Newsgroups: sci.aeronautics.airliners Path: news From: smith@cyclone.mitre.org (Ralph N. Smith) Subject: Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) X-Submission-Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 17:21:25 GMT References: Message-ID: Approved: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM Organization: Mitre Corporation, McLean, VA Sender: kls@ohare.Chicago.COM X-Submission-Message-Id: <1992Dec11.172125.27058@linus.mitre.org> Date: 11 Dec 92 17:42:31 PST In article hfunk@src.honeywell.com (Harry Funk) writes: > >In article dmarble@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Duane F Marble) writes: >>A small point with respect to the material quoted from the New >>Scientist: Global Positioning System (GPS) birds do not "observe" >>anything, they just permit a ground based unit to compute it's >>location. > >My guess is that he was referring to Automatic Dependent Surveillance (ADS) >systems based on SATCOM, which has even less to to with GPS/Glonass birds. > >The planes [would] communicate their positions by means of a satellite link >to a ground-based tracking/control system. United currently has a few >747-400's that are so equipped. The major benefit envisioned is for >oceanic routes, where the fixed spacing (slots) system currently used >results in suboptimal tracks for a number of users of the system. ADS is >the successor to the Oceanic Display and Planning System (ODAPS), which I >think is currently installed at the Oakland and NY Air Route Traffic >Control Centers (ARTCCs). A few clarifying remarks about ADS. Technically, what United is currently doing in the Pacific is position reporting, where the aircraft sends a given set of information to the ground at fixed intervals. ADS systems involve more ground interaction, with the ground-based systems specifying the types of information desired, and the circumstances under which that information is provided, either periodically or at the occurrence of certain events in a flight. Also, there needs to be a differentiation made between the service provided by the aircraft, in this case ADS, and the communications by which the information is being sent. With a proper communications infrastructure, ADS and other air-ground communications based applications, can run without being concerned which particular air-ground data link is carrying the data, whether it be satellite, VHF radio, or any of a variety of communications links. ADS can also be used to retrieve intent information from an aircraft, in addition to current status information. Work is currently under way to integrate ADS reporting into the ODAPS system, rather than replacing it, at least in the near term. Also, an ADS-based application is one of the products to be produced by the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) Project (ATNP). Several organizations in the aviation community are involved in the ATNP, including airlines (United is among them), avionics manufacturers, and the FAA. The potential benefits of ADS are substantial, including increased safety, and substantial savings in fuel and flight time. Ralph N. Smith ralph@mitre.org The MITRE Corporation (703)883-6084 McLean, Virginia All views and opinions are my own, so don't try to hold my employer responsible.