Abstract

Aspects of a draft version of the Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) under development by ISO-compliant committees of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have been mathematically modelled using a formal description technique. The ATN SARPs are a specification for a global telecommunications network for air traffic control systems. A version of Harel’s statecharts formalism embedded within a machine readable typed predicate logic has been used as a formal description technique to construct this mathematical model. Our model has been `typechecked’ to partially validate the internal consistency of the specification. The work described in this paper has already uncovered some problems in the draft SARPs, and will provide a basis for follow-on efforts to apply formal analysis methods such as model-checking and symbolic execution to aspects of the ATN SARPs. The success of this approach suggests that typed predicate logic is useful as a syntactic and semantic foundation for specialized Formal Description Techniques (FDTs). Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

International audience; The French Air Traffic Control is based on an automated system referred to as CAUTRA (Coordinateur AUtomatisé du Trafic Aérien). The CAUTRA is implemented on a distributed fault-tolerant computing system installed on five enroute traffic control centers and one centralized operating center, that are connected through an aeronautical telecommunication network. The CAUTRA mission is to provide computerized means for the safe and efficient movement of aircrafts. The main services provided are flight plans processing, radar data processing and air traffic flow management. Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Air traffic in Europe is expected to double by 2025 according to the last forecast of EUROCONTROL, with an average growth of 2.7%-3.7% per year. On a worldwide basis, the number of passengers is expected to grow by 4.5% per year over the same timeframe. Future passenger and freight fleets will bring higher efficiency and improved environmental performance, and will allow people all around the world to benefit from the essential connections that only air transport can deliver. (European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation [EUROCONTROL], 2006) Till recently Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) communications predominantly across continental regions used narrowband Very High Frequency (VHF) voice systems along with digital data links like the VHF Digital Link (VDL) Mode 2 (ICAO, 2001) and Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) (ARINC, 2011). Such narrowband air-ground data link technologies have several limitations like the susceptibility to access collisions, lack of data prioritization mechanism at the sub-network level and also the vulnerability of jamming in narrowband communication channels. Hence, other High Frequency (HF) radio link technology like the ARINC GLOBALink (Homans, 2002) and also satellite based system like the INMARSAT SwiftBroadband systems have been used to provide voice and data communications between the aircraft and the ground control centres (EUROCONTROL, 2006). A detailed study on the various communications systems suitable for Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems was carried out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and EUROCONTROL with the support of NASA (NASA, 2005). It highlighted the advantages and disadvantages of the various communications systems and showed that it is important for the future ATN communication systems to provide fast, high-speed and high-data rate reliable communications not only between the aircraft and ground infrastructure but also between airplanes directly. Hence it is envisaged that in order to provide the most efficient form of reliable ATM communications, different heterogeneous networks need to be adopted. It is also envisaged that future aeronautical communication systems would be able to simultaneously operate the different radio communication technologies. The different technologies will provide various advantages and provide the flexibility to the system to provide very high reliability. Hence different data i.e. Air Traffic Service (ATS), Airline Operation Centre (AOC), Airline Administrative Document type: Part of book or chapter of book