Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System (AeroMACS) Status Briefing Presentation to WG-W/4 Montreal, Canada

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Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System
(AeroMACS) Status BriefingPresentation to
WG-W/4Montreal, Canada
Presented by Brent Phillips FAA Date Sept
14 - 16, 2011
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Background

• Future Communications Study (AP-17), ICAO
  Aeronautical Communications Panel, Recommendation
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• Develop a new system based on the IEEE 802.16e
  standard operating in the C-band and supporting
  the airport surface environment.
• NextGen Implementation Plan (FY09, FY10 FY11)
  to improve collaborative Air Traffic Management
  includes New ATM Requirements Future
  Communications
• Concepts of use, preliminary requirements, and
  architecture for C-band airport surface wireless
  communication system
• Test bed infrastructure to enable validation of
  aviation profile

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C-band Datalink Recommendations

• Develop airport surface system based on IEEE
  802.16e standard
• A1.1 Identify the portions of the IEEE standard
  best suited for airport surface wireless
  communications, identify and develop any missing
  functionality and propose an aviation specific
  standard to appropriate standardisation bodies
• A1.2 Evaluate and validate the performance of
  the aviation specific standard to support
  wireless mobile communications networks operating
  in the relevant airport surface environments
  through trials and test bed development
• A1.3 Propose a channelization methodology for
  allocation of safety and regularity of flight
  services in the band to accommodate a range of
  airport classes, configurations and operational
  requirements
• A0.4 Complete business analysis in relation to
  the FCI components and implementation from the
  perspective of the ground infrastructure and the
  airlines.

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2007 World Radiocommunications Conference
Decision

• The WRC-07 approved adding an AM(R)S allocation
  for 5091-5150 MHz to the International Table of
  Frequency Allocations
• Removed prior limitation in so-called MLS
  Extension Band for support of navigation/surveill
  ance functions
• AM(R)S designation for safety and regularity of
  flight applications
• No interference allowed with other occupants in
  the band non-GEO satellite feeder links and
  aeronautical telemetry
• Protected allocation enables ICAO to develop
  international standards for airport mobile (i.e.,
  wheels in contact) surface wireless
  communications networks that include fixed assets
• Ideal for airport surface wireless network with
  short range (10 km or less sector coverage) and
  high data throughput (10s of Mb/s)
• The WRC-12 will consider adding an AM(R)S
  allocation in the 5000-5030 MHz band

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Potential AeroMACS Service Categories in U.S.
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AeroMACS Service Examples and Provision Options
Air Traffic Services Air Traffic Services
Service Examples Air traffic control commands beyond Data Comm Segment 3 Surface communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) fixed assets
Provision Options Government-owned (licensed)/Government-operated (GO/GO) Government-owned (licensed)/Commercially-operated (GO/CO) Non-competed service extension via FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) Open commercial competition by FAA
Airline Services Airline Services
Service Examples Airline Operational Control (AOC) Airline Administrative Communications (AAC) Advisory information System Wide Information Management (SWIM) Aeronautical Information Management (AIM) Meteorological (MET) data services
Provision Options Commercially-owned (licensed)/Commercially-operated (CO/CO) Non-competed service extension via exiting AOC service providers Airline service provision internally Open commercial competition by airlines
Airport Operator/Port Authority Services Airport Operator/Port Authority Services
Service Examples Security video Routine and emergency operations De-icing/snow removal
Provision Options Local Government-owned (licensed)/Commercially-operated (GO/CO) Commercially-owned (licensed)/Commercially-operated (CO/CO) Open commercial competition by Operator/Port Authority
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C-Band Research Description FY09

• Develop ConUse, requirements, and architecture
  for the C-Band airport surface wireless
  communications system
• Conduct supporting system analyses (e.g.
  high-level safety, interference, wireless
  security, risk assessment) 
• Develop detailed system designs based on IEEE
  802.16 standards
• Establish an operational capability in NextGen
  CNS Test Bed to characterize the performance and
  conduct services demos/trials
• Develop test and demo plans and execute those
  plans to establish baseline performance as point
  of departure for proposed aeronautical services
  modifications
• Develop initial recommendations for joint
  RTCA/EUROCAE standards activities and provide
  support to new RTCA SC, and propose methods to
  validate standards in follow-on tasks

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AeroMACS FY10 Evaluations

• Measure data throughput and packet integrity for
  the following conditions
• 5 and 10 MHz channel bandwidths
• Stationary and mobile subscriber stations at
  speeds of at least 40 knots
• Line-Of-Sight (LOS) and Non-LOS (N-LOS)
  propagation links
• Presence of adjacent channel activity
• Mobility tests with hand-off transition between
  base station coverage sectors and between base
  stations
• Determine minimum transmit power required to
  maintain a minimum level of link performance
• Single subscriber station antenna
• MIMO antenna diversity
• Characterize link performance when transferring
  sensor data from MLAT sensors in test bed
• Mixture of data traffic streams
• Traffic priority setting with Quality of Service
  (QoS) settings

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AeroMACS NASA-CLE CNS Test Bed

• ITTs AeroMACS prototype implements features
  required to support mobile and stationary
  wideband communications for safety and regularity
  of flight services in an operational airport
  environment
• Full prototype network has been installed,
  including user verification and security with
  Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting
  (AAA) server function
• AeroMACS hardware and network installation
  completed in October 2009 with two multi-sector
  base stations providing wide area coverage and
  redundancy (one on Glenn property, one on CLE)
  and eight subscriber stations (two on Glenn, six
  on CLE)
• AeroMACS operational capability established in
  March 2010

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NASA-Cleveland Test Bed AeroMACS Network Layout
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Two-Sector Base Station Located at NASA Glenn
Hangar Building 4
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Three-Sector Base Station Located at CLE
Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) Building
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Subscriber Station Installation Example on Sensis
MLAT Equipment at NASA Glenn Building 500
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Funded Research Activities in FY11

• Evaluate selected ATC mobile applications on the
  aeronautical mobile airport communications system
  (AeroMACS)
• Investigate and resolve remaining issues
  affecting the final AeroMACS profile inputs to
  the MOPS process
• Evaluate and recommend mobile Source Station (SS)
  MIMO antenna configurations for mobile SSs
• Optimize AeroMACS system-level performance (QoS,
  data throughput, latency, error rate) within ITU
  limitations on radiated power
• Resolve channel BW and center frequency spacing
  plans to satisfy US and European objectives while
  preserving Spectrum Office flexibility and
  compatibility with WiMAX Forum practices
• Validate that the proposed AeroMACS complies with
  interference requirements for the US proposed
  allocation at World Radiocommunications
  Conference in 2012.

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RTCA SC-223

• RTCA Program Management Council approved SC-223
  in July 2009 for Airport Surface Wireless
  Communications standard development
• Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communications System
  (AeroMACS) profile is based on IEEE 802.16-2009
  standard
• Working in close collaboration with EUROCAE WG-82
  to develop joint profile and MOPS documents.
• Engaged industry participation for their
  perspectives
• Honeywell (Co-Lead) and Rockwell Collins,
  avionics providers
• ITT (Co-Lead) and Harris, service providers
• Boeing, aircraft manufacturer
• Draft AeroMACS profile complete. Document
  through Final Recommendations and Comments
  (FRAC). Presented to PMC 28 Sept. 2011 for formal
  approval.
• Minimum Operational Performance Standard (MOPS)
  process began in February 2011.
• Next RTCA SC-223/EUROCAE WG-82 Meeting
• 11-13 October in Langen, Germany

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Approach for Technical Parameter Profile
Profile Area Key Parameter Selections
RF/Radio parameters Frequency band Channel BWs Channel center frequencies 5091 to 5150 MHz 5, 10 MHz Center frequencies at 5 MHz increments
Power class Max DL TX power Max UL TX power Unchanged from IEEE 802.16e
Duplex Mode TDD/FDD TDD
Physical Layer M-ary QAM range Coding options MIMO Performance profiles Min. performance defined in 802.16e and sensitivity values scaled for frequency
MAC Layer ARQ Security protocols Mobile protocols QoS options Unchanged from IEEE 802.16e

• System profile define AeroMACS operation in the
  unique airport surface environment
• Profile based on IEEE 802.16-2009 broadband
  mobility standard
• Leverages commercial mobile Worldwide
  Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) for
  profiles, hardware, software, and network
  architecture
• Testing, analyses, and demos will validate that
  application needs are met
• RTCA SC-223 is developing FAA profile
  recommendations EUROCAE WG-82 is developing
  common profile for EUROCONTROL in parallel

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Pending FAA/SJU Coordination Plan

• Coordination Plan 4.4 Data-Link Technology
• The U.S/FAA and EU/SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU)
  have established a Memorandum of Cooperations for
  Civil Aviation RD.
• Annex 1 is for NextGen-SESAR Harmonization
• Eurocontrol/Nikos Fistas and FAA/Brent Phillips
  are the leads for the Data Link Technology Plan
  under the Communications, Navigation,
  Surveillance (CNS) Airborne Interoperability
  Portfolio.
• CP 4.4 actions include agreement on
• LDACS Technology at the ICAO Level
• Updated AMSRS SARPs at the ICAO Level
• AeroMACS Standards including ICAO SARPs
• AeroMACS Cockpit Architecture
• Authentication and Authorizaton functionalities
  to ensure Global Hramonization
• Functionalities of a flexible Airborne
  Architiecture
• Conduct the research and technology development
  based on the ICAO endorsed findings and
  recommendations of AP-17 Future Communications
  Study (FCS)

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C-Band Research Description FY12

• Assess requirements for data service segregation
  and reliable delivery of ATC and AOC AeroMACS
  applications identified by the RCTA SC-223 Ad Hoc
  User Services and Applications Survey working
  group.
• Investigate secure and reliable methods for
  Private Key Management and synchronization across
  all AAA AeroMACS sites, including the
  responsibility for generating initial PKM
  certificates and dissemination across the
  AeroMACS system
• Support the development of the AeroMACS Standards
  and Recommended Practices (SARPS) document in
  ICAO ACP Working Group S through validation and
  analysis.