Microscale Weather Based Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management Optimization System

In this NASA Phase I SBIR effort, Aeris proposes to develop and demonstrate an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) capability that can enable route planning and scheduling of Urban Air Mobility (UAM)/Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles in scenarios with dynamically changing weather and operational conditions. Our solution involves the integration of two enabling technologies: 1) highly resolved and accurate microscale weather information from a “building-resolving” atmospheric model that can provide near surface winds and turbulence at meter-scale resolutions. 2) graph analytics data analysis methodologies designed to fuse the microscale weather data, aircraft operational parameters, UTM characteristics and operational constraints. The proposed system uses a large eddy simulation (LES) model to translate standard environmental data into highly resolved micro-scale wind/turbulence information that can account for terrain, land-use characteristics, and buildings. LES microscale weather data will then be combined with aircraft performance parameters to calculate UAM/AAM aircraft specific parameters for all of the scheduled UAM/AAM vehicles over all of the possible routes and flight plans. Graph analytics will then be utilized on this dataset to estimate the best combination of routes and corresponding departure and flight schedules for both the in-flight and departing UAM/AAM aircraft. This graph analysis calculation will also incorporate flight duration and/or path length, aircraft separation safety requirements, and aircraft arrival delay relative to the planned arrival time. The UAM/AAM UTM flight scheduling and route guidance products produced by this system will act to condition the UTM airspace to ensure safe aircraft separation, merging and sequencing of aircraft along the flight routes, metered arrivals at destination aerodromes, and efficiency through the identification of the shortest flights routes through the UTM system.

A core mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is to support the development of technologies that enhance the safety and efficiency of aviation operations in the United States National Airspace System. The technologies proposed in this Phase I SBIR will demonstrate a core capability make Urban Air Mobility (UAM) / and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) flight schedule and route guidance products that will undoubtedly be required to ensure safe an efficient Unmanned Aircraft Systems Traffic Management (UTM) operations.

The notional UTM architecture concept currently envisioned by the FAA is public-private information system between the FAA and a federated set of participants. A key element within this UTM system will be precision UAM/AAM flight scheduling and route guidance information products. If successful, the technology proposed here will provide key data products to this UTM system.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — 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.