Research Assignment: UAS Integration in the NAS

Gabriel P. Riccio

ASCI 638 Human Factors in Unmanned Systems

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Worldwide

25 January 2018 

 Research Assignment: UAS Integration in the NAS

Introduction

            Public law 108-176 titled “Vision 100 - Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act” published in December 2003 laid the foundation for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Next Generation Air Transportation System; referred to as NextGen (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University [ERAU], 2017).  In December 2004 the Department of Transportation (DOT) presented its NextGen integration system creation plan that cited the programs “goals, objectives, and requirements” (ERAU, 2017).  The purpose of NextGen is to combine newer and innovative technologies that work collectively to make flying not only more efficient, but safer (Federal Aviation Administration [FAA], 2017a).

NextGen Goals

According to the FAA website “What is NextGen”, the goals are to “increase the safety, efficiency, capacity, predictability, and resiliency of American aviation” (FAA, 2017b).  These goals will be accomplished through improvements to commercial airline passenger travel (better experience), operational fuel savings, direct flying routes which not only reduce travel time but lower environmental emissions, reduced aircraft congestion, better communication between controllers and airspace users, standardized weather information access, and improved on-board aircraft technologies (Houston, 2017).  Some of the technologies that will help the FAA achieve the goals of NextGen include the following:

·         Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) – When equipped, aircraft can broadcast their location, speed, altitude, and other pertinent information to air traffic control as well as other aircraft.

·         System-Wide Information Management (SWIM) – Improved FAA system to efficiently manage, standardize, secure and control data.

·         Data Communications (Data Comm) – Allows pilots and controllers to communicate via digital text; such as clearances and other instructions.

·         Common Support Service–Weather (CSS-Wx) – One source standardized weather information.

·         Other technologies include the sharing of aviation safety reports, reducing aircraft separation standards due to improved systems, ATC shift from clearance based to trajectory-based operations, and improved flight deck enchantments (Houston, 2017).

NextGen and UAS

            The FAA has targeted the integration of UAS into NextGen in by the year 2025 (Shah, 2013).  In an effort to address the challenges and issues with UAS integration, the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Joint Planning Development Office (JPDO) has created the UAS Research, Development, and Demonstration (RD&D) Roadmap as well as the UAS Comprehensive Plan (Shah, 2013).  The JPDO has identified communications, airspace operations, unmanned aircraft, and human systems integration as the challenge areas (Shah, 2013).  Within each of these identified integration challenge areas, there are a multitude of issues and sub-issues that must be overcome to realize effective UAS integration into the NAS; this is a complex problem that involves several stakeholders along with further research and testing (JPDO, 2012).  There are currently many significant questions yet to be answered such as what are the baseline performance requirements, what are the metrics to determine a baseline performance, what regulatory gaps currently exist, and what technology gaps currently exist (JPDO, 2012).

Human Factors

            UAS integration into the NextGen NAS cannot be accomplished without serious consideration to human factors.  The JPDO identified in its 2012 report several human systems integration issues; these include display of traffic airspace information, effective interaction between humans and automation, a pilot-centric ground control station, clear definition of human roles and responsibilities during UAS operations, predictability of operations, contingency operations, training and qualifications, and support for future operations (JPDO, 2012).  Experts in the field of human factors have also identified some potentially problematic areas of concern relating to NextGen integration.  These concerns center around the unintentional or unforeseen consequences of integration, the underestimation of human-in-the-loop simulations, and non-acceptance on behalf of the users (Beard, Seely, Holbrook, Galeon, 2013).  Some solutions that address the shortcomings of human factors include a FAA budget that supports human performance metrics, access to data that measures human performance so as to make better decisions, and effective collaborations between the FAA and human factor experts (Beard et al., 2013).

  References

Beard, B. L., Seely, R., Holbrook, J., & Galeon, M. (2013). The insertion of human factors concerns into nextgen programmatic decisions. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 57(1), 91-95. 10.1177/1541931213571022

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. (2017). What is NextGen. Retrieved from https://nextgen.erau.edu/what-is-nextgen/

Federal Aviation Administration. (2017a, December 6). Modernization of U.S. Airspace. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/

Federal Aviation Administration. (2017b, November 21). What is NextGen? Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/what_is_nextgen/

Houston, S. (2017, June 25). NextGen in a nutshell: The next generation air traffic system. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/nextgen-in-a-nutshell-282561

Joint Planning and Development Office. (2012). NextGen UAS research, development and demonstration roadmap. Version 1.0 (ADA561097). Retrieved from http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a561097.pdf

Shah, Y. (2013, April). Joint planning and development office (JPDO) Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Paper presented at Integrated Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Conference, Herndon, VA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/ICNSurv.2013.6548689