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AIRBORNE INTERNET
Abstract:
Airborne Internet (A.I.) is an approach to provide a general purpose, multi-application data channel to aviation. It is a concept that adopts modern network theory and principles into the transportation realm, creating a system in which aircraft and people in transit will be connected with a scalable, general purpose, and multi-application aviation data channel. A.I. began as a supporting technology for NASA's Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS The principle behind the A.I. is to establish a robust, reliable, and available digital data channel to aircraft. Establishing the general purpose, multiapplication digital data channel connection to the aircraft is analogous to the connection of a desktop computer to its local area network, or to Internet. A primary application for A.I. is to track aircraft for the air traffic control system. Many other applications can utilize the same A.I. data channel. Secondly, it helps in accurately determining an aircraft's position Airborne Internet Consortium (AIC) is a nonprofit research organization composed of aviation sector participants that collaboratively research, develop, and promote open standards and Internet protocols for aviation digital communications. With the availability of Internet technologies to all sectors of aviation from commercial to general aviation, from the flight deck to the cabin, and from flightrelated tasks to entertainment, dramatic increases in communication and transportation mobility will be achieved. Internet protocols and services will make aircraft easier to fly with more situational awareness, safety, and security. Airborne Internet has the potential to change the way aircraft receive and send data, or more appropriately, information. A.I. will provide an interconnected digital data network between aircraft and tolfrom the ground. A.I. has the potential to change how aircraft are monitored and tracked by the air traffic control system, how they exchange information with and about other aircraft
Airborne Internet
Airborne Internet (A.I.) is an approach to provide a
general purpose, multi-al~plication data channel to aviation. In doing so, A.I. has the
potential to provide significant cost savings Tor aircrart operalol-s a~id the FAA, as it
allows the consolidation oT many T~~n&tiointso a co~nmond ata channcl.
A primary application for A.I. is to
track aircraft Tor the air traffic control system. Many otllcr applications can ~~t i l izthee
same A.I. data chan~lel. '['he applications available are only limited by the bandwidth
available. A.1. began as a supporting technology Tor NASA's Small AircraTt
Transportation System (SATS). But there is 110 reason that A.I. should be limited to
SATS-class aircraft. All oT aviation, and even transportation, has the potential to benefit
from A.I.
'I'be principle behind the A.1. is to establish a robust,
reliable, and available digital data channel to aircraft. Establisliing tile gel-~erapl urpose,
multi-application digital data channel connection to thc aircrart is analogous to the
connection of a desktop computer to its local area nelworl<, or evcll lhe wide arca nctwork
we call the Internet. But aircraft arc mobile objects. Therefore, mobile routing is required
to maintain the data channcl connectivity while the aircraft moves Tron~ region to region.
The desktop cornpuler, \vhether used in the
office or the home, runs many tlifTcrcnl applications that can all use t l~csa nlc data
channel. The applications are tlcsignctl arouncl thc lntc~netI' rotocol (11') stancla~.ttlo takc
advantage of tlie existence of the network connection to tlic coniputcr. Airbornc Internet
is built upon the same model. A.I. will provide a general purpose, multi-application data
channel tliat numerous applications can use. By combining application and data
functionality over a common data channel, aviation has the potential to significantly
reduce costs for equipage on the ground and in the aircraft.
IT aircrart ~~tilize1dP as network computers do,
functions in the cockpit co1.11db e enabled not currently being provided. It could open LIPa
whole new set of operating capabilities, cost savings, safety and efficiency for
tomorrow's aviation industry. The Tunctions provided today Illat rccluire tlie use of
multiple on-board systems could be reduced to two simple systems. First, a rigorous and
dependable method to maintain thc airplane's connection to the ground-based If' network
is needed. This T~~nctioins feasible u s i ~ ~ag c ombination of V11I7 radio (as is used Tor
today's aircraft co~n~iiunicationsa)n d an alternate, backup commi~nicationm ethod. A
satellite comnli~nication system could be employed for aircrafl that fly in sparsely
opulated areas tliat are beyond Vk1F coverage of tlie existing NAS infrastructure, or for
any aircraft that might lose VHF coverage (even temporarily). Satellite communication is
currently being used for trans-oceanic fight today in which aircralt are clearly beyond
range of the VHF radio system in the NAS.
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Second, a means of accurately deter~niliing an
aircraft's position is rccluircd. Currcnt tcclinology in GI's rcccivcrs provides position
infonnation reliably and accurately. WAAS and LAAS are aviation systems that utilize
GPS and provide en-or correction to allow aircraft the accuracy needed for navigation and
landing.
By combining the GPS provided position
illformation of any moving aircrafl (or other vehicle) with reliable mobile network
connectivity, the aircrart's position could be constantly reported to tlie ground network
for processing. Furtlier, this data could be intelligently parsed to provide position and
tracking information back to aircrart so its flight crew could be aware of other aircraft
movement in its proximity. Air-to-air position reporting is possible (such as Automatic
Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast or ADS-B) if the proper radio method is used. In the
end state, it is possible that enough aircrafl could utilize tlie A.I. arcliitecture to create a
virtual network in tlie sky.
At any given mo~iient, there are between
4500 and 6000 aircraft in flight over the United States. Air transport aircraft could not
only use A.I. for their own purposes, but they could provide a network router function
that could sell excess bandwidth to other less bandwidth-demancling aircraft. l'his
network in tlie sky not only reduces equipage and saves system costs, it could create a
revenue stream for air carriers that does not currently exist. It becon~es a win-win
situation for aviation.
ADVANTAGE
Increase productivity and e c o ~ ~ o ~gnriocw th
The use o~co~i imerciIanlt ernet protocols and services will i11ip1-ovsei tuational
awareness, wliicli will niake aircrart easier to fly and rcducc pilot workload
The growth in conncctivily will enable higher-volume ail-crali opcrations and
alIow peoplc in transit (i.c., passengers) to use otherwise unproductive timc
Communication and transportation mobility will increase, creating new markets
and causing established markets to expand at accelerated rates wliicli will increase
investments in econoniic development and create jobs
Lower cost
Flight deck fu~ictionsin the aircrart will bc coiisolidated and tlic number o r
required radios will be reduced, which will save aircralt owners money in
addition to weight and space
Most communication will occur in a peer-to-peer fashion between aircraft, wliicli
will reduce tlie amount of expensive ground infrastructure (sucli as anten~iast)h e
FAA needs to build and niaintain
Many people are already Li~iiiliarw ith commercial or[-the-sIiclr(C0TS) Intcr~iet
technologies, wliicli wi l l reduce tlie amount or time and money recluired to create
and manage tlie Airborne Internct
Increase security, reliability, and scalability
The use o l XML Web Servicc protocols will makc the Collaborativc Information
Environment (CIE) secure and reliable, i~nliltem any current aviation
communication mctliods
The Airboriie Internet will retain the resilience of the commercial Internet, which
will allow it to scale to events such as extraordinary traffic volume, disruptive
wea'ther, or exponent ional increases in user volume
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Reduce risk
Many stakeholders will share tlie costs of creating and maintaining the Airborne
Internet, which will reduce tlie possibility of one organization dominating or
abruptly termir~alinglh c data cliannel
Increase innovation
The use of open standards will allow companies to focus on building better radios,
applications, and scrviccs inslead o r competing on basic c o n ~ r n ~ ~ n i c aplrioolo~c~ol s
Increase flexibility
The Airborne Intcrnel will be data page link and device-intlcpcndcnl, which will allow
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aircraft operators lo sclecl ecluipment based 011 111cir avai lablc resources ant1 needs
The use of conimcrcial Inlcrnel tcclinology will allow Ihc Airhome Inlcrnel and
the Collaborative lnfonnalion Environmenl lo be inleroperable with entire
transportation systenl and the rest of the world
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APPLICATION
US Radar Using A1
A standoff radar plane used by the U.S. Air Force for deep-strike assaults since the 1991
Gulf War has been tested for providing airborne Internet access. IJnder a program called
"Interim c'apability for Airborne Nelworking," Ihe Joint Stars, or Joint Surveillance
Target Attack Radar System, aircraft used its dedicated radios to page link to tlie Pentagon's
Secret IP Router Network, or Siprnet. The Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corp, tested
tlie packet data technique at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The scheme accelerates data
rates considerably from the earlier Dial-Up Rate IP over Existing Radios, or Drier,
program, tested on Joint Stars planes in 2003. The new ICAN system can page link to ground
stations via HF, UHF, VHF and satellite links. The tests at Nellis represented the initial
proof-of- concept phase. The next phase of the program includes additional testing and
prototype deployment. ?'he military's need for bandwidth is growing as forces deployed
in Iraq seek speedier access to battlefield data. Meanwhile, the I'entagon is trying to
implement its bandwidth-11uiigry network-centric warfare doctrine
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Airborne Internet Consortium
The Airborne Internet Consortium (AIC) is a ilonprofit research organization co~nposed
of aviation sector participants that collaboratively research, develop, and pronlote open
standards and Internet protocols for aviation digital communications
Need
The need for an Airborne Inlernet Consortium (AIC) is basctl on thc Inclt of a colnlnon
organization for the aviation industry to Icvcragc commercial lntcrnct tcchnologics. 7'he
advent of new digital co~i~~i~unicaatnido pnr ocessing tcclinologies is radically changing
the way commercial businesses and social comm~~nicationasrc bcing concluctcd. It would
appear that aviation is the last industrial segment to enlbracc the latest digital and Internet
technologies.
The purpose of the AIC is to accelerate the rate of adoption and abso~yliono f digital and
Internet technologies into aviation. The AIC will provide the necessary research,
certification and guidance metliodologies, advocacy, and inflilence in order to create the
necessary technologies, policies, and reg~~lationresq uired for the use of commercial
Internet protocols in aviation.
With the availability of Internet technologies to all sectors of aviation from coinmercial
to general aviation, froin the flight deck to the cabin, and from flight-related tasks to
entertainment, dramatic increases ill com~unicationa nd transportation mobility will be
achieved. Internet protocols and services will make aircraft casier to fly with more
situational Awareness, salety, and sec~rrityA. lso, the productivity ~Ppassengersw ill be
increased because the growth in connectivity will allow people in transit to use otherwise
unproductive time.
Once this increased coin~nunicationa nd transportation mobility is implemented, new
markets will be created and established markets will expand at accelerated rates which
will increase investments in econoinic developinent and create jobs.
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1 Scalability
To encourage the creation and gro ~1.1o1 f marl<ets, the Airborne Internet Consortiun~m ust
identify and develop technologies that will scalc. The commercial success OF Internet is
not only been due to its ability to incrcase com~iiunicationl nobility, it has also occurred
because of its ability to scale exponentially. The Intemet has been able to meet the
demands placed on it by not having a fixed network topology or architecture. For this
reason, part of the AIC efrort will include moder~ln etwork theory and principles so that
the Airborne Internet will retain the resilience of the commercial Intenlet and not fail to
scale to events such as extraordinary traffic volume, disruptive weather, or exponentional
increases in user volume.
11 JPDO Partnersl~ip
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The power of future networked system arcl~itcctures to transform aviation will enable
scalable airspace and aircraft architectures, flexible ground in~rastructurcs, and new
approaches to safety and security in the system of systems known as Aviation. To insure
that the Airborne Internet Consortium is aware or network theory developnlents in
aviation, the AIC will maintain a close worl<ing relationship ~ v i t hth e Joint Planning and
Development.
Objectives:
Create Airborne Internet (AI) giliding principles
Create an Ai rbor~~Inet er~ieOt perational Concept
Create and evaluate Airborne Internet "system of systcms" arcl~itcctures
Influence, tailor, or create standards for the Airborne Internet
Demonstrate the capability of an Airborne lnternet
The mission of the Airborne Internet Consortium (AIC) is to define, develop, and
promote the common systeln elements nccessary to deploy con~prchensivca viation-based
digital data page link capabilities throughout the nation using evolving Internet technologies.
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Outputs:
Kesearcli Studies - All research reports are copyrighted and treated as shared
data rights alnong Principal n~embers:
o National Airborne Internet operations concept
Standards and Guideli~icsR eports - All standards and guidelines reports
prepared for release into Che public domain:
o National Airborne Internet standards
o Guidelines for Airborne Internet product certification
Standards Setting Liaison - All o~~goinstga ndards liaison services provided to
nien~bersa s long as ncccssary to acliicvc thc targctcd goals for i~illi~cncinagn dlor
creating standards:
o Standards liaison worlting groups
Public and Private Benefits
The AIC intends to undertake its research through collaborations with the pirblic sector in
a manner that will:
Enable a safer, more secure, more cost efficient global airspace system by
eliminating commu~~icationas a constraint on the economic viability of aviation
related applications
Facilitate collaborative rescarcli and development in the field or aviation
communications
Develop open systems architecture and standards for aviation digital
comn~unications
Foster and proniote general purpose, multi-application, scalable data channel
protocols in aviation
Develop intellectilal content to guide public and private investment in aviation
digital communications
Prqniote inter~iationaal doption of open systems architecture, standards,
information nianagknient stri~cturesa, nd protocols Tor aviation digital
communications
Foster use of advanced aviation digital comm~~nicationtesc hnology for public
security
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I How Ail-bol-11eI nternet Works
I'lic \\ old 011 Just ahout ~\~c t I.nyt crnct ~ ~ s c rli'pss these days is "broadband." We have so
ml~cli more data to scnd and dowliload today, including audio files, video files and
pllotos. that it's cloggilig our wiliipy modems. Many Internet users are switching to cable
~iiodc~iai1si d digital subscriber lilics (DSL's) to increase their bandwidth. There's also a
tqpe of service being developed tliat will take broadband into the air.
At Icast rlircc companies are planning to provide high-speed wireless Internet connection
by placing aircraft i l l fixed patterns o\/cr hundreds of cities. Angel Technologies is
platlni~lg an ail.bornc Intcrnct nc[\\;oslc, called High Altitude Long Operation (HALO),
\\-hicll \\.oulrl 11sc liglit\\!ciglit planes to cil-clc overhead and provide data delivery faster
[I1311 a -1'1 line Tor busiliesses. Cons~uncrs would get a connection coinparable to DSL.
Also. AeroVironn~elit has teamed up \\/it11 NASA on a solar-powered, unmanned plane
tliat \ \ .o~~\lvdo rk like the HALO networlc, and Sky Station International is planning a
similar using blimps instead of planes.
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Architecture Development Methodology
Architecture defines thc structural and collaborativc relationships of systcm components.
Ofien described using views (e.g., r~~nctionacl,o mponent, implementation, temporal,
user), the architecture provides infomiation to guide system ant1 sortware developers
during initial development and inevitable system improvement activities. In addition to
defining the fi~nctional and physical relationships between system components,
architecture often providcs dcsign guitlance in an attcnlpt to achicvc othcr dcsirablc
objectives such as crficicnt rcsourcc utilization, inc~.cmcntal tlcvclopn~cnt, vcriliabilily,
use of COTS products, ease of maintenance, and system extensibility.
1) Understand the SATS operational concepts
2) Define system level requirements
33 Investigate and evaluate the external environment
4) Identify trends and issues that must be addressed
5) Apply mod en^ system design tcchniclues
6) Document the result and submit [or revicw
I) Understard the SATS opemtior~c~col rlce/7ts - Everyone tends to relate to SATS in a
unique way. It is more a new way of thinking about air transportation than a technical
concept that becltons to be explored. This leads to a variety of dcfinitions or what SAYS
is - or shobld be. To bind the A1 architeclure problem, we developed a set of system
operation assun~ptionsA. sampling or these key assun~ptionsi s listed below:
Pilot - Until such time as highly automated systems can be fully tested and
certified, SATS aircraft will have at least one qualilied, instrumenl rated pilot on
board. Because of the level of automation on board, the SATS system will enable
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this pilot to be much more proficient and able to fly in nearly all weather
conditioils into a large n~unbero f minimally equipped airports.
Airspace - SATS aircraft will share airspace wit11 non-SATS aircraft. This
implies a minimum level of system co~npatibilitya nd equipage in both SATS and
non-SATS aircraft. SATS aircraft en route will operate in Class A airspace,
SATS aircraft landing at small/n~edium sized airports will operate in Class C, D,
or E airspace.
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Avionics - in addition to the minimum set of avio~iicsre quired of normal IFRl[2]
aircraft, SATS aircraft will have 011 board additional avionics equipment to enable
the pilot to operate in near all-weather situations. \If SATS is to be prototyped in
2005 and operational in 2025, this equipment will need to be compatible with
systems used by co~nmercial and general aviation airports to not require
expensive new ground support systems not currently l>lanned by the FAA.
Flight rules - to meet its objectives, SATS aircraft will need to be able to access
sniall ant1 medium sized airports. These same airports currently support VFR2[3]
traffic in addition to IFR traffic. Flight rules will have to be modified to support a
mixture of IFR, VFR and SATS traffic.
2) Defilze syslenl level requit-ettietlts - Specific, verifiable requirements for a SATS
communications system ~ i i ~b~e sdte veloped. The co~iini~~nicatiosynsst em is unique in
that it is both an end systeni and an enabling infrastructure. As an end system it must
provide pilot-controller, pilot-pilot, and pilot-fl~ght operations communications. As an
enabling infrastructure it must support applications associated with navigation,
surveillance, and other f~lnctious.
Requirements need to be developed in the trad~tional areas of communication, navigation,
and surveillance, including both avionics and ground infrastructure, consistent with the
infrastructure defined in Ilie task below. System level I-equirements also need to be
developed for onboard f l i ~ l i tm anageine~~atn d sensor/actuator systems capable of
providing tlie level of support necessary to achieve the SATS goal of two crew
performance with a single crew nieniber. Other requirenients will include support for
passenger support systems
-3) l~rlvcstigc~cleit ltl evcllrrctte the exter-rltrl environnient - SATS, although a revolutionary
transportation concept w~ll have to work within tlie National Airspace System (NAS).
This is true both dur~ngS A'TS prototyping in 2005 and during full-scale development, in
2025. ' h e NAS itself is evolving ~iecessitating developi~ig an understanding of the
capabilities of NAS over time. This can be very tricky as the NAS is subject to many
forces that a1.e political, not technical, and as such is difficult to predict. For example,
there al-e currently three competing conimunication teclinologies to provide aircraftaircraft
position reporting. Clearly, there is agreement that position reporting is desirable,
but wh~clite chnological approach will survive is like trying to choose between VHS and
Bctamax before the ~i~arkctplachca s spolccn. .,
4) l(1enrfi tl-etlcls c~trtli sszies thcrl t7111sht e citltlr-essetl - To be successf~~Sl,A TS must
f~~nctiown~ lliint he context of technology evolution and systems development. We
present a suniniary of some of the trends and issues in Ihe next section of this paper.
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Avionics - in addition to the minimum set of avionics required of normal IFRl[2]
aircraft, SATS aircraft will have on board additional avionics equipment to enable
the pilot to operate in near all-weather situations. \If SATS is to be prototyped in
2005 and operational in 2025, this equipment will need to be compatible with
systems used by comniercial and general aviation airports to not require
expensive new groilnd support systems not currenlly pl:unned by the FAA.
Flight rl-lles - to meet its objectives, SATS aircraft will need to be able to access
- sniall and medium sized airports. These same airports currently support VFR2[3]
traffic in addiiion to IFR traffic. Flight rules will have to be modified to support a
mixture of TFR, VFR and SATS traffic.
2) Defille system level requireltlenls - Specific, verifiable requirements for a SATS
communications system nus st be developed. The commiinications system is unique in
that it is both an end system and an enabling infrastructure. As an end system it must
provide pilot-controller, pilot-pilot, and pilot-flight operations communications. As an
enablin~ infrastructure it nus st support applications associated with navigation,
surveillance, and other runctions.
Requirements need to be developed in the traditional areas of comniunication, navigation,
and surveillance, including both avionics and groi~nd infrastructure, consistent with the
infrastructure defined in the task below. System level requirements also need to be
developed for onboard flight ~nanagement and sensor/acti~ator systems capable of
provitling the level or support necessary to achieve the SATS goal of two crew
performance with a single crew meniber. Other requiremenls will include support for
passenger support systems
3) I~l~~estigttrrrlzetl evcrl~rrlle( he e,ule~-nnel llvirolznlerlt - SATS, although a revolutionary
transporlatioii concept will have to work within the National Airspace System (NAS).
This is [rue both during SA'TS prototypii~g in 2005 and during full-scale development, in
2025. The NAS itself is evolving necessitating developing an understanding of the
capabilities of NAS over time. 'This can bc very tricky as llie NAS is subject to many
forces that are political, not Lech~iical, and as such is difficult to predict. For example,
there are currently three competing co1~~1i1iinicatiot1e1c hnolo~iest o provide aircraftaircraft
position reporting. Clearly, there is agrecn~entIl ia1 position reporting is des'irable,
but which technological approach will survive is like trying to clioose between VHS and
Bclamax belbre Ilic marketplace has spoken.
4) I(lelllrfi) tl-ends rcntl isslles thcrt mlrst he tc(ltfressec1 - To be si~ccessfirl, SATS must
filnction within the context of technology evolutio~a~n d systems development. We
present a summary of some of the trends and issues in the next section of this paper.
5) Apply ntoderrt systerlt tleslgrt lechrtiylres - SATS presents an ideal opportunity to apply
object-oriented design techniclues for the collection, analysis and doculnentation of
system architecture. Elements of tlie resulting design include:
Design patterns to identify key components of llie design
layers of abstraction to niini~nizec oupling of user level f~lnctionalityto
implen~entationd etails
Exploitation of natural coliesive~iessc, ommon sonware f i~~~c t i op~atitearln s
Communications prolocols between major fi~nctionalo bjects
Docur~zerlll lle result clntl sirbruit for revie~v- Peer review is a vital step in tlie
development of architecture for a systenl as co~nplexa nd sarety critical as a new aircraft
transportation system.
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The Airborne Irzterrret (AI) is about informalion connectivity. It is n conccpt !hat adopts
modern network theory and principlcs into the transportation realm, crealing a systenl in
which aircrafi and people in transit will be connected with a scalable, general purpose,
and multi-application aviation data channel. It connects airct-aft and pcople in transit.
Airborrre Interrret provides aircrafi to the ground,
ground to ground and aircraft to aircraft communicatiot~s in support of air trariic
management, fleet operations, and passenger support services.
Airborrre Irrterrret has the potential to change the way
aircraft receive and scnd data, or more appropriately, inforniation. A.1. will provide an
interconnected digital data networlc between aircraft and to/from the groi~ndA. .I. has tlie
potential to change how aircraft are t-nonitored atltl tracl<ed by tlie air traffic control
system, how they exchange infomiation with and about other aircraft
ABOUT A.I.
ADVANTAGES
APPLICATIONS
AIC
HOW AIRBORNE INTERNET WORKS
ARCHITECTURE DEVELOPMENT METHODOGY
CONCLUSION
REFERENCE