Machine Learning of Multi-Modal Influences on Airport Delays

Completed TRL 3 (started at 2, targeting 3)

Description

This SBIR system is a machine learning system that uses a very large database of airside and landside data to predict pushback and takeoff times of aircraft at a given airport. Airside data sources describe the state of the system after TSA security screening is complete, and includes information about the crew and passengers arriving at the departure gate, turnaround and pushback preparation, ramp and taxiway movement, and aircraft arrival to and departure from the gates. Landside data sources describe the state of the airport prior to TSA screening, including TSA queue line delays, passenger movement through the airport via cameras, parking availability, road transit delays, congestion, and accidents, and weather conditions. These data are used to classify the current day data using cluster analysis, and take off time and pushback time predictions are made based on the cluster analysis results.

Benefits

This work is fundamental to Air Traffic Management (ATM), and will naturally fit into ATM research being performed at NASA Ames and NASA Langley. It will likely be used in ATM research efforts, Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO) research, and in the SMART NAS system under development at NASA.

Based on a partnership with Metron Aviation, plans are to include this SBIR software into products and services that Metron Aviation sells in the National Airspace System (NAS) as well as throughout the world.

Details

Technology area	Propulsion Systems > Aero Propulsion > Integrated Systems and Ancillary Technologies
Program	Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer (SBIR/STTR)
Lead organization	The Innovation Laboratory, Inc., Portland, OR
Start date	2018-05-18
End date	2020-07-17

Project contacts

Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.

Katharine K Lee — katharine.lee@nasa.gov
Katharine Lee — Katharine.Lee@nasa.gov
Ryszard L Pisarski — ryszard.l.pisarski@nasa.gov
Jimmy Krozel

How to get involved

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.