L.C. Monticone, R.E. Snow, and P.T.R. Wang (USA)
Air/Ground Communications, ATN, Air Traffic Control, CPDLC, Fast-Time Simulation
2. BACKGROUND The simulation model uses discrete event techniques to simulate the flow of aircraft in the NAS, and is used for capacity and delay analyses. Figure 1 shows a high-level diagram of the simulation model, with the new communications capability added during FY2005 highlighted with bold italics. A fast-time simulation model of air traffic in the National Airspace System (NAS), developed by the Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD) of the MITRE Corporation, has been used over the past several years for capacity and delay analyses. Prior to the effort documented in this paper, this model did not explicitly account for the communications events that transpire, and the related communications messages that would ensue, as the simulated aircraft are moving through the NAS. The model did account for overall controller workload,, which incorporates communications workload, in an abstract sense. In order to properly engineer current and future air/ground (A/G) communications systems, it is necessary to explicitly quantify the communications traffic that those systems support. This paper describes the capability added to the simulation model during fiscal year 2005 (FY2005) to identify communications message triggering events, and to generate the appropriate voice or data communications messages. This work was facilitated through the MITRE Sponsored Research (MSR) Program of the MITRE Technology Program. The inputs to the simulation model are data related to flights, such as aircraft characteristics, and the sectors, airports, and fixes that the aircraft encounter as they fly from origin to destination. The simulation model provides user options to customize flight details, sector and airport capacities, and other parameters affecting system performance. • Flight Itineraries • Sector Data • Airports • Aircraft Characteristics • Airline Data • Navigational Aids/Fixes • User Parameters/Options •‘Communications User Parameters/Options Simulation Engine • Delays • Taxi Out • Departure • Boundary Crossings • En Route Waypoint Visitation • Arrival • Taxi In • Pilot/Controller Voice/Data Communications Messages and Message Triggers Input Output • Flight Delays • Detailed Flight Tracking • Detailed Sector Tracking per Flight • Detailed Airport Tracking per Flight • Detailed Communications Message Traffic per Flight • Flight Itineraries • Sector Data • Airports • Aircraft Characteristics • Airline Data • Navigational Aids/Fixes • User Parameters/Options •‘Communications User Parameters/Options Simulation Engine • Delays • Taxi Out • Departure • Boundary Crossings • En Route Waypoint Visitation • Arrival • Taxi In • Pilot/Controller Voice/Data Communications Messages and Message Triggers Input Output • Flight Delays • Detailed Flight Tracking • Detailed Sector Tracking per Flight • Detailed Airport Tracking per Flight • Detailed Communications Message Traffic per Flight • Flight Itineraries • Sector Data • Airports • Aircraft Characteristics • Airline Data • Navigational Aids/Fixes • User Parameters/Options •‘Communications User Parameters/Options Simulation Engine • Delays • Taxi Out • Departure • Boundary Crossings • En Route Waypoint Visitation • Arrival • Taxi In • Pilot/Controller Voice/Data Communications Messages and Message Triggers Input Output • Flight Delays • Detailed Flight Tracking • Detailed Sector Tracking per Flight • Detailed Airport Tracking per Flight • Detailed Communications Message Traffic per Flight • Flight Itineraries • Sector Data • Airports • Aircraft Characteristics • Airline Data • Navigational Aids/Fixes • User Parameters/Options •‘Communications User Parameters/Options Simulation Engine • Delays • Taxi Out • Departure • Boundary Crossings • En Route Waypoint Visitation • Arrival • Taxi In • Pilot/Controller Voice/Data Communications Messages and Message Triggers Input Output • Flight Delays • Detailed Flight Tracking • Detailed Sector Tracking per Flight • Detailed Airport Tracking per Flight • Detailed Communications Message Traffic per Flight
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