A robust, high-fidelity dataset is a vital component in supporting safe and efficient traffic flow management through various airspaces around the world. AireonSTREAM is a set of APIs that enable stakeholders to access Aireon’s high-fidelity, low-latency, 100 percent coverage Air Traffic Service (ATS) surveillance-grade data.
A robust, high-fidelity and complete dataset is a vital component in supporting the safe, efficient and effective flow of air traffic through various airspaces and aerodromes. Support tools and enhanced situational awareness requirements necessary to meet these needs are increasing the demand for data, in particular, reliable, real-time position of aircraft beyond the Flight Information Region (FIR) and the time at which these aircraft will enter the FIR or arrive at an airport.
A single source, high-fidelity dataset is a vital component of efficient and safe AirTraffic Management (ATM). Support tools are necessary to meet the needs of an evolving industry, creating a demand for world-wide reliable aircraft position data.
Aireon’s data now goes beyond ATS surveillance and Aireon’s partners and customers can utilize this unparalleled and unprecedented information to support their business and safety processes. Through advanced data fusion methodologies, integration of Aireon’s data with other contextual data, Aireon presents the only ATS surveillance-quality and complete flight position source available.
Aireon is providing the first global air traffic surveillance system using a space-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) network that meets the strict, real-time Air Traffic Service (ATS) surveillance requirements for air traffic separation services, anywhere in the world.
Space-based ADS-B is a turn-key surveillance solution, delivering traditional ADS-B messages directly to the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) like traditional ADS-B radio would do. The major difference is that the Aireon delivery point provides a single source for all 1090ES aircraft for the entire FIR and beyond.
Space-based ADS-B eliminates global blind spots, allows for increased safety, provides more precise aircraft locations, improves search and rescue response, reduces gross navigation errors, enhances cross-border safety and allows for faster pilot/controller communication.
This reference guide gives high-level overviews of the history of air traffic surveillance, how aircraft position is currently determined, ADS-B history, the challenges of current global surveillance and how Aireon data is transforming air traffic surveillance.
The CRV is a cross-border, dedicated communications network for ICAO Member States, provided by a common network service provider. A good way to think about the CRV is as a secure “cloud” that allows the transfer of digital data without unique point-to-point, leased telecommunications lines. The CRV is used to exchange flight plan information, voice transmissions, and now, Aireon’s space-based air traffic surveillance data.
Aireon is the first and only provider of space-based Air Traffic Services (ATS) surveillance for Air Traffic Control (ATC) separation services. Aireon's operations have been designed to meet the stringent and rigorous requirements required for providing the safety-of-life ATS surveillance. Aireon recognizes the safety and mission critical nature of such a service and has established a 24/7/365 operations center, which monitors the integrity of the Aireon service and provides immediate access for customers.
The Aireon system is designed to address the safety, efficiency, availability and performance requirements that have been mandated by many air traffic organizations worldwide. Take a look at the technical details of the overall system and how the receivers function on the Iridium constellation of satellites.
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Space-based ADS-B is extending critical NextGen air traffic surveillance beyond the reach of traditional ground stations and provides real-time coverage for not only 100 percent of U.S. managed airspace, but for the first time, 100 percent of the globe. Expanding ADS-B coverage through a space-based system significantly increases the benefits in efficiency and safety to all stakeholders, while requiring no additional avionics beyond what is already mandated by the FAA in 2020.
With Aireon, COCESNA will have complete surveillance coverage in the entirety of its airspace. Space-based ADS-B data will allow COCESNA to remove bottleneck waypoints in places previously managed by procedural routing. COCESNA seeks to lead neighboring Central, South American, and Caribbean States to implement space-based ADS-B. Broad adoption by and regional cooperation of ANSPs with responsibility over the Pacific Ocean airspace will lead to compounding benefits, especially for collaboration among ANSPs and safety and efficiencies for aircraft operators active in the region.
The Dutch Caribbean Air Navigation Service Provider (DC-ANSP) manages air traffic services within the Curaçao flight information region (FIR). Covering over 300,000 square kilometers, Curaçao FIR is adjacent to Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Colombia, which requires DC-ANSP to manage traffic of critical routes between the United States, Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Europe.
Space-based ADS-B will cost-effectively provide coverage for the six million square kilometers of airspace in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata oceanic regions. Implementation of space-based ADS-B will enable ATC to utilize enhanced safety tools and reduce separation of aircraft in this dense airspace, allowing for the efficient growth of capacity, while substantially reducing risk through the availability of real time air traffic surveillance services.
Following the implementation of the European ADS-B mandate in June 2020, space-based ADS-B will be utilised by the IAA to rationalise radar infrastructure, with a layer of terrestrial surveillance, supported by space-based ADS-B, thus significantly reducing the cost of providing air traffic surveillance in Irish airspace.
Once space-based ADS-B is operational, ATNS can distribute the data through the region on the existing Southern African Development Community (SADC) and NAFISAT (VSAT-based connection among Southern African ANSPs) networks, from where the data could be merged with the legacy, ground-based surveillance and air traffic management systems. ATNS (and other ANSPs) can apply the data either as an independent autonomous or complementary contributing or redundant source of surveillance, to mitigate issues that may arise with existing ground based surveillance systems such as ground-based ADS-B sensors, rotating radars and telecommunications lines.
Aireon’s space-based ADS-B service will be completely independent from Naviair’s current air traffic surveillance infrastructure. It will add a layer of redundancy to Naviair’s surveillance capability that does not exist today. Space-based ADS-B will be utilized in contingency situations where either critical resources in the current system are completely or partially missing or when the data from current sources is malfunctioning.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) will integrate Aireon's space-based ADS-B data with those from the existing surveillance sensors. The space-based ADS-B data will serve as an independent and separate source of surveillance data over the Singapore FIR, to complement the existing data.
NAV CANADA will implement Aireon initially in its North Atlantic operations. Using the real-time surveillance data and the current communication capabilities in the North Atlantic, the initial goal is to apply 15NM longitudinal and lateral separation between surveillance-identified aircraft flying anywhere in the North Atlantic.
Enav will use space-based ADS-B and merge the data with legacy, ground-based surveillance systems. This will allow Enav to optimize multiple surveillance layers. The space-based ADS-B data, coming from Italian and neighboring airspace, will be added to the communication network (E-NET). Enav will then have an independent and redundant source of surveillance, to mitigate issues that may arise with existing ground structure surveillance systems such as ground-based ADS-B sensors, rotating radars and telecommunications lines.
Purdue University’s School of Aeronautics and Astronautics researched the potential impact of space-based ADS-B on global aviation carbon emissions in remote and oceanic airspace.
Extensive search and rescue efforts following recent high-profile airline disasters have left the general public largely surprised that the exact location of aircraft is often unknown in oceanic and remote airspace. In response, ICAO has recommended that aircraft provide position reports every 15 minutes by November 2018 and several tracking solutions are being considered by airlines, ANSPs and regulators. Unfortunately, there exists a great deal of confusion around what should be considered “surveillance” and what should be considered “tracking”.
