• Prepare report that evaluates algorithms for integrating weather into decision support tools using translated weather products.
• Conduct assessment of mature research for transition to NWS. • Perform analysis of weather related operational services. Synchronization of Air/Ground Procedures:
• Develop validation plan for air/ground procedure synchronization.
• Develop documentation of air/ground procedures standards with user community. • Conduct trials to validate air/ground procedure synchronization.
Advanced Air/Ground Communications:
• Develop Test Plan for Satellite based Push-to-Talk communications standards with international community. • Conduct tests of Satellite-based Push-to-Talk communications standards with international community.
Program Plans FY 2018 – Performance Output Goals
Enterprise Information Protocol and Exchange Standards:
• Maintain and update information protocols and exchange standards. Future CAS:
• Publish the ACAS-Xp standard including hybrid ACAS to reduce spectrum clutter. Weather Transition:
• Evaluate additional algorithms for integrating weather into decision support tools using translated weather products.
• Conduct assessment of mature research for transition to National Weather Service (NWS). • Perform analysis of weather related operational services.
Synchronization of Air/Ground Procedures:
• Document trials results and provides recommendation. Advanced Air/Ground Communications:
• Conduct safety analysis of Satellite-based Push-to-Talk communications standards. • Conduct tests of the new communications standards with international community. • Conduct safety analysis of new communications standards.
Program Plans FY 2019 – Performance Output Goals
Enterprise Information Protocol and Exchange Standards:
• Maintain and update information protocols and exchange standards. Weather Transition:
• Evaluate additional algorithms for integrating weather into decision support tools using translated weather products.
• Conduct assessment of mature research for transition to NWS. • Perform analysis of weather related operational services. Advanced Air/Ground Communications:
• Develop standards for advance air-ground communications evolving technologies. • Conduct tests of the new communications standards with international community. • Conduct safety analysis of new communications standards.
X, Information Management, G05M.03-01
Program Description
Recent experience in sharing surface data information with users in the new service-oriented architecture approach, coupled with proliferation of data repositories to perform post-analysis, highlighted the need to move from data sharing to full information management. This includes allocating information service by type and amount needed based on a business case analysis, establishing performance requirements for the delivery of the information and monitoring performance, and establishing the governance of how and when the information is provided. Improvements to information management approaches are necessary to ensure the efficient use of FTI and SWIM as
conduits of information. The EO 13642 and cloud first mandates also require improvements to the information management infrastructure of the NAS.
The research on Information Management will identify the shortfalls in moving from data sharing to a network environment including: authoritative operational data stores, governance and evaluation techniques, and performance monitoring techniques and policies to ensure compliance. After this analysis and preliminary engineering design is complete, the activities will shift to development and implementation of the required capabilities and governance.
Alignment of Program to FAA Strategic Priority and Performance Metric
• FAA Strategic Priority 2 – Deliver Benefits through Technology and Infrastructure.
• FAA Performance Metric 2 – Maintain an average daily capacity for Core airports of 58,166, or higher, arrivals and departures.
Relationship to Performance Metric
The goal is to ensure that in the transformation to NextGen, the necessary and required information sharing to improve situational awareness are provided with guaranteed performance. Implementation of Information Management will allow information to be shared at a level of service that will enable the NAS to more efficiently manage NAS resources to optimize capacity in the system. Achieving capacity goals requires increased sharing of data with guaranteed delivery and performance. To assure this delivery is cost effective, the agency needs to migrate from data sharing to full-scale data management using SWIM as a component.
Program Plans FY 2015 – Performance Output Goals
• None.
Program Plans FY 2016 – Performance Output Goals
• Develop policies for Information Management Governance.
• Develop initial Implementation Strategy Plan for Information Management baseline capability.
• Perform preliminary engineering work to identify alternatives and migration of research products for analyst’s use.
Program Plans FY 2017 – Performance Output Goals
• Complete report on performance monitoring methods to ensure delivery of agreed service performance. • Identify appropriate big data approaches for improving efficiency of service.
Program Plans FY 2018 – Performance Output Goals
• Complete analysis and deliver report on availability of additional data for extended user community. • Complete strategic plans for long-term enhancements of Information Management baseline capabilities to
support user community and align with NextGen roadmap.
Program Plans FY 2019 – Performance Output Goals
• Deliver update to the Information Management Governance.
• Complete analysis and deliver report on additional value added services for enhanced analytical capabilities. • Deliver report on initial coordination with key organizations to ensure compliance of Information Management
Governance.
1A11, NEXTGEN – SUPPORT PORTFOLIO AT WJHTC
FY 2015 Request $13.0MNextGen Laboratories at WJHTC, G03M.02-01
Program Description
Prior to the implementation of full-scale operational NextGen capabilities, the FAA requires environments for the design, development, integration, evaluation and demonstration of future NextGen concepts and technologies. This program provides platforms at the NextGen Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC) and Florida NextGen Test Bed (FTB) for demonstrations to be quickly and efficiently conducted at an early stage without affecting NAS operations. This reduces risk and overall costs by enabling the FAA to evaluate the viability of new technologies before making further investments and decisions on potential implementation in operations. It will be necessary to test the integration, development, and operations functions in a real-time and flexible environment to validate the broad framework of concepts, technologies, and systems introduced by NextGen. Operational Assessment supports the transition to NextGen by providing comprehensive assessment of demonstrations to evaluate systems performance. It also supports NextGen benefits modeling and cost-benefit data collection efforts. Beginning in FY 2016 the NextGen Operational Assessment Performance activity will be included within this program to better align post demonstration evaluation activities.
NextGen Integration and Evaluation Capability (NIEC):
The NIEC is located at WJHTC and provides the facility, personnel and computing infrastructure to support the development, refinement and validation of NextGen from concept definition, to requirements maturity, to integration of NAS capabilities across the various NAS domains.
Florida NextGen Test Bed (FTB):
The FTB is located at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach and provides a robust platform where early-stage NextGen concepts can be integrated, demonstrated, and evaluated. The FTB core infrastructure is architected and configured to enable remote connections with other FAA NextGen and industry partner sites to allow for multi-site demonstration capabilities. Through appropriate governance and oversight, the FTB provides the ability for industry to bring and integrate new concepts and technologies, maintain and sustain their systems at the FTB, and conduct ongoing activities.
NextGen Operational Assessment – Performance:
This activity supports NextGen implementation by performing analyses in two areas: Systems Analysis and NextGen Performance Snapshots (NPS):
• Systems Analysis will continue to track quantitative estimates of the anticipated operational benefits of the NextGen portfolio, through the “mid-term” and for the entire investment life-cycle; cost estimates for the overall NextGen portfolio, to include aircraft equipage costs; an integrated business case for NextGen, combining the costs and benefits to determine the return on investment (for society at large as well as individual stakeholder groups); and quantitative assessments of the operational impacts of fielded NextGen components as they become available.
• The NextGen Performance Snapshots (NPS) website was created to provide post-implementation performance information at 21 Metroplexes, as well as at selected airports and airspace. It is a reporting tool designed to show the progress that has been made at specific locations after the implementation of NextGen programs.
Alignment of Program to FAA Strategic Priority and Performance Metric
• FAA Strategic Priority 2 – Deliver Benefits through Technology and Infrastructure.
• FAA Performance Metric 7 – Organizations throughout the agency will continue to implement cost efficiency initiatives. FY 2014 Target: 90 percent of targeted savings. (FAA Business Planning Metric)
Relationship to Performance Metric
The integration, development, and operational analysis capability provides the support services, and software and hardware required to enhance and sustain the NIEC to conduct early proof of concept studies, rapid prototyping, validate and mature concepts, reduce risks, and improve operational performance across all NextGen Portfolios. With the collocation of NIEC and the William J. Hughes Technical Center laboratories, each NextGen program need not establish and maintain separate laboratory facilities resulting in reduced costs. It enables the FAA to evaluate concepts and programs that span more than one domain of the NAS and integrate NextGen solutions into the NAS.
The FTB provides a platform for new NextGen demonstrations to be quickly and efficiently conducted at an early stage without affecting NAS operations. This reduces risk and overall costs by enabling the FAA to evaluate the viability of these new technologies and concepts before making further investments and decisions on potential implementation in operations. In addition, the FTB approach of establishing partnerships with industry promotes contributions and R&D investment from industry, and leverages industry’s capabilities, which provides cost avoidance to the FAA and helps to accelerate NextGen development.
The NextGen Operational Assessment-Performance program supports cost efficiency initiatives by providing operational performance assessments and benefits analyses of the activities included in the NAS Segment Implementation Plan (NSIP). In order to justify the expenditure of substantial taxpayer funds, help formulate detailed plans, and build the business case for operator equipage with NextGen-related avionics, various NextGen cost-benefit analyses must be performed. The analysis uses the FAA’s system-wide model to estimate the benefits of planned operational improvements for various stakeholder groups. Operational analysis is performed once projects have been completed and new capabilities fielded to determine whether or not these capabilities are performing as desired.
Program Plans FY 2015 – Performance Output Goals
NIEC:
• The NIEC facility will maintain a minimum of 80% up-time for customer availability.
• Identify and install NIEC upgrades and enhancements to support NextGen research, concepts and technology, human-in-the-loop simulations for portfolios, and proof of concept demonstrations.
• Integrate the Traffic Flow Management (TFM) Auxiliary Platform into the NIEC.
• Integrate Traffic Management Advisor and Traffic-Based Flow Management (TBFM) data feeds with Distributed Environment for Simulation, Rapid Engineering, and Experimentation (DESIREE) and Target Generation Facility (TGF) at the NIEC laboratory.
FTB:
• Develop architecture and plan to incorporate in-air communication capability for the exchange of information between ground systems and en-route aircraft to facilitate demonstration concepts. Establish Airline Operation Center (AOC) flight planning, filing, and monitoring capabilities to augment airline operations capabilities. • Establish connectivity to Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Research and Engineering Network (DREN)
to support inter-agency research activities.
• Develop plan for FY 2016 FTB technology refresh. NextGen Operational Assessment – Performance:
• Enhance operational performance model to support NextGen Operational Assessment. • Publish an updated NextGen Business Case document.
• Evaluate the operational performance impacts of NextGen technologies and procedures and publish an annual report.
• Develop document assessing data requirements for display on the web NPS.
• Maintain and update the NSIP to aid the planning and deployment of NextGen portfolio in the mid-term timeframe.
Program Plans FY 2016 – Performance Output Goals
NIEC:
• The NIEC facility will maintain a minimum of 80% up-time for customer availability.
• Identify and install NIEC upgrades and enhancements to support NextGen research, concepts and technology, human-in-the-loop simulations for portfolios, and proof of concept demonstrations.
FTB:
• Perform technology refresh of FTB systems and network equipment to support upcoming NextGen concepts and maintain reliability, improve performance, and ensure compatibility with current-day Commercial of the Shelf (COTS) systems.
• Provide additional demonstration scenario development, validation, and analysis tools to facilitate NextGen Test Bed demonstrations.
• Provide in-air communication capability for the exchange of information between ground systems and en-route aircraft to facilitate demonstration concepts.
NextGen Operational Assessment – Performance:
• Evaluate the operational performance impacts of NextGen technologies and procedures and publish an annual report.
• Develop document collecting new NPS data information and NPS data sources for any new metrics based on information assessment.
• Maintain and update the NSIP to aid the planning and deployment of NextGen portfolio in the mid-term timeframe.
Program Plans FY 2017-2019 – Performance Output Goals
NIEC:
• The NIEC facility will maintain a minimum of 80% up-time for customer availability.
• Identify and install NIEC upgrades and enhancements to support NextGen research, concepts and technology, human-in-the-loop simulations for portfolios, and proof of concept demonstrations.
FTB:
• Expand telecommunication infrastructure with increased bandwidth and data services to support additional live data streams to the FTB.
• Develop plan for FY 2020 FTB technology refresh.
• Identify and install upgrades and enhancements to support NextGen proof of concept demonstrations. NextGen Operational Assessment – Performance:
• Enhance Safety Model to support NextGen Operational Assessments. • Publish an updated NextGen Business Case document.
• Evaluate the operational performance impacts of NextGen technologies and procedures, and publish an annual report.
• Develop document collecting new NPS data information and NPS data sources for any new metrics based on information assessment.
• Maintain and update the NSIP to aid the planning and deployment of NextGen portfolio in the mid-term timeframe.
1A12, NEXTGEN – PERFORMANCE BASED NAVIGATION & METROPLEX PORTFOLIO
FY 2015 Request $25.5M• A, NextGen Performance Based Navigation (PBN) – Metroplex Area Navigation (RNAV)/Required