The FAA's Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) provides a more convenient and dependable air transportation system. As part of NextGen the FAA is planning to use VDL Mode 2 radios to support data communications under the aegis of the DataComm program to provide ATC services. The DataComm program will require fundamental changes in NAS operations. As a VDL-2 equipped aircraft traverses its flight path across airport, terminal and en route domains, it will connect to appropriate VHF Ground Stations (VGSs) based on factors such as availability and signal coverage. In areas of high traffic density, supporting capacity and latency requirements for the DataComm service will require use of multiple radios on different frequencies at the VGS locations in the NAS. In this paper, we will explore the operational requirements imposed by use of DataComm at the communication layer, and the relationship between air traffic events such as Weather & Traffic Reroutes including the National Playbook and Severe Weather Avoidance Plan (SWAP) and the management of the underlying communications infrastructure. In particular, we will demonstrate the need for predictive management of the Air-Ground communications infrastructure in reaction to air traffic events and weather reroutes.
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