Transforming Flight Information Exchange via Flight Object and FIXM

摘要

With the advent of the digital age, in which automation and data are transforming business operations, the international air traffic management (ATM) community has developed the concept of a complete flight data object, i.e., a virtual data object containing an accumulation of all acknowledged information about a flight. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), EUROCONTROL, and industry partners such as Harris Corporation, Mosaic ATM, Volpe, and Lockheed Martin, have participated in efforts to harmonize and standardize the flight information data model known as the Flight Information Exchange Model (FIXM). Particularly, the FAA has supported developments of FIXM-based Flight Object (FO) exchange through investments in research and development in NextGen test beds. The objective behind these research and development (R&D) efforts is to demonstrate an implementation of a shared FIXM FO, which can reduce complexity and improve how flight information is currently shared among Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). This objective aligns with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)-defined Aviation System Block Upgrade (ASBU), B2-25 Globally Interoperable Systems and Data, which refers to the use of FO and System Wide Information Management (SWIM) for Flight & Flow Information for Collaborative Environment (FF-ICE) initiatives (Module Library of the Aviation System Block Upgrades, 2014). The concept of a flight object is centered on a data-centric model of communication, in which information can be stored and managed in a centralized database accessible by Internet Protocol (IP)-based networks. Data-centric means the information can be accessed from a centralized location and shared globally. SWIM provides the net-centric information technology (IT) infrastructure that enables the sharing of FO data where producers and consumers of flight information can exchange the data via an IP-based service oriented architecture (SOA) network. For example, the SWIM National Airspace System (NAS) Enterprise Messaging Service (NEMS) is a key enabling technology that can be used to exchange FO data with security and governance through tailored enterprise controls, service monitoring, and smart routing. The use of NEMS helps to reduce initial costs of connectivity and development, and improves interoperability of systems. One example where this is being demonstrated is in the FAA NextGen Mini Global demonstration, currently being conducted in the Florida NextGen Test Bed (FTB). The results of these demonstrations will identify the benefits of SWIM, FIXM, and FO, and help transform the way the FAA and international ATM community shares flight information in the digital age.