Graceful Degradation of TBO Automation

Implementation of Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) to date has been limited to a subset of the National Airspace System’s (NAS’s) operating environment. The result is that key TBO systems, such as TBFM, are not functional and are turned off at times when unable to support the current NAS operating conditions. To fulfill the promise of TBO, systems like TBFM need to be robust to the broad spectrum of NAS operating conditions. ATCorp’s TBO Operational Transition Automation (TOTA) provides automation to assist the human operator with the ability to safely and efficiently transition from one set of NAS operating conditions to another while maintaining a trajectory based operation. For example, if weather impacts the nominal planned trajectory of a set of flights arriving at a busy NAS airport and the aircraft are required to be vectored around the weather, the current TBFM system does not support this maneuvering of flights and TBFM is no longer used to provide time-base metering. TOTA, however, provides automation to allow the controller to reflect the vectoring maneuvers around the weather in the TBFM system, allowing TBFM to support time based metering for this operational weather scenario.

TOTA provides NASA with the approach to providing a more robust solution and to enable TBO to support a broader spectrum of NAS operating conditions. This can be key to successful transitioning of TBO technology to the FAA and for supporting the transition to NextGen.

TOTA would provide significant improvement to the overall performance and acceptance of TBO in real world applications, supporting TBO implementation with the FAA and other Air Naviagation Service providers (ANSPs) around the world.

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.

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