Rapid Protoyping Software for Developing Next-Generation Air Traffic Management Algorithms, Phase I

Research on next-generation air traffic control systems are being conducted at several laboratories. Most of this work is being carried out using custom software. In order to provide a more uniform research platform, NASA Ames Research Center has recently developed a software package called FACET for investigating future air traffic management concepts. While the FACET software incorporates all the features needed for conducting advanced air traffic control research, extending its capabilities require significant investment in programming. The proposed research will develop a scriptable software environment for accessing the capabilities of the FACET software. This interactive environment will enable users to readily build-in additional functionality and will allow integration with other commercial software packages. This will make the FACET capabilities accessible to a larger population of researchers, making it a powerful platform for rapid prototyping of air traffic management algorithms. Phase I research will develop an initial version of the software. The use of the software will then be illustrated by formulating several research problems. Integration of the software with commercial software packages will be demonstrated. Complete version of the proposed software will be developed during the Phase II work. Phase III will commercialize the software to the ATM community.

Potential NASA Commercial Applications: Software developed under the present SBIR project can be used for rapid prototyping of next-generation air traffic management and automation algorithms. This capability can quicken the pace of research in the air traffic management area. Modified versions of the software can be used for investigating command and control architectures for multiple UAVs, spacecraft formations and groups of under water vehicles.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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.