Ames Research Center Cleveland New York Boston Washington Philadelphia TRACON TMA-MC Overview TMA-MC Overview Tom Davis, Chief, Terminal Area ATM Research

Ames Research Center

ClevelandNew York

Boston

Washington

PhiladelphiaTRACON

TMA-MC OverviewTMA-MC OverviewTom Davis, Chief,

Terminal Area ATM Research Branch

650-604-5438

[email protected]


Traffic Management Advisor (TMA)Traffic Management Advisor (TMA)

• Traffic Management tool to provide arrival traffic flow visualization and scheduling

• Assists controllers in balancing arrival demand with airport capacity while minimizing delays

• Develops a safe and efficient schedule for arrival traffic to maximize airport capacity

• Increases airport capacity, reduces arrival delays, and reduces controller workload by advising enroute sector controllers of the optimized schedule


TMA Simplified System Description

System control&

communication

Atmosphericdata

Arrival timeprediction

TMC Flow VisualizationController advisories

Flight plan dataRadar Track & SpeedController commands

Operational ATC Computer

ConstraintScheduling

TMA Workstations


TMA: Demand Prediction

Estimated time of arrival (ETA)• Routes

– Follows AK route through the outer arc to the meter fix or– Direct to meter fix/direct to outer arc (fixed radial distance from

meter fix)– Nominal path from meter fix to runway threshold

• Trajectory estimates (modern flight management system algorithms)– Current fuel optimal altitude, speed and descent profiles – Aircraft performance models (over 400 different model types)

• Input data– Flight plan– Air traffic control HOST flight plans, radar tracks and ground

speed estimates– National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

winds, pressure and temperature aloft (hourly forecasts)


Typical TMA Trajectory Profile

Wpt 2

Wpt 3

Wpt 1

12

3

465

7

8

1. Capture 10,000 ft2. Accelerate to climb speed3. Climb to Mach/CAS transition altitude with constant CAS4. Climb to cruise altitude with constant mach5. Accelerate to cruise speed6. Level flight cruise at constant Mach7. Constant Mach descent to descent CAS8. Constant CAS descent to crossing altitude9. Decelerate to crossing speed

9


TMA: Scheduling - Constraints

• Airport configuration– Current and future airport configurations– Runway loading– Visual or instrument conditions

• Capacity and control constraints– Separation requirements

• Meter fix separation requirement• Runway threshold (wake vortex or user defined)

– Flow rates (number of aircraft/time interval)• Airport• Runway, meter fix, gate, TRACON

– Dynamic configuration changes (blocked interval on runway or meter fix)


TMA: Scheduling Algorithms

• Modified first-come-first-served (FCFS)

– FCFS sequenced and separated at meter fix

– Order of consideration at the runway

• Priority gate scheduling (aka “single gate free flow”)

• Close by airport departure scheduling (call for release)

• Runway allocation optimization

– System delay reduction

– Controller heuristics

• Delay/workload distribution

– High/Low altitude, site adaptable

– Center/TRACON dynamically adaptable


TMA Flow Visualization: Controller & TMC Advisories

• Timelines (TGUI) - schedule, status and control information

– Threshold, meter fix and departure airport ETA/STA

– Configuration management and manual schedule adjustments

• Load Graphs (TGUI) - demand and schedule density information

– Threshold and meter fix

– Airport acceptance rate or user defined reference

• Flow control advisories to sector controllers DSR

– Outer arc crossing time and countdown delay

– Meter fix crossing time and countdown delay

– Controller tactical swap and re-sequence


TMC GUI Timeline Display


TMC GUI Graphical Displays


Planview GUI Display


DSR Sector Controller Meter List


Fort Worth Center Arrival AirspaceFort Worth Center Arrival Airspace

100 nm


Measured Benefits of TMA-Single Centerat ZFW/DFW

• Traffic Management Coordinator:– Improved efficiency via increases in airport acceptance rate– Improved forecasting of airport capacity and staffing level

• Sector Controllers:– Accurate and realizable metering advisories– Reduced workload from previous metering system (ASP)– Perceived reduction in metering duration from ASP

• Traffic Management System:– Increased capacity by ~5%– Reduced delays between 2-3 minutes / aircraft

• Operational status at ZFW/DFW– Operational since Oct. 1996– 16 hrs/day (0600-2200), 7 days/week


What is TMA-MC?

TMA-MC is an extension of the TMA Single-Center to regions where more than one facility is significantly involved in arrival traffic flow management

– Incorporates system requirements and operational procedures for re-planning across multiple facilities

– Enables transition to time-based metering

– Scheduling information for airports and boundaries

– Facilitates regional collaboration

– Identifies and aids in alleviation of airspace resource congestion problems

TMA-MC is a priority research project for FFP2, with a goal of providing capability in the field in the 2003-2005 timeframe.


TMA-MC: Who are the players?

•TMA Operational Expertise•Algorithm Development•Software Development•Human Factors

•Requirements Definition•NE Airspace Procedures

NE CorridorController-in-the-loop, Real-time Simulation

Benefits AnalysisController Training

Field Demonstration/TestingTechnology Transfer

•AOZ (FFP2)

•Air Traffic•Tech Ctr.MITRE


TMA-MC Approach

• Focus upon a region where multi-facility issues are significant• Develop an evolutionary process toward a full Multi-Center

capability which closely matches and enhances the TMA-SC• Evaluate TMA-MC in simulation at NASA, the FAA Technical

Center and at selected field sites (e.g. ZNY, ZDC, ZOB, ZBW, and PHL)

• Conduct TMA-MC field site activities in two phases:– Multi-Facility Collaboration (Release 1)– Automated Flow Management Advisor (Release 2)


Development Phases

• Release 1: Multi-facility Collaboration– Utilize TMA prediction and time-based scheduling to provide TMCs in

multiple facilities with consistent, accurate arrival information– Utilize TMA graphical displays to facilitate regional collaboration to solve

predicted problems – Investigate how to transition to the use of time-based metering in the

complex NE environment– Investigate potential system benefits associated with collaboration

• Release 2: Collaboration and Metering– Utilize TMA prediction and time-based scheduling

• Enable free-flow of heavily saturated sectors while metering others• Transition to full time-based metering in all affected facilities

– Develop operational procedures for collaborative metering affecting multiple facilities

• Determine hierarchy for decision-making across multiple facilities• Determine benefits of metering in complex environments


Challenges of TMA-MC in NE

• Complex airspace

– Multiple facilities, second-tier centers affecting flow

– Narrow sectors, restricted controllability

– Tower enroute

– Crossing traffic flows

– Metering

• Potential benefits

– Accurate prediction: a window into the future

– Enhanced collaboration

– Smoother traffic flow

– Reduced holding


Arrival airspace comparison

While the original TMA, which is an intra-Center tool, is well suited to Dallas arrival operations…

Philadelphia arrivals require a new, inter-Center version of TMA… Multi-Center TMA


TMA-MC System Architecture

ZOB-TMA ZDC-TMAZNY-TMA

CTAS (TMA) NetworkETAs,STAs

ZOB Host ZNY Host ZDC Host

ZBW-TMA

ZBW Host

ETMS

Local ARTS

ETMS ETMS ETMS

ATCSCCTMA

Local ARTSLocal ARTS

Local ARTS


Human-in-the-loop simulations

• Conducted 4 simulation activities (January – June, 2001)

– Real time

– Controller-in-the-loop

– TMCs & controllers from each facility

– Traffic scenarios based on recorded live data

– Simulated traffic flown by pseudo-pilots

• Objectives

– Familiarize controllers with time-based metering operations

– Assess feasibility of doing time-based metering into Philadelphia


Highlights from simulations

• It’s more difficult to conform to metering times in the Philadelphia arrival airspace than it is in the Dallas/Ft. Worth arrival airspace

– Greater complexity

– Smaller sectors

– Heavy crossing traffic

– Diverse mix of traffic

• New requirements for Multi-Center TMA

– Expanded metering horizon

– Redistribution of delay to outlying sectors

– Multiple metering fixes along an arrival stream


Philadelphia arrival sectors

• New TMA-MC requirements– Offload interior sectors– Expand metering horizon

• Small, complex sectors• Heavy crossing traffic


“Conventional” metering horizon

180-200 n.m. radius


Expanded metering horizon for PHL

• Improved schedule conformance

• More acceptable to controllers• Error begins to accumulate in

trajectory computations


Upstream metering reference points

• Upstream metering points effectively split the arrival metering problem into two phases

– Reduces error buildup– Improves schedule stability

and reliability


Schedule - Key Milestones

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Q1

Q2

Q3

Q4

Government Fiscal Year

•TMA-MC Software Development Award (CTO-3)•Initiate TMA-MC controller simulations•TMA-MC Software Design Review (4/16/01)•TMA-MC Software Implementation Plan (5/16/01)•Initiate Site Surveys•Complete initial TMA-MC controller simulations

•TMA-MC Release 1 FAATC Simulation•TMA-MC Release 1 Site Installation (5/02)•TMA-MC Release 1 Field Evaluation•Conduct TMA-MC Release 2 controller simulations

•TMA-MC Release 2 FAATC Simulation•TMA-MC Release 2 Site Installation (3/03)•TMA-MC Release 2 Field Evaluation

•Technology Transfer to FAA ongoing

•Transition to IDU

•NASA/AATT Project Complete

2001

2002

2003

2004

Documents

Ames Research Center Cleveland New York Boston Washington Philadelphia TRACON TMA-MC Overview TMA-MC Overview Tom Davis, Chief, Terminal Area ATM Research