Comprehensive Real-time Analysis of Broadcasting Systems (CRABS) Software Use for Weather Information Communication (WINCOMM) Project

摘要

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) has developed software that can easily incorporate data from various sources and protocols into a versatile analysis and display tool. This engineering tool, the Comprehensive Analysis of Real-time Broadcasting Systems (CRABS) software, was developed for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). One of its functions has been to assist in the certification and performance evaluation of the Ground Broadcast Transceivers (GBTs) composing the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) network. The software incorporates a number of sophisticated metrics for analysis of collected data, either in real-time or in a "store and playback" mode. Additionally, the software has been used to monitor aircraft and engineering information at remote locations. NASA's WINCOMM Project has used the CRABS tool, shown in Figure 1, to provide a platform for data recording, display, and analysis of the Tropospheric Airborne Meteorological Data Reporting (TAMDAR) information in a bench test environment. Using a laptop computer the CRABS software was able connect to an ADS-B avionics suite and graphically display reported position data and TAMDAR information passed over the ADS-B data link, as well as display graphical Next Generation Weather RADAR (NEXRAD) data and selected text weather products. In the future the CRABS software will be used to provide an easily configured display for prototypes of additional weather products that may be transmitted on the ADS-B data link.