Decision support tools that make use of surface surveillance technologies data can potentially make it possible to increase airport throughput, better accommodate NAS user needs and improve safety. Currently, the major emphasis of tools like NASA?s Surface Management System and the FAA?s Departure Spacing Program has been on improving the performance of the FAA. However, to fully achieve the potential benefits, corresponding tools must be made available to NAS users. To this end, we propose to develop a sophisticated suite of tools for the NAS users that make integrated use of data about airport surface and airspace operations, and that will allow them to work more effectively in coordination with FAA staff. Two classes of tools will be explored under this SBIR. The first class will consist of programmable alerts and critiquing functions that monitor for important events. The second will focus on the design of advanced algorithms that assist with departure planning and execution. Phase I will result in the development of a prototype system that demonstrates the capabilities of these tools, along with appropriate formative evaluations. Phase II would result in the completion of an operational suite of tools.
Potential NASA Commercial Applications: (LIMIT 150 WORDS) Potential NASA application of the proposed effort includes integrating features and functions (expected to be useful based on input from airline user feedback) into systems such as SMS. The tools that we propose to develop focus on supporting NAS user needs. However, to fully realize the benefits of such NAS user tools through coordination with the FAA, FAA staff must have complementary capabilities. Thus the designs we develop could, in part, be incorporated into tools like SMS as part of that NASA activity.
Potential NON-NASA Commercial Applications: (LIMIT 150 WORDS) This SBIR product will be software (with advanced interface designs and sophisticated new algorithms) whose intended market is airlines and any other NAS user groups that have centralized ramp control or dispatch functions. Taxi-time reductions and improved abilities to prioritize flights potentially represent savings by NAS users on the order of billions of dollars per year. It is our contention that these savings cannot be realized without the type of software we propose to develop, and that few other groups have the breadth and depth of expertise to develop this software as effectively. Thus, the potential market is very significant.
