|
|
|
|
First Steps in the Use of an Arrival Management Tool at Rome |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Work on Arrival Management (AMAN) is part of the European Reference ATM Validation Platform project (EVP).
The aim of the EVP (which is funded by the European Commission and EUROCONTROL) is to validate Air/Ground concepts through simulation and shadow-mode trials based on ADS-B, ASAS and Sequencing Tools. The focus of the activity is towards validation trials using live data (both at the EEC and at National Service Providers sites’). The results will be used to develop EUROCONTROL recommendations for future system and procedure enhancements by member states.
The AMAN Rome Real-Time simulation was part of a series of studies looking at the introduction of arrival management (classical sequence and time advisories) and delay sharing (extending the horizon of control actions to meet pre-determined time constraints) functionality into the ATM environment. It consisted of a number of key events:
- the development of an operational concept,
- the testing and verification of the platform at the EEC and at the ENAV Experimental Centre,
- getting feedback from controller evaluation on-site,
- the performance of a real-time simulation at the ENAV Experimental Centre, and
- the reporting of results.
|
|
|
AMAN is a Decision Support Tool (DST) and provides the controller with information on a calculated sequence to the runway.
It calculates times for aircraft to arrive at designated fixes and in particular at the Initial Approach Fix (IAF). In the process of calculating sequences, AMAN also calculates what time to lose (TTL) may be required and this information can be displayed in one or more concerned sectors.
|
|
|
| |  |
| | Sequence Manager Display - Click to enlarge |
|
The EUROCONTROL standard controller working position interface was enhanced to display this information, replacing the traditional timeline.
This included providing a new Sequence Management position with a large working horizon extending across several sectors.
The Sequence Manager could see the Time-To-Lose information on inbound flights and had in addition a number of lists. These were sequence lists on the three IAFs (TAQ, CMP, CIA) and a Runway Landing List which enabled him to act on the proposed sequence.
|
|
|
|
| |  |
| | Rome Simulated Area - click to enlarge |
|
A simulation plan was developed to evaluate and to evolve the working methods and system use following feedback and proposals from the Rome controllers and to evaluate the effect of introducing AMAN into the Rome ACC environment.
|
|
|
|
For the purposes of evaluating these elements the following approach was taken:
- The airspace represented as closely as possible (given the limitations of the simulation platform) the current situation,
- working methods were developed that represented an initial view on how the controllers should work with the AMAN advice, and
- the AMAN tool was configured according to best estimates of what was appropriate and a limited amount of functionality developed for investigation.
|
|
|
The principal aim of the simulation was to evaluate the proposed working methods and by discussions and feedback develop more efficient procedures and use of the system. A formal validation plan ensured that all of the relevant feedback was captured and could be used in refining the concept.
In this respect, while the controller performance was of interest as a guide on the suitability of the concept, we were more concerned with obtaining their views on which features worked well, what needed to be done to eliminate problems and how the various elements could be adapted to provide workable procedures. The simulation took place over three weeks in October, 2004, with eleven controllers from Rome ACC. Three of these controllers were available to alternately man the Sequence Manager position while the others rotated around the simulated sectors.
The simulation objectives were as follows:
- To evaluate and develop the proposed roles and working methods with AMAN of 1) the Planner and Tactical Controllers managing en-route sectors, 2) the Planner and Tactical Controllers managing approach sectors, and 3) the Sequence Manager;
- To evaluate and develop the display requirements for presenting AMAN advisories on the EATM interface; and
- To evaluate the overall effect of the introduction of AMAN with these working methods and display on traffic management.
|
|
|
The simulation was a first look at the introduction of an AMAN into the EUROCONTROL standard controller working position using as target the Rome airspace.
It achieved the first integration of an AMAN tool into the ESCAPE platform and identified the impact of updates in the trajectory prediction on AMAN. It also showed the effect of certain choices of the configuration of the tool on the stability of the advice etc.
It provided a first evaluation of the proposed interface in a simulation and a usability study produced issues to be addressed including the range and contents of the Sequence Manager display and the need or otherwise for certain controllers to have sequence information.
For ENAV it provided useful first feedback on how an AMAN tool could improve arrival management, the possible benefit from defined common practices for all controllers and was a first look into new working methods, in particular for a proposed Sequence Manager position.
The simulation was conducted with the current airspace and confirmed the need for a redesign of the airspace to maximise the benefits from AMAN. In addition it identified areas where the AMAN configuration needs significant work to enable the tool to better support local operational procedures.
Controllers generally felt that it significantly increased the cooperation between en-route and approach and in general, provided a more ordered flow to the IAFs. The support offered by AMAN in identifying at an early stage a preferred sequence and the delay necessary to organise the traffic resulted in a more orderly flow of traffic to the IAFs.
Although there is much work to be done in defining the exact new roles and responsibilities the focus on the controllers working as a team to manage the arrivals and to be less ‘sector’ focused was greatly appreciated.
This initial research is leading into future work in Gate to Gate WP3 (ENAV) and WP4 (EEC) simulations which will evaluate new procedures, airspace, different IAFs, examine the HMI Timeline issue etc. and will generally build on the experience gained from this first simulation.
More details on the simulation can be found in EEC note 05/17 "Summary Report of the EVP AMAN Rome Real Time Simulation 2004".
|
| |
