Network Manager business-to-business web services

The NM B2B web services is an interface provided by the EUROCONTROL Network Manager (NM) for system-to-system access to its services and data, allowing users to retrieve and use the information in their own systems. Our services are at the core of the NM Interoperability Strategy and follow the Single European Sky Aviation Research (SESAR) and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) System-wide information management (SWIM) principles, being instrumental to achieve real-time information exchange at global level and to implement Collaborative Global air traffic flow and capacity management (ATFCM).

The benefits of such an open ATM digital collaborative environment include data quality and accuracy, timeliness of information, simplification of processes, cost reduction and safety.

The services are made available mainly to air navigation service providers (ANSPs), aircraft operators (AOs), airports, ground handling agents, computerised flight plan Service providers (CFSPs) and airspace management cells (AMC).

The NM B2B Web services’ main deliverables are to:

• support the implementation of the SESAR Deployment Programme and the PCP IR;
• enable real-time situational awareness and support CDM processes;
• increase operational efficiency of the ATM stakeholders;
• support the stakeholders’ transitions to SWIM;
• unlock ATM data and accelerate ATM modernisation.

The available NM B2B web services supports operations in several domains, including: 

Flight services

• Flight Plan Preparation: includes route generation and Flight Plan Validation; it provides services for preparation of a flight plan, before filing it to NM
• Flight Plan Management: provides multiple functions to support initial Flight Plan Filing, Flight Plan Updates, Cancellations and associated operations
• Flight Data Retrieval: provides services to query and retrieve information on flights plans and flights data (lists and details)
• Departure Planning Information (DPI): provides services for CDM Airports and Advanced Tower systems to send DPI information to NM
• Arrival Planning Information (API): provides services for the submission of target times (and other arrival information) in support of the arrival management processes
• Flight Update information: provides services allowing the submission of airborne flight information to NM (e.g., First System Activation message type)

Airspace services

• Airspace Structure: provides access to the most up-to date and consistent view of NM operational airspace data using AIXM 5.1 with the ADR extension
• AIP sourced data (Points, Routes, Aerodromes and Airspaces) including changes resulting from NOTAM implementation and AUP/UUP implementation. The airspace data made available via this service is not the officially published AIP data, but the NM view of that data, that was adapted to cope with the constraints of the NM flight and flow systems
• ATFCM related airspace data, such as restrictions, including RAD and profile tuning restrictions
• Airspace availability: provides access to
• e-AMI (electronic Airspace Management Information), for access to the consolidated European AUP/UUP (Airspace Use Plan/Updated Use Plan) in AIXM 5.1 with the ADR extension
• FUA Service for the management of the AUP/UUP inAIXM 5.1 with the ADR extension

Flow services

• Regulation List: provides access to all the regulation information used in the NM flow management systems;
• ATFCM situation: provides information on the Network Situation (traffic, delays, delay causes and regulations) at a given time;
• Traffic Counts: provides services to query and retrieve Traffic Counts by Aerodrome, Aircraft Operator, and Airspace;
• ATFCM Tactical Updates: provides services to manage ATFCM daily plan elements such as, Capacity Plan, Occupancy Traffic Monitoring Values (OTMV) Plan, Runway Configuration Plan, Sector Configuration Plan, Traffic Volume Activation Plan;
• Measures Management: provides services to manage regulation proposals, reroutings and regulations, both normal and cherry-pick regulations
• Scenario Management: provides services to access ATFCM scenarios
• Simulations: provides access to simulation capabilities allowing to perform network impact assessment of ATFCM measures

General information services

• ATFM Information Messages (AIM): for accessing the general Network Operations information as published in the AIMs;
• NM B2B Info: access to B2B documents, WSDL, XSD, Release Notes, examples.

Publish and subscribe services

The Publish/subscribe services allow to subscribe to a topic and to receive asynchronous messages published on that topic. The current subscription topics are the following: ATFCM Regulations; ATM Information Messages (AIM); AIXM Datasets; EAUP/EUUP; Flight Plans; Flight Data. Various parameters are possible to fine-tune the subscriptions, depending on the topic. The following options are available:

• Subscription management: services available in query/reply to allow the creation and management of subscriptions;
• Message consumption: services allowing the client to consume the messages via a message broker over AMQP 1.0, either in Pull or Push mode.

For interoperability reasons, the NM B2B Web Services are based on open standards and main stream web technologies that do not require the installation of any NM software at the consumer side.

The NM B2B Web Services support two communication paradigms:

• Request/Reply – SOAP Web Services and POX (Plain Old XML); WSDL 1.1 and SOAP 1.1.
• Publish/Subscribe – Push and Pull mode; AMQP 1.0.

The payload is always XML. Standard exchange formats are used when available. This is the case for the Airspace Services, which use AIXM 5.1, and for the some Flight Services, which use FIXM 4.1. All services make use of HTTPs.

The NM B2B Web Services Reference Manuals provide the detailed information of the services, their interfaces and exchange models. With this information the customer can then develop the software that uses, in a standard way, these services and integrate them within their systems.

The NM B2B Web Services are accessible via Internet and via PENS. Confidentiality and security are guaranteed by a strong authentication mechanism (using digital certificates – PKI), by the use of secure Internet protocols and by the NM security related processes and technical infrastructure.

Access via PENS ensures an additional level of security and availability.

An organisation profile concept is used to define and manage which NM B2B Web Services can be accessed by each type of organisation. CFSP and Ground Handling Agents are required to demonstrate their direct implication in ATFM operations to have access to the NM B2B Web Services.

Access to the Flight Plan Filing B2B Web Service requires a high level of quality in the flight plans submitted (automatic pass rate above 95%).

Access to the NM B2B Web Services is subject to eligibility conditions, conditions of use and the signing of an agreement. Requests to access the NM B2B Web Services must be submitted via an NM Service Request Form.

NM B2B Web Services are accessible via a set of packages defined by the operational stakeholder profile: AO, ANSP, Airports, Ground Handling Agents and Airspace Management Cells.

NM B2B web services interfaces are accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Service Levels vary depending on the interface concerned.

Service levels do not include:

• communication networks used to access the product;
• interruptions due to installation or use of product which does not conform to NM specifications;
• periods of planned outage and essential maintenance.

EUROCONTROL tries to keep interruptions to the service to a minimum. When planned maintenance and testing might necessitate the service to be interrupted, EUROCONTROL notifies the user at least 48 hours in advance of the planned interruptions. In all other cases, it provides such notice as is reasonably practicable.

For Operational Systems, technical assistance is provided 24hours a day, 7 days a week for first level support, and from 07h00 to 22h00 (Brussels time) for 2nd level support.

For Pre-Operational (Pre-OPS) Systems, support is provided from 09h00 – 17h00 (Brussels time) with no guarantee on the response time.

For the NM B2B Web Services, the Network Manager provides a pair of certificates, one for the pre-operational environment (for validation purpose) and one for the operational environment (activated after certification). Each certificate is valid for three (3) years. The user is responsible for requesting replacement certificates no later than 2 months before they expire through our NM Service Request form.

A charging scheme is in place for accessing NM B2B Web Services. The first two certificates are provided free of charge, subsequent ones (if any) will be charged a small administration fee.

EUROCONTROL reserves the right to charge a contribution fee when renewing the certificates with new technologies as well as to cancel the certificates which have not been used for six (6) months. Should a user require a new certificate after a cancellation, the user will have to submit a new request through the NM Service Request Form. Any new certificate so requested and granted will be charged.

Invoices are payable within 30 days from the date of their receipt by the user. Access will be granted after full payment of the invoice.

The access to NM B2B is limited to three (3) years to cater for technological, operational or contractual evolution.

It should also be noted that EUROCONTROL reserves the right to cancel the user accounts which have not been used for six (6) months, for efficiency and security reasons. Should you require a new user account after this cancellation, you will have to submit a new request (link to form). Any new access so requested and granted will be charged.