Flight Awareness Collaboration Tool (FACT)

Every 12 seconds, the Dynamic Weather Route (DWR) automation system computes and analyzes trajectories for en-route flights. DWR first identifies flights that could save 5 or more flying minutes (wind-corrected) by flying direct to a downstream return fix on their current flight plan. Eligible return fixes are limited so as not to take flights too far off their current route or interfere with arrival routings near the destination airport. Using the direct route as a reference route, DWR inserts up to two auxiliary waypoints as needed to find a minimum-delay reroute that avoids the weather and returns the flight to its planned route at the downstream fix. If a reroute is found that can save 5 minutes or more relative to the current flight plan, the flight is posted to a list displayed to the airline or FAA user. Auxiliary waypoints are defined using fix-radial-distance format, and a snap to nearby named fix option is available for todays voice-based communications. Users may also adjust the alert criteria, nominally set to 5 minutes, based on their workload and desired potential savings for their flights. A graphical user interface enables visualization of proposed routes on a traffic display and modification, if necessary, using point, click, and drag inputs. If needed, users can adjust the reroute parameters including the downstream return fix, any inserted auxiliary waypoints, and the maneuver start point. Reroute metrics, including flying time savings (or delay) relative to the current flight plan, proximity to current and forecast weather, downstream sector congestion, traffic conflicts, and conflicts with special use airspace are all updated dynamically as the user modifies a proposed route.

Actual air traffic data and weather information are utilized to evaluate an aircrafts flight-plan route and predict its trajectories for the climb, cruise, and descent phases. The dynamics for heading (the direction the aircraft nose is pointing) and airspeed are also modeled by the FACET software, while performance parameters, such as climb/descent rates and speeds and cruise speeds, can also be obtained from data tables. The resulting trajectories and traffic flow data are presented in a 3-D graphical user interface. The FACET software is modular and is written in the Java and C programming languages. Notable FACET applications include reroute conformance monitoring algorithms that have been implemented in one of the Federal Aviation Administrations nationally deployed, real-time operational systems.

NASA Ames has developed an Autonomous Situational Awareness Platform system for a UAS (ASAP-U), a traffic management system to incorporate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) into the National Airspace System. The Autonomous Situational Awareness Platform (ASAP) is a system that combines existing navigation technology (both aviation and maritime) with new procedures to safely integrate Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) with other airspace vehicles. It uses a module called ASAP-U, which includes a transmitter, receivers, and various links to other UAS systems. The module collects global positioning system GPS coordinates and time from a satellite antenna, and this data is fed to the UAS's flight management system for navigation. The ASAP-U module autonomously and continuously sends UAS information via a radio frequency (RF) antenna using Self-Organized Time Division Multiple Access (SOTDMA) to prevent signal overlap. It also receives ASAP data from other aircraft. In case of transmission overload, priority is given to closer aircraft. Additionally, the module can receive weather data, navigational aid data, terrain data, and updates to the UAS flight plan. The collected data is relayed to the flight management system, which includes various databases and a navigation computer to calculate necessary flight plan modifications based on regulations, right-of-way rules, terrain, and geofencing. Conflicts are checked against databases, and if none are found, the flight plan is implemented. If conflicts arise, modifications can be made. The ASAP-U module continuously receives and transmits data, including UAS data and data from other aircraft, to detect conflicts with other aircraft, terrain, weather, and geofencing. Based on this information, the flight management system determines the need for course adjustments and the flight control system executes them for a safe flight route.

The NASA software application developed under the TASAR project is called the Traffic Aware Planner (TAP). TAP automatically monitors for flight optimization opportunities in the form of lateral and/or vertical trajectory changes. Surveillance data of nearby aircraft, using ADS-B IN technology, are processed to evaluate and avoid possible conflicts resulting from requested changes in the trajectory. TAP also leverages real-time connectivity to external information sources, if available, of operational data relating to winds, weather, restricted airspace, etc., to produce the most acceptable and beneficial trajectory-change solutions available at the time. The software application is designed for installation on low-cost Electronic Flight Bags that provide read-only access to avionics data. The user interface is also compatible with the popular iPad. FAA certification and operational approval requirements are expected to be minimal for this non-safety-critical flight-efficiency application, reducing implementation cost and accelerating adoption by the airspace user community. Awarded "2016 NASA Software of the Year"

National Airspace System (NAS) Constraint Evaluation and Notification Tool (NASCENT) employs a NAS-wide simulation and analysis infrastructure that implements airspace constraint avoidance algorithms for efficient routing. NASCENT uses NASA-developed aircraft performance tables for computing climb, cruise, and descent trajectories. Reference routes are created that save more than a user-specified number (e.g., five) minutes of flying-time savings. The return capture fix for the reference route is the last fix on the current flight plan within a limit region (derived using this patented technology). A Maneuver Start Point is selected to allow time for coordination of the reroute with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These routes are checked against the weather polygons, FAA denoted Special Use Airspaces (e.g., Military Operations Areas) and Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs); and additional waypoints are added to avoid these airspace constraints. The wind-corrected flying-time savings are reported for each flight. The polygons are first converted into convex hulls and inflated by a user-specified number of nautical miles (e.g., 20, for weather) to account for the FAA requirements. Lateral and/or vertical advisories are created using a binary tree search along the left-side and right-side, up to the return capture fix, to find a minimum-deviation delay solution. The NASCENT system provides notification for congested sectors along the current flight plan and the proposed avoidance route, along with flights impacted by FAA imposed required Traffic Management Initiatives (TMIs, reroutes, Ground Delay Programs, etc.). The reroutes can be implemented with no changes required to the current FAA operational infrastructure.