Abstract

modeling framework to evaluate the costs and benefits of implementation of Con-troller Pilot Data Link Communication (CPDLC), and Air Traffic Management (ATM) decision support tools is proposed in this paper. The benefit/cost evaluation is carried out for four key alternatives namely alternative A: Do nothing scenario (only voice channel), alternative B: Voice channel supplemented with CPDLC, alternative C: Alternative B with ATM tools in a non-integrated scenario and finally alternative D: Alternative B with ATM tools in an integrated scenario. It is a bi-level model that cap-tures the linkages between various technologies at a lower microscopic level using a daily microscopic model (DATSIM) and transfers the measures of effectives to a higher macroscopic level. DATSIM stands for Data Link and Air Traffic Technologies SIMulation and it simulates air traffic in the enroute sector and terminal airspace for a single day and captures the measures of effectiveness at a microscopic level and feeds its output to the macroscopic annual model which then runs over the entire life cycle of the system. Airspace dwell time benefit data from the microscopic model is regressed into three dimensional benefit surfaces as a function of the equipage level of aircraft and aircraft density and embedded into the macroscopic model. The main function of the annual model is to ascertain economic viability of any deployment schedule or alternative over the entire life cycle of the system. The life cycle cost model is com-posed of four modules namely: Operational benefits module, Safety benefit module,Technology cost module and Training cost module. Analysis using the model showed that an enroute sector gets congested at aircraft den-sities greater 630 per day. This is mainly because the controller workload gets satu-rated at that traffic volume per day. Benefits realized in alternatives B, C and D as compared to alternative A increased exponentially at traffic densities greater than 630 i.e. when controller workload for alternative A becomes saturated. Master of Science

Abstract

The scope of this study was to evaluate the impact of the air traffic controller-to-pilot communication standard known as CPDLC or Data-Communication on the future air traffic operations. The impact was evaluated from the double viewpoint of airport delays and air traffic controllersâ workload. RAMS simulation software is used to perform all the runs and from its output data the values of terminal area delays and controllers workload are obtained. The New York Metroplex terminal area was used as a case study. Because of its complexity, where three major airports (i.e. JFK, Newark, and La Guardia) interact and constraint each other, this area was particularly interesting to be studied and the data analyzed gave a valuable insight on the possible future impact of Data-Communication in congested terminal areas. The results of the study, based on some previous man-in-the-loop simulations performed by the FAA in the nineties, showed that significant potential benefits could be obtained with the complete implementation of such technologies in the workload experienced by air traffic controllers. Moreover some small but not negligible benefits were obtained in the total delays accrued by each airport studied. On the other hand, the simulations of the future demand predicted by the FAA demonstrated that without a significant increment in capacity or limitation on the traffic growth intolerable delays would be recorded across the NAS in the future. For the complexity of the simulation model calibration and for the very time-consuming run time not all the scenarios described in the methodology were tested, demonstrating the weakness of RAMS as a ground simulation model. Master of Science

Abstract

This project has been developed with the principal aim of simulating CPDLC(Controller-Pilot Data Link Communications) between ATC (Air Traffic Controller) and RPAS (Remote Piloted Aircraft Systems). Communication between ATC and conventional aircraft is possible too. The uprising number of users in airspace compels the aerial communications to reinvent themselves for not collapsing the assigned frequency band. As a solution it is proposed CPDLC communications, an application that allows the direct exchange of text-based messages between a controller and a pilot. The most direct benefits in utilization of CPDLC are: 1) Air traffic management is more efficient. 2) Increase of airspace capacity. 3) Communication, surveillance and route conformance monitoring improvement. 4) Voice channel congestion reduction. The CPDLC code developed is integrated with ATM(Air Traffic Management) simulation program "eDEP", provided by Eurocontrol and it is also integrated with Icarus group research simulations. The project is divided in two main parts: a) Encoding library messages. It has been done the effort of collecting all the possible messages that can be exchanged between ATC and pilot. Messages have been encoded to byte level and it has been prepared to be sent through the net. b) Program graphic development. It has been developed a friendly and understandable graphical environment to be able to interact with a computer for sending the messages in a correct way. As a long term objective, it is expected that CPDLC program can be evaluated by real air traffic controllers in ATM simulations where RPAS and conventional aviation is mixed in non-segregated airspace. TFG will be useful for extracting conclusions about benefits provided by CPDLC and to know the real workload that CPDLC system provides to the air traffic controller.