Tutorials

Airborne Self Separation in Air Transportation (full-day)

This full-day tutorial will present the main issues, challenges and results in airborne self separation for air transportation. The main aim is to introduce new researchers to this challenging and much promising research and development area. The material presented will provide both breadth and depth, starting with an overview of the main issues and progressively exposing the participants to the state of the art in this area. The tentative outline, topics, and the speakers who have agreed to present at the tutorial are:

• Jacco Hoekstra (TU Delft): Self separation in air traffic: Challenges and opportunities
• Henk Blom (NLR): The Mediterranean free flight program
• Frank Bussink (NLR) and David Wing (NASA): The NASA free flight air traffic management research
• Petr Casek (Honeywell): The iFly autonomous aircraft concept
• John Lygeros (ETH Zurich): An overview of conflict resolution issues in autonomous aircraft operations
• Frank Bussink (NLR) and David Wing (NASA): Conflict resolution in the NASA free flight operational concept
• Kostas Kyriakopoulos (NTUA): Short term conflict resolution: A navigation function approach
• John Lygeros (ETH Zurich): Mid term conflict resolution: A model predictive control approach
• Henk Blom (NLR): Safety assessment of airborne self separation concepts
• Maria Prandini (Politecnico di Milano): Airspace complexity metrics

The first presentation will provide a broad overview of the issues, benefits, and research challenges that arise when one considers aircraft self-separation as an air transportation paradigm. The following three presentations will survey three of the most prominent operational concepts building on self-separation that have been the topic of intense interest in recent years. The subsequent four presentations will concentrate on conflict resolution, a central theme for self-separating aircraft. This group of four presentations will start with an overview introducing the main issues. The remaining three talks will the go in depth, present more details on three different solutions that have been considered for conflict resolution, and highlight the connections between them. The last two presentations will introduce issues, tools, and results related to self-separation concept assessment; specifically the issues of safety and airspace complexity will be considered.

Organizer: John Lygeros, Automatic Control Laboratory, ETH Zurich

• John Lygeros completed a B.Eng. degree in electrical engineering in 1990 and an M.Sc. degree in Systems Control in 1991, both at Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London, U.K.. In 1996 he obtained a Ph.D. degree from the Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Department, University of California, Berkeley. In the period 1996-2000 he held a series of research appointments at the National Automated Highway Systems Consortium, M.I.T., and U.C. Berkeley. In parallel, he also worked as a part-time research engineer at SRI International, Menlo Park, California, and as a Visiting Professor at the Department Mathematics of the Universite de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France. Between July 2000 and March 2003 he was a University Lecturer at the Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, U.K., and a Fellow of Churchill College. Between March 2003 and July 2006 he was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Patras, Greece. In July 2006 he joined ETH Zurich, Switzerland as a Professor of Computation and Control, where he is also serving as the Head of the Automatic Control Laboratory. His research interests include modeling, analysis, and control of hierarchical hybrid systems, with applications to biochemical networks, large-scale systems such as automated highways and air traffic management and control over wireless networks.

Validation of ATM Operational Concepts (half-day)

A half day tutorial relating to the validation of Air Traffic Management operational concepts target to decision makers, R&D practitioners, system and technology providers. Over the last 15 years the notion within ATM Research and Development has progressed, resulting in the publication of the first European Operational Concept Validation Methodology in 2005. Since then the need for a consistent, coordinated and transparent approach to fitness for has been promoted. The E-OCVM is now mandatory for use in centrally funded European ATM R&D and is the methodology for use in the SESAR program. This tutorial focuses on what is meant in this context; the need for validation; the history of validation in ATM; and an introduction on how an ATM operational concept. Outline:

• WHAT IS VALIDATION?
  There are many different definitions of the term validation depending on the context, industry, and peoples perceptions and experiences. Even within ATM R&D the definition varies according to technical area or concept maturity. It is therefore important to state clearly what is meant by validation in the context of operational concept validation. The ideas of fitness for purpose, stakeholder requirements, and place in overall ATM R&D are introduced.
• THE NEED FOR VALIDATION IN ATM
  Through the use of examples, illustrations and interactive discussion, the need for validation in ATM is presented. Existing frameworks and models will be critiqued (e.g. the V model). Case studies of "R&D gone wrong" will be discussed with the aim of highlighting how a validation process may have helped. The benefits of a coordinated validation process will also be discussed.
• HISTORY OF VALIDATION IN ATM
  Following from the case studies presented above, the history of validation in ATM will be discussed. From informal validation in the 1960's, 1970's and 1980's, the convergence of opinion in the mid 1990's led to the beginning of validation as a domain and early validation methodologies such as CAVA and MAEVA. Then, with the coordination of ATM research as a whole, the E-OCVM was developed and programs began to be structured around a validation framework. Coordination between Europe and the US also began in earnest in this subject matter.
• HOW TO VALIDATE AN ATM OPERATIONAL CONCEPT
  The practical aspects of validation are introduced based around the latest version of the E-OCVM (Version 3). Released in 2010 this version builds upon earlier versions and is the official validation methodology for the SESAR programme. Like previous versions it is based around the following parts:
  • Case Based Approach - the idea of providing the evidence appropriate for the many stakeholders involved and of supporting key deliverables such as Safety Case, Human Factors Case etc
  • Concept Maturity Model - the lifecycle from idea to implementation and beyond. Initially based on NASA Technical Readiness Levels this model is used in operational concept validation to identify appropriate objectives, techniques and deliverables.
  • Structured Planning Framework - The how to of the validation methodology. Previously a step-by-step guide, it is now considered more of a framework which can and should be adapted to the programme in which it is being applied.
• SUMMARY AND FINAL DISCUSSION
  The tutorial is wrapped up with key points, conclusions and final discussion. References for research and further information will be given.

Organizer: Conor Mullan, Think Research, Bournemouth, England

• Conor Mullan is a validation expert who is a founder member and director of Think Research and who has worked as an ATM Operational Concept Validation Analyst for over 10 years. He is co-author of both E-OCVM Version 1 and E-OCVM Version 2, having previously written the GATE TO GATE Validation Methodology on which the E-OCVM was based. He has also contributed to the FAA/EUROCONTROL Operational Concept Validation Strategy Document. In addition he has been lead analyst on many real-time, human-in-the-loop ATM experiments and is an expert on European Validation Methodologies. He was deputy Validation TCO for the GATE TO GATE project and has had various other validation roles for large, multi-simulation, multi-national European projects. He holds a s degree in Computer Science from the University of Edinburgh and a s degree in Operational Research from the University of Strathclyde. He is a highly competent data analyst, having worked on the planning, design, execution and analysis on many ATM Operational Concept simulations. Conor is also a member of GATCO, the Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers, UK. MasterBachelor

Challenges Regarding the Integration of Unmanned Aircraft into Civil Airspace (half-day)

Interest in unmanned aircraft is growing worldwide. These systems are transforming military operations and are beginning to find a number of other public interest and commercial applications. For Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operators, the operation of unmanned and manned aircraft in the same airspace, including civil airspace, is an important capability that will enable growth in the industry, expansion of applications, and greater utility for all operators. A number of technical, operational, and policy challenges exist which inhibit their routine integration. This tutorial will present an overview of UAS, their applications, and the challenges that exist to their routine integration into civil airspace. Community integration efforts and on-going research activities will be summarized. Additional opportunities for research will be highlighted. Outline:

• What is an UAS?
  • Components
  • Differents types
  • Lunch and Recovery
• Operational Uses
  • Military
  • Civil
  • Commercial
• How are UAS different
• Degrees of Autonomy
• Integration Challenges
  • Mitigation for lack of on-board situational awareness (including see and avoid)
  • Coping mechanisms for the vulnerability of command and control link
  • Human Factors and Flight Crew Challenges
  • The unique challenges of Small UAS and Model Aircraft
• Community Activities
  • US Department of Defense
  • FAA
  • RTCA / EuroCAE 73
  • Eurocontrol
  • Academic Reserach
• Additional Research Opportunities

Presentation will make heavy use of unclassified video footage of UAS and model aircraft. There will be two breaks.

Organizer: Andrew Lacher, MITRE Center for Advanced Aviaiton Systems Development (CAASD)

• Andrew Lacher has over twenty years of system engineering, management, and strategic planning experience in a variety of domains. Currently, Mr. Lacher is responsible for strategic integration of all MITRE activities associated with the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into civil airspace. MITRE's UAS activities include safety risk assessment, collision avoidance technology development, spectrum requirements analysis, development of airspace integration concepts of operations, and the analysis of near term policies and procedures. Mr. Lacher was a member of the FAA's Small UAS Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). Mr. Lacher is responsible for strategic research planning in the Center for Advanced Aviaiton Systems Development, helping to shape MITRE's internally-directed research and development efforts in the areas of aviation safety; unmanned aircraft; software assurance, flight-deck technologies; and communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS). Mr. Lacher serves on the FAA's RE&D Advisory Committee's Subcommittee for Aviation Safety. He is also a member of the University of North Dakota's UAS Center of Excellence Research Advisory Committee.