Mid-America Consulting Group, Inc. (MCG) proposes to develop an expert system based cockpit decision support and tactical planning tool. This Aircraft Smart Decision Support System or "ASDSS", will enhance in- flight safety and reduce the flight planning impact of actual and forecasted weather conditions. ASDSS features will include In-flight route planning decision support incorporating real-time weather data, parameters such as pilot skill level, (e.g., personal minimums), equipment/performance data (e.g., de-ice equipment, service ceiling, fuel available), and navigational information. 2-D and 3-D weather depiction of local, enroute, regional or national weather in near real-time with forecasting capability. ASDSS will incorporate commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computer technology, existing navigational, weather transcription/depiction, sensor technology, and state of the art information processing capability made possible by advancements in expert systems and artificial intelligence. Phase I development will culminate in completion of a system design for the ASDSS, and also a concise plan for solving technical issues anticipated for Phase II. During Phase II, an ASDSS prototype will be demonstrated, a certification test plan will be established, and production planning will be completed. Aircraft demonstrations (primarily Phase II) will be performed on General Aviation aircraft, which represent the initial target market for ASDSS.
Potential Commercial Applications: We anticipate that ASDSS in varying levels of sophistication will be utilized in General Aviation and Transport Category and Military aircraft. Also, derivative applications of ASDSS technology could be used by the Federal Aviation Administration as part of their Air Traffic Management Initiatives. ASDSS is being developed with the intent of simultaneously targeting more than one segment of the aviation market. By incorporating modularity and open systems architecture into the ASDSS product, it will be possible for ASDSS to be used on GA (including business jets), transport category and military aircraft
