aeronautical Information Management). 2. AIS data. We ll discuss the purpose and benefits of web services and why the new technology helps us with AIM. 3. Worldwide implementation of AIS interoperability. Loosely coupled web services technology enables the notion of global interoperability. 4. We ll discuss how AIXM supports interoperability. 5. We will introduce AICM and AIXM and provide a quick high level overview of the conceptual model. AIM = Aeronautical Information Management AIS = Aeronautical Information Services AICM = Aeronautical Information Conceptual Model AIXM = Aeronautical Information exchange Model 2

Aeronautical information criticality Quality? 3 Information provided by AIS is used for air navigation, ATC, ATM and other related services, which are essential to the safe movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air. It has been identified many years ago that: The role and importance of aeronautical information/data changed significantly with the implementation of area navigation (RNAV), required navigation performance (RNP) and airborne computer based navigation systems. Corrupt or erroneous aeronautical information/data can potentially affect the safety of air Navigation [ICAO Annex 15]. The quality and certification of aeronautical information on board should be comparable with the quality and certification levels of physical aircraft components, spare parts, fuel, etc.. 3

Towards a modern AIM System Classical AIS - publish documents AIM System - manage data AIP SUP, NOTAM, AIC Document content and format is described by: - ICAO Annex 15, Appendix 1 AIP Content - ICAO Annex 15, Appendix 6 NOTAM format - Classical AIS Data managed in the system is described by models: - Aeronautical Information Conceptual Model (AICM) - Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) - Electronic AIP (eaip) Publish documents as described by ICAO SARPS Trends today (AIM System) Manage data in accordance with ICAO data content requirements Publish data in traditional and new products Product consistency by using same data Accurate and fast exchange 4 There has been a migration from traditional AIS towards Aeronautical Information management (AIM). In a classical AIS organization, the organization publishes aeronautical information documents such as the AIP, Supplements and NOTAMS that conform to the content and formats described by ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices. The trend in the aviation world is to move towards an AIM organization that manages aeronautical data in accordance with the implicit data content requirements described by ICAO. Today these implicit data content requirements are well represented by the AICM and AIXM model. By managing the data, the AIM organization can publish the information in traditional and new product formats using the same source. Finally AIM supports accuracy and fast exchange of aeronautical data to other service providers and customers. AIC = Aeronautical Information Circular AIM = Aeronautical Information Management AIP = Aeronautical Information Publication AIS = Aeronautical Information Services eaip = Electronic AIP NOTAM = Notice to Airmen SARPS = Standards And Recommended Practices SUP = Supplemental 4

ICAO SARPS Annex 15 Publication specification Format of an AIP and NOTAM Checklists, formatting, content 5 If you look in ICAO Annex 15 today you can see evidence of the trend towards AIM. Traditionally ICAO Annex 15 contains publication specifications such as checklists, formats and contents for NOTAMS and AIP publications. Here we show an example of the traditional Annex 15 describing the formatting and content of the AIP document. 5

ICAO SARPS Annex 15 Shift to data product specification Amendment 33 Terrain and Obstacles Based on ISO 19100 series <<complexproperty >> ObstacleTimetable <<complexproperty>> Timesheet 0..* <<Feature>> Obstacle + identif ier + name + ty pe obstacle effectivity + marking 0..1 1 + f irstcolour + secondcolour + status + remarks 1 <<complexproperty >> Timetable 1 0..1 <<complexproperty >> ObstacleLightingTimetable 0..1 obstacle lighting availabi... 1 <<Feature>> ObstacleLighting + remarks 1 Content Quality Metadata 1 1 1 1 <<group>> VerticalDimensions 0 * 6 With Amendment 33 and the addition of Terrain and Obstacle requirements there is a shift in strategy towards providing a data product specification based on ISO 19100 series standards and more modern data modeling practices. The new amendment to Annex 15 includes information on data model content (required and optional properties), data quality requirements and meta-data requirements. These new requirements go beyond documentation of a publication and begin to address topics such as end to end data integrity. End to end data integrity refers to a requirement to know where the data comes from, where the data is going and mechanisms to ensure that the data is not corrupted during transmission and storage. ISO = International Standards Organization ISO 19100 Series = Geospatial Standards 6

Purpose of an AIM Improve internal processes Streamline data management and product production Model aeronautical information as a whole Create AIS products from a single data source Ability to integrate workflow and configuration management AIS Office Products Data management Product Creation Engines 7 The goal behind AIM modernization is to improve aeronautical data quality and make it quicker and easier to provide data and products to users. By using the same data source to provide information for all products our products become more accurate and consistent allowing our AIS operations to become more efficient. The AIM data source meets internal and external needs and streamlines data management and product production. Aeronautical information is modeled and stored in the data source in accordance with aviation requirements. Static and temporary data can be managed seamlessly and product creation engines can be used to create products from a single data source. 7

Data modelling Important? Role of data models To represent real world concepts as a theoretical construct which can be represented and understood by automated systems To standardise the conceptual understanding of aeronautical data by all actors - speak the same language" To provide a basis for logical data structures used during the software implementation To provide basis for formal contracts between interoperable systems example: use the same format" 8 The success of AIM depends directly on the data model used to represent aeronautical data. Why are models important? The role of a data model is: To represent real world concepts as a theoretical construction so they can be represented and interpreted by automated systems. To provide a basis for a logical data structure during software and database implementation. To standardize conceptual understanding about a domain so that every person and system involved can speak the same language. To provide the basis for contracts (service agreements) between systems so that systems use the same format. 8

Web Services Technology Improve external processes Streamline data exchange Electronic exchange AIS Office 2 bulk data upload AIS Office 1 Data management ARO Briefing NOTAM AIP data update Data Service Provider services Data management 9 The concepts of AIM are more feasible today because of Web Services Technologies. The recommended technologies for web services are SOAP and WSDL built upon existing XML and HTTP protocols. These new technologies opened the world to interoperability. Web Services technology improved external processes by allowing data suppliers and data consumers to exchange data electronically. WSDL is an XML format for describing network services as a set of endpoints operating on messages containing either document-oriented or procedure-oriented information. The operations and messages are described abstractly, and then bound to a concrete network protocol and message format to define an endpoint. Related concrete endpoints are combined into abstract endpoints (services). WSDL is extensible to allow description of endpoints and their messages regardless of what message formats or network protocols are used to communicate. WSDL can define protocols other than SOAP. SOAP is a lightweight protocol for exchange of information in a decentralized, distributed environment. It is an XML based protocol that consists of three parts: an envelope that defines a framework for describing what is in a message and how to process it, a set of encoding rules for expressing instances of application-defined datatypes, and a convention for representing remote procedure calls and responses. AIS = Aeronautical Information Services ARO = ATS Reporting Office ATS = Air Traffic Services WSDL (Web Service Description Language) SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) UDDI (Universal Description, Discovery and Integration) 9

XML The Message Standard exchange Ideal candidate for loosely coupled interapplication data sharing Is self-describing Is independent of hardware, database structures and programming language Accommodates independent change/versioning (is less fragile to extension or application changes) 10 10

Relationship to AICM/AIXM AIS Offices AICM Conceptual Model Logical basis for AIM databases Common conceptual understanding AIXM Exchange model Data management System to system exchange (service contracts) AICM AIXM ARO AIXM Briefing AIXM NOTAM AIP AICM AIXM Data Service Provider AICM 11 AICM and AIXM support AIM in two ways: 1. AICM is a conceptual model of the aeronautical domain that can be used as the logical basis for AIM databases. Does this mean that your AIS database must duplicate AICM? No, but the concepts in AICM are derived from ICAO and industry requirements so your system should have similar aeronautical features and properties. By ensuring that your systems can map to AICM, you are making it easier for your system to communicate using AIXM. 2. AIXM is an exchange model for aeronautical data that can be used to electronically transmit aeronautical information to others. AIXM is positioned as an international standard for aeronautical data exchange between systems. AIS = Aeronautical Information Services ARO = ATS Reporting Office ATS = Air Traffic Services 11

AICM and AIXM History Initial Development A EUROCONTROL Initiative AIP 12 AICM and AIXM are standards for aeronautical information dissemination that are based on: ICAO Annex 15 data to support international air navigation Industry standards like ARINC 424 for encoding terminal procedures Other standards and best practices Real world aeronautical information publications Take into consideration aspects that are not subject to formal requirements. Examples: route usage restrictions, declared distances from runway/taxiway intersections, airspace aggregations, fuel types, etc. AICM - Started by Eurocontrol in 1996 AIXM started in 1997 First attempt SQL based Move to XML in 1999 EAD operational since 2003 some 30 European States are expected to have joined the EAD by 2007 12

AICM and AIXM History Internationalization Global Requirements Complete Data Model (Military/Civilian) Standards (ISO) 13 The internationalization of AICM and AIXM really began in 2003 after the release of AICM/AIXM 3.3. Set-up of the AIXM Change Control Board (ACCB) with international participation (States and industry) The United States Federal Aviation Administration, United States National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and EUROCONTROL began to collaborate on expanding AICM and AIXM to cover global civilian and military aviation needs. Major early activities included assessing AICM and AIXM model coverage and updating lists of values. In March 2005 AICM and AIXM 4 was released. This was the first major release that incorporated suggestions from the international community and was a good test of consensus based configuration management. 13

AICM and AIXM History Global Adoption and Implementation AIXM 14 We think the future of AICM and AIXM as the global standard for aeronautical data is very promising Already there are a set of early adopters outside of EUROCONTROL who have chosen to base their future AIM systems on AICM and AIXM. Some of these adopters include Japan and Canada. (Did I miss anyone?) With the release of AICM/AIXM version 5 this year, we expect this trend to accelerate. By 2008 we predict that initial country to country exchange of aeronautical data will be occurring via AIXM. What is beyond 2008? Further integration, more seamless exchange and the provisioning of higher quality aeronautical data! 14

AICM The Conceptual Model EnRoute Airspace Terminal Route Fix Procedures Service Airport/Runway Airport/Runway Support international air navigation Aerodromes Airspace NAVAIDS & Fixes Routes Procedures Organizations & Services 15 The role of AICM is to enable systems to manage aeronautical information and to enable humans to communicate and understand the information that is managed. AICM describes the features, properties and associations in a number of conceptual areas as indicated on the diagram. 15

AICM The Conceptual Model Organizations & Services Temporary Flight Restrictions & Rules "Organizations & Services" and "Temporary Flight Restrictions & Rules" have associations with all other domains. Airspace -has -has Routes Procedures, SIDS and STARS -uses -uses -for Points -locates Aerodromes & Heliports Concepts Features Properties Associations Rules -on -on Obstacles 16 The AICM conceptual model may be split into several conceptual areas: Aerodromes, Airspace, Routes, etc.. Each conceptual area contains Features that describe important aeronautical entities. Features include Runways, Aerodromes, Routes and procedures. Features have properties that characterize the feature. A Runway feature may have a runway width and surface type. An aerodrome may have name and airport reference point. Associations describe how features are related. A runway is on an aerodrome. A runway has runway lighting. Finally the model includes rules or checks on the data. It remains a decision of each implementation which of these are mandatory and some are plausibility checks. For example, in the EAD: Each runway should be within 25 nm of the aerodrome reference point (data plausibility check) Any new 5-letter waypoint identifier shall be unique world-wide (mandatory rule). 16

Airspace Concept Airspace Airspace defined by an upper and lower altitude boundary. Airspace Border Horizontal border of the airspace. Airspace Part Airspace Part Derived Geometry Defines geometrical relationships between airspace. For instance aggregation of airspace parts into an airspace. Airspace Vertex Location along airspace border. Airspace Timesheet Operating hours for the airspace. Working days 8:00 to 17:00 Geographical Border Airspace border following a geographic border (e.g., coastline) 17 The airspace concept can represent any three dimensional region in the air that has aeronautical significance. Examples include FIR, air traffic control sector, Restricted Area, TMA or a temporary flight restriction. This example illustrates a complex airspace made of two parts. Together these two airspace parts make up a single more complex airspace. Within AICM any 3D airspace definition is modeled as an Airspace object. The Airspace object can define a simple airspace polygon made from an altitude range and a horizontal airspace border. Alternatively, the airspace might be a complex aggregation/derivation of more primitive airspace definitions. Finally airspaces may have a TIMESHEET associated with them. The timesheet gives the operating/activation hours for the airspace. 17

Aerodrome Concept Aerodrome and Heliport AICM: AD_HP Defines the airport or heliport and provides general information. Obstacle at Airport AICM: AD_HP_OBSTACLE Obstacle at an airport Usage Limitation AICM: AD_HP_USAGE Rules describing flights and aircraft that can operate at the airport or heliport. Apron AICM: APRON Locations where aircraft park and passengers enter and exit the aircraft. Runway AICM: RWY A runway at an airport. Airport Time Table AICM: Time table Operating hours of the airport Taxiway AICM: TWY Fixed path used by aircraft to travel to and from a runway. Runway Direction AICM: RWY_DIRECTION Defines runway direction, approach lighting and thresholds. Continuous 18 The Aerodrome and Heliport data concept area is a complex area describing the makeup of airports and heliports. This includes definitions of airports, runways, final approach and takeoff areas, aprons, taxiways and lighting systems. The illustration highlights some of the major features of the Aerodrome concept, but this illustration is by no means exhaustive. The example illustrates the Beaumont-Port Arthur (BPT) airport located in Southeastern Texas. The overall airport is represented with a AerodromeHeliport feature that captures information on the airport name, type and location. 18

Navaids & Designated Points Concept VOR Defines the VOR equipment and location. NAVAID Limitation Coverage limitations of the NAVAID. Angle Indication Bearing/Radial from a NAVAID to a significant point. TACAN Defines the TACAN equipment and location. Designated Point A significant point not marked by a NAVAID. NAVAID Timesheet Operating hours for the NAVAID. Distance Indication Distance from a NAVAID to a significant point. Working Hours 19 The NAVAID (VOR, DME, TACAN, NDB, MKR) and Designated Points Concept defines Significant Points in space used for navigational and air traffic control purposes. The NAVAIDS also include landing aids such as ILS, MLS. Closely related is the concept of navigation systems (GNSS, LORAN, DECCA). This example illustrates a TACAN with identifier BVT, which is collocated with a VOR. The BVT navigational guidance system (also called a VORTAC) has specific performance limitations outlined by the orange and yellow volumes and limited working hours. In addition, this diagram shows a DesignatedPoint called BVT075015. This designated point can be defined as an angular reference and a distance from the VORTAC. 19

Routes Concept Route Segment AICM: RTE_SEG A portion of a route, defined by two consecutive significant points. Route Segment Use AICM: RTE_SEG_USE How the route segment is used. Operating hours, flight levels Significant Point AICM: SIGNIFICANT_POINT AIXM: various, see Fixes A point used to define the start or end of a route segment. Route Segment Timetable AICM: RTE_SEG_USE_TIMETABLE Operating hours for the route segment Working Hours Weekdays 8 to 5 PM Enroute Route AICM: EN_ROUTE_RTE An enroute route 20 The Routes concept is used to define en-route routes. Note that approach procedures and departure procedures are modeled separately in the procedures concept area. This example shows a part of J101, which is a north-south route in the central United States. The Route is made up of a series of SignificantPoints. Pairs of consecutive SignificantPoints define RouteSegments. Each segment can have a complex usage of flight levels and operating hours. Not shown in this diagram is the concept of traffic flow restrictions. These restrictions can be tied to route segments and are used to restrict traffic along the route based on complex criteria, such as airport of departure, airport of destination, type of flight. In Europe, such restrictions are contained in the Route Availability Document (RAD). 20

Procedures Concept VOR/DME RWY34 (S-34) IAP AICM: IAP Instrument approach procedure MAP 1700 Obstacle Clearance Altitude/Minima AICM: OCA_OCH Minimum obstacle clearance altitude for aircraft categories. IAP Usage AICM: IAP_USAGE Instrument approach procedure usage and operating hours. FAF 1600 Cat ABCD MDA = 440 Cat E MDA = 440 Procedure Segment AICM: PROCEDURE_LEG Path along the approach procedure. Significant Point AICM: SIGNFICANT_POINT Points used to define procedure legs. Working Hours Weekdays 8 to 5 PM 21 The Procedures concept defines instrument approach procedures, departure procedures and standard arrival routes. AICM uses the ARINC 424 concept of Path and Terminator in order to define the trajectory between two consecutive points in the procedure. This example shows a conventional procedure (IAP) to runway 34 at the Beaumont-Port Arthur (BPT) airport. The example includes PROCEDURE SEGMENTS starting at the SBI NAVAID and ending at Missed approach clearance limit fix, PEVET. The procedure is assumed to be active from 8 AM to 5 PM weekdays and this is modeled as a timesheet in the IAPUsage. Please note that the Procedures Concept will be significantly updated and improved in AICM version 5. 21

Services Concept Organization AICM: ORG_AUTH Organization authority Service AICM: SERVICE A service provided by a unit. Address AICM: ORG_AUTH_ADDRESS UNIT_ADDRESS Address of an organization or unit. ATS ATCC ATC Frequency AICM: FREQUENCY Frequency(ies) on which the service is provided Unit AICM: UNIT Unit within an organization Association AICM: ORG_AUTH_ASSOC UNIT_ASSOC A parent-child relationship between units or organizations. Flight Services Working Hours Weekdays 8 to 5 PM Service Time Table AICM: Timetable Operating hours for a frequency or service 22 The services concept is used to describe organizations, divisions, units and the services that they provide. Services may connect to other aeronautical elements such as airspace, airports, procedures and routes. This diagram illustrates a model of an air traffic control service located at a Federal Aviation Administration en route facility. The FAA is the parent Organisation for the En-Route Control Center Unit. Both Units and Organisations can have addresses and associations. A sample association is shown for the En-Route Control Center where the Flight Service Unit may be a child of the En route Unit. The En Route Control Center will have many Services, one of which is air traffic control services 22

What is AIXM AIS Office AIS Office Industry AIXM Third party database 23 AICM is not enough, we need a standard way to encode the information so a computer can transmit and receive it. AIXM is based on AICM and it is the system to system exchange specification for aeronautical information. AIXM is based on XML and will move to GML in version 5. AIS = Aeronautical Information Services 23

From AICM to AIXM AICM AIXM 4.x SIGNIFICANT_POINT VOR LIMITATIONS <AIXM-Snapshot> <Vor> <VorUid> <codeid>aml</codeid> <geolat>34.3928n</geolat> <geolon>123.4333w</geolon> </VorUid> </AIXM-Snapshot> 24 AIXM is the physical implementation of AICM in XML (Extensible Markup Language). AIXM structures are the static information in messages exchanged by web services. The diagram shows how the VOR conceptual diagram is converted into AIXM. In AIXM, the VOR is called a feature. 24

Conclusion AIS Data Standardization is needed AICM and AIXM provide international data standardization Reduced development costs, reduced quality assurance costs Increased safety AICM Conceptual model for aeronautical data AIXM AICM model in GML format 25 To conclude, AIS Data Standardization is required if we are going to improve and integrate the aviation system. AICM and AIXM provide international data standardization. Using AIXM will reduce development costs and reduce quality assurance costs. Using a common format for data can improve safety because all systems have a clear understanding of the data. If we can provide a conceptual model that represent real world concepts and standardize the understanding about a domain, we stand to gain several benefits: Improved safety: Reduced data inconsistencies. Computer interpretable means fewer errors for pilots and other aviation system users. Reduced costs: eliminating redundancies and rework. By enabling digital input and output, we can reduce data quality checking and data integration costs. The AIXM model and web services can be reused in software systems. By basing AIXM on industry standards, adopters can leverage existing commercial and open source tools. COTS = Commercial Off The Shelf software AIS = Aeronautical Information Services XML = Extensible Markup Language 25

Next on the Agenda 11:00 13:00 Morning Session Welcome and Introduction AIM - AICM/AIXM Overview AIXM 5 Design Concepts Overview Show case - Skyview 14:30 17:00 Afternoon Session AIXM 5 Design Concepts in detail Obstacle Model Proposal 26 26