European directory service

The European Directory Service (EDS) helps implement the Aeronautical Telecommunication Network (ATN) directory services in Europe.

Developed by EUROCONTROL, it provides future, directory-based means of collecting and distributing information in Europe and exchanging information with other regions, states and organisations. In addition, it offers support to ATN and non-ATN applications and services, focusing primarily on the Air Traffic Services (ATS) Message Handling System (AMHS).

The European Directory Service provides:

• centralised, coordinated management of information;
• support of information versioning;
• periodic, fully automated distribution of information;
• deployment of standard protocols and applications.

Implemented by EUROCONTROL, the Central European DSA is the heart of the EDS. It is a coordination hub, tasked with managing all communication between cooperating DSAs who participate in the concept. The Central European DSA makes the information exchange between DSAs coherent and more efficient.

Adjacent DSAs, agents who do not participate in the EDS directly, can also benefit from having the Central European DSA as their single point of contact and coordination.

The Central European DSA is tasked with:

• collecting and managing data from participating States and Organisations implementing Cooperating DSAs;
• collecting data from non-participating Regions, States and Organisations implementing Adjacent DSAs;
• applying workflow mechanisms to implement procedures defined for ATS Messaging Management;
• ensuring the consistency of data collected from various sources;
• providing overall validated and consolidated data to participating States and Organisations implementing Cooperating DSAs;
• providing validated and consolidated data to participating States and Organisations as well as to non-participating Regions, States and Organisations implementing Adjacent DSAs.

The EDS is a common European facility capable of supporting, coordinating with and integrating States and Organisations outside Europe.

Having awareness of essential documentation and suitably trained staff as well as using compliant, validated systems are key components for successful participation in the EDS. To this end, our Aviation Learning Center in Luxembourg has prepared EDS-specific courses.

Our service focuses on the air traffic services message handling system (AMHS). ICAO introduced the system in the early 2000s as a replacement to the AFTM/CIDIN. The AMHS uses IP or ATN as a transport network and can carry bit-oriented data required by modern ground-ground aeronautical data applications. At EUROCONTROL, we playing an essential role for implementation of AMHS in the EUR/NAT Regions.