Rafael Apaza

Aeronautical mobile airport communications system development status

This paper summarizes recent activities to understand and establish technical standards for a C-Band airport surface communications system based on the IEEE 802.16e standard for mobile broadband data communications. This system is referred to as the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS).

AeroMACS system characterization and demonstrations

This The Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) is being developed to provide a new broadband wireless communications capability for safety critical communications in the airport surface domain, providing connectivity to aircraft and other ground vehicles as well as connections between other critical airport fixed assets. AeroMACS development has progressed from requirements definition through technology definition, prototype deployment and testing, and now into national and international standards development. The first prototype AeroMACS system has been deployed at the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) and the adjacent NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC). During the past three years, extensive technical testing has taken place to characterize the performance of the AeroMACS prototype and provide technical support for the standards development process. The testing has characterized AeroMACS link and network performance over a variety of conditions for both fixed and mobile data transmission and has included basic system performance testing and fixed and mobile applications testing. This paper provides a summary of the AeroMACS performance testing and the status of standardization activities that the testing supports.

AeroMACS minimum operational performance standards (MOPS) compliance field trials for Hitachi prototype

• NASA-Hitachi Space Act Agreement to test MOPS compliance prototype technology utilizing NASA-GRC CNS Test Bed • AeroMACS features and performance specified in MOPS validated through airport environment Field Trials • “Network Entry Time” defined in SARPs(ICAO) verified to be applicable.

Nasa-Hitachi AeroMACS technology trials and Minimum Operational Performance System (MOPS) conformance testing

The Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) is a fourth generation wireless communications technology based on the IEEE 806.16-2009 standard that has been designed to deliver reliable communications to critical and non-critical systems on the airport surface. This broadband communications technology will enable airport operations modernization by providing networking capabilities to fixed and mobile nodes operating on the airport surface environment. It is anticipated that AeroMACS will deliver benefits to Air Navigation Service Providers, Airlines, Airport Authorities and others providing services to airports throughout the world. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in partnership with Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Communication Technologies America, Inc. conducted field trials to evaluate communications system technical performance and conformance to Minimum Operational Performance System (MOPS) standards. This paper describes technology evaluation procedures and provides results of tests conducted at the NASA Glenn Research Center Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) test bed.

Considerations for improving the capacity and performance of AeroMACS

The Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) has progressed from concept through prototype development, testing, and standards development and is now poised for the first operational deployments at nine US airports by the Federal Aviation Administration. These initial deployments will support fixed applications. Mobile applications providing connectivity to and from aircraft and ground-based vehicles on the airport surface will occur at some point in the future. Given that many fixed applications are possible for AeroMACS, it is necessary to now consider whether the existing capacity of AeroMACS will be reached even before the mobile applications are ready to be added, since AeroMACS is constrained by both available bandwidth and transmit power limitations. This paper describes some concepts that may be applied to improve the future capacity of AeroMACS, with a particular emphasis on gains that can be derived from the addition of IEEE 802.16j multihop relays to the AeroMACS standard, where a significant analysis effort has been undertaken.

Urban Air Mobility Airspace Integration Concepts and Considerations [STUB]

Urban Air Mobility—defined as safe and efficient air traffic operations in a metropolitan area for manned aircraft and unmanned aircraft systems—is being researched and developed by industry, academia, and government. Significant resources have been invested toward cultivating an ecosystem for Urban Air Mobility that includes manufacturers of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, builders of takeoff and landing areas, and researchers of the airspace integration concepts, technologies, and procedures needed to conduct Urban Air Mobility operations safely and efficiently alongside other airspace users. This paper provides high-level descriptions of both emergent and early expanded operational concepts for Urban Air Mobility that NASA is developing. The scope of this work is defined in terms of missions, aircraft, airspace, and hazards. Past and current Urban Air Mobility operations are also reviewed, and the considerations for the data exchange architecture and communication, navigation, and surveillance requirements are also discussed. This paper will serve as a starting point to develop a framework for NASA’s Urban Air Mobility airspace integration research and development efforts with partners and stakeholders that could include fast-time simulations, human-in-the-loop simulations, and flight demonstrations.

Airport information sharing concept architecture

- Implementation of information sharing infrastructure and technologies will greatly enhance real time decision-making and enable Airport System context awareness. - Airport Context Awareness will enable airport users to identify who is using services/facilities, what resources are in use, state of resources, operational service limitations, capacity management and others. - Airport System context awareness will enable Precision Operations

Aircraft access to SWIM (AAtS) for airport surface operations: A system design methodology

• SMART NAS net-centric airport network design follows a 3-steps system design methodology • AAtS demonstrates a use case for the architecture and supports network design • AAtS over AeroMACS is a deployment option of the use case that demonstrates viability of the concept

AAtS over AeroMACS technology trials on the airport surface

• Collaboration between Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Hitachi, Ltd. and NASA • Goal was to evaluate performance of AAtS using AeroMACS data transport technology in a relevant environment • Hitachi technology for AeroMACS successfully performed on all test cases and demonstrated high throughput information delivery to AOC and AAtS applications • ICAO Required Communications Performance was successfully met for all AAtS data exchanged • Trial successfully completed on February 11th 2016

On proper selection of multihop relays for future enhancement of AeroMACS networks

As the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) has evolved from a technology concept to a deployed communications network over major US airports, it is now time to contemplate whether the existing capacity of AeroMACS is sufficient to meet the demands set forth by all fixed and mobile applications over the airport surface given the AeroMACS constraints regarding bandwidth and transmit power. The underlying idea in this article is to present IEEE 802.16j-based WiMAX as a technology that can address future capacity enhancements and therefore is most feasible for AeroMACS applications. The principal argument in favor IEEE 802.16j technology is the flexible and cost effective extension of radio coverage that is afforded by relay fortified networks, with virtually no increase in the power requirements and virtually no rise in interference levels to co-allocated applications. The IEEE 802.16j-based multihop relay systems are briefly described. The focus is on key features of this technology, frame structure, and its architecture. Next, AeroMACS is described as a WiMAX-based wireless network. The two major relay modes supported by IEEE 802.16j amendment, i.e., transparent and non-transparent are described. The benefits of employing multihop relays are listed. Some key challenges related to incorporating relays into AeroMACS networks are discussed. The selection of relay type in a broadband wireless network affects a number of network parameters such as latency, signal overhead, PHY and MAC layer protocols, consequently it can alter key network quantities of throughput and QoS.