Moving Research to Reality
Advances in NASPAC
Innovations in NAS-wide Simulation Workshop
George Mason University
January 27th - 28th 2010
Lakshmi Vempati
CSSI, Inc. Headquarters
400 Virginia Avenue, SW • Suite 210 • Washington, DC 20024
202.863.2175 • 202.863.7400 fax • 888.275.0862 toll-free
www.cssiinc.com
1
Outline
•
•
•
Introduction
NASPAC Current Architecture
Recent Enhancements
○ Oceanic Operations
○ Terminal Area Modeling
•
Closing comments
2
Introduction
•
National Airspace System Performance Analysis Capability
(NASPAC)
○ System-wide model developed in the 1980’s
○ Discrete event simulation representing the NAS as a network of
interconnected queues
○ Used for cost-benefit analysis
•
Technical and software support provided by CSSI and Metron for
the FAA (Joe Post)
3
NASPAC Current Architecture
ATO-P Input Schedule
ATO-P Schedule
City Pair files
Equipage file
Trimming and
Smoothing
SCHEDULE
FILTER
Q-ROUTE 1
ETMS to BADA Mapping
Dictionary
Combined Fleet Forecast
ATO-P Input Schedule
Between Aircraft Category
Evolution Configuraton File
Flight Plan
Turn Around Times
Flight
Plan
ITINERARY
GENERATOR
Itinerary
Fleet Evolution
flag enabled?
FLEET
EVOLUTION
Yes
Itinerary
No
Itinerary
Itinerary
Input Schedules
Sector Definitions
Sector Names
ETMA-BADA
Aircraft
Modeler flag
enabled?
GATE FINDER
Yes
Itinerary
ETMS-BADA
AIRCRAFT
MAPPER
No
TRAJECTORY
MODELER
VFR
Aircraft
Sector Geometry Definition
Restrictions Definition
FIND
CROSSINGS
Equipment Categories
Climb & Descent
Profile Map
AM Departure Fix
AM Arrival Fix
AM Airports
AM VFR Airports
IFR Trajectories
IFR Trajectories
Sector Initial capacity File
City Pairs file
IFR Trajectoires
And
Find Corssings
IFR
Crossings
Q ROUTES 2
FORMATTER
IFR Crossings
Airport Attributes
VFR Aircraft
Expanded Quota Overflow
Delays to Airport
Estimated Departure
Clearance Time
Swap CNX
Aircraft
Airport Weather
Airport Special Conditions
Airport Pareto Curves
Airport Initialization
Airport Conditions
Sector Capacity
Sector Time Capacity
GDP Airport Configuration
Airport Initialization
Airport Pareto Curves
Airport
CHANGE FILE
GENERATOR
Change
Parameter
GDP
GENERATOR
Yes
Aircraft
(file will be
modified)
No
Aircraft
Legend:
Pre-Processor
Simulation Core
GDP Module
enabled?
Change Parameter
Airport Initialization
Aircraft File
SIMULATION
ENGINE
Trace files
Post-Processor
Filenames
Arrival Fix Capacity
Departure Fix Capacity
In-Trail Restriction
Sector Capacity
Simulation Airport Pareto Curves
Airport Initialization
Turnaround Time
En Route Time
Aircraft
Change Parameter
Periodic
POST
PROCESSOR
4
Oceanic Operations
•
•
Model separation of aircraft in US oceanic airspace through the use of
restrictions
Oceanic regions modeled (with updated find crossings module)
○ Oakland oceanic (ZOA),
○ New York oceanic (ZNY) and
○ Anchorage oceanic (ZAN) sectors 10 and 11.
•
Challenges
○ No geometry information in the simulation engine
○ Limitation of existing find crossings module to NW quadrant of the globe only
•
Pre processing and data requirements
○ Process and merge ATOP FPL with FZ where necessary and cleanse data
○ Compile international waypoint data into NASPAC readable format
○ Sector definitions for New York, Oakland and Anchorage
○ Oceanic separation standards lookup based on
■ Equipage
■ Oceanic Region
5
Gate Finder
•
Gate Finder to generate restrictions
○
Un-capacitated US oceanic sectors for Oakland (ZOA), New York (ZNY), and Anchorage
(ZAN) fully functional with newer sector crossings module
○ Restriction generated at any "filed waypoint + filed cruise altitude" in the schedule used by 2 or
more flights
Filed waypoint + filed cruise altitude
used by 2 or more flights
Restriction
Input schedule
Yes
Gate Finder
Sector definitions
Sector names
All headings (0-359)
All airport pairs
For entire day
10 min in trail
separation
± 500 ft altitude
bounds above or below
the target filed cruise
altitude
6
Oceanic Operations: Example restrictions
•
Restrictions created for one NASPAC schedule:
○
○
Vertically-oriented lines represent restrictions created on oceanic network waypoints
Horizontally-oriented lines represent restrictions on all other waypoints
7
Terminal Area Modeling
•
•
Incorporate SID/STAR/IAP routes into flight schedules and integrate into
trajectory modeler to support modeling altitude restrictions (level-offs)
Challenges
○
○
○
○
○
○
○
SID/STAR/IAP definitions are updated every 56 days.
Not all procedure definitions are included in the National Flight Database. Example SIDs with
non-structured routing
SID/STAR/IAP charts contain extensive information in free text as well as graphically. Not all
information is captured in the database.
Special cases:
■ Altitude restrictions based on direction of arrival e.g. KORD Janesville 5 Arrival
■ Procedures applicable to: Aircraft type (e.g. Turboprop, Turbojet), Equipage (e.g. DME,
GPS), Speed restrictions (e.g. 250K, 280K), Time of day, Runway use (e.g. R12L fly at
10000)
■ Expect to cross at lowest available altitude (e.g. KEWR Williamsport 5Arrival)
■ Combination of multiple aircraft type, multiple runway altitude restrictions (e.g. KBOS
Gardner 3 Arrival)
Existing schedule filed waypoint inconsistencies
Field 10 parsing issues
Issues with merging existing routes with SID/STAR/IAP
8
SID/STAR Implementation
•
Pre-processing and data requirements
○ Field 10 (Route of flight information)
○ SID/STAR/IAP definitions
○ Supplemental information from aeronautical charts
○ Parse field10, lookup SID/STAR when specified and merge into waypoints list
•
Assignment and Merging Algorithm
Has SID/STAR
Input schedule
No
Field 10 Parser
Modified schedule
Assigning/Merging
Algorithm
Yes
Lookup
Sid/Star/IAP Database
Assign
Merge
9
SID/STAR Assignment Examples
ATL Departures
IAD Arrivals
10
Closing comments
•
•
•
Initial oceanic restrictions and in trail separations (distance and
time-based) implemented
Initial SID/STAR routing, assignment and merging
Ongoing efforts:
○ Oceanic in-trail climb/descent
○ IAP assignment
○ Full integration into NASPAC
11
Questions?
12
Moving Research to Reality
Backup Slides
CSSI, Inc. Headquarters
400 Virginia Avenue, SW • Suite 210 • Washington, DC 20024
202.863.2175 • 202.863.7400 fax • 888.275.0862 toll-free
www.cssiinc.com
13
Oceanic Separation Standards
Area/Track System
CEP/PACOTS NOPAC
WATRS
NAT MNPS
Minimum Track Spacing
50 NM
50 NM
50 NM
53 – 60 NM
Lateral Separation
50 NM
50 NM
N/A
RNP10/RNP4, 50 NM
HF Voice
30 NM
50 NM
50 NM
N/A
RNP 4,
HF Voice,
ADS-C,
CPDLC
N/A
N/A
60 NM
60 NM
NAT MNPS
authorized
100 NM
100 NM
90 NM
90 NM
Others
Longitudinal Separation
50 NM
50 NM
10 minutes, 10 minutes,
RNP10,
mach
mach assigned
HF Voice,
assigned
ADS-C,
CPDLC
30 NM
50 NM
10 minutes, 10 minutes,
RNP 4,
mach
mach assigned
HF Voice,
assigned
ADS-C,
CPDLC
10 minutes
10 minutes test 15 minutes
15 minutes
Others
Vertical Separation
1000 feet
Up to FL 280
1000
feet
between
RVSM authorized aircraft
FL 290 - 410
2000 feet if both passing aircraft not RVSM authorized
FL 420 and
2000 feet
Above
Equipage
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