Patent ID: 9076327
Filing Date: 2015-07-07
Classification: B64D,G06Q,G08G

Abstract:
1. A computer program product in a computer readable memory for controlling a processor to allow an airline, aviation authority or other entity to more accurately predict the airport capacity, landing direction, landing runway and runways available for a specified set of aircraft, during a specified time at a specified airport, based upon specified data comprised of the historical and current weather, airport conditions/configuration, arrival/departure demand, associated system resources, aviation system specified criteria and other specified data, some of which is temporally varying, said method comprising the steps of: a means of continuously collecting and storing the forecast weather (i.e., Terminal Area Forecast—TAF), actual weather (i.e., METAR Weather Report, wind speed/direction, ceiling, visibility, etc.), runways available (i.e., Automatic Terminal Information Service—ATIS), airport/runway conditions and other specified data during a specified time period, at a specified airport to create a historical database of said data, a means of continuously measuring the actual airport capacity, actual landing direction and actual landing runway for a set of specified aircraft, during a specified time period, at a specified airport to create a historical database of said data, a means for continuously collecting and storing the actual airport capacity, actual departure capacity, actual landing direction and actual landing runway for a set of specified aircraft, during a specified time period, at a specified airport to create a historical database of said data, a means for assigning to each of the plurality of data a figure of merit whose value is a measure of the accuracy of the data, wherein the Figure of Merit (FOM), having a specified value, which, when exceeded, implies that the plurality of data is of sufficient accuracy and reliability so as to warrant its use in the prediction of the airport capacity, landing direction, landing runway and runways available for a set of specified aircraft, during a specified time period, at a specified airport, a means for correlating the data in the historical database of the historical actual weather (wind speed/direction, ceiling, visibility, etc.), historical actual runways available, historical actual airport configuration and other specified data during a specified time period, at a specified airport with the historical database of the historical actual airport capacity, historical actual landing direction and historical actual landing runway for the same set of specified aircraft, during the same specified time period, at the same specified airport to determine what historical weather conditions (wind speed/direction, ceiling, visibility, etc.), runways available, airport configuration, arrival/departure demand and other specified data yielded what actual airport capacity, actual landing direction and actual landing runway, a means of using airline schedules, current aircraft position (ASDI, ADS-B, ADS-C, etc.), aircraft flight plans, future aircraft trajectories and other specified data to predict the arrival/departure demand for a set of specified aircraft, during a specified time period, at a specified airport, a means of using the correlation of the data in the historical database for the historical actual weather (wind speed/direction, ceiling, visibility, etc.), historical actual runways available, historical actual airport configuration and other specified data to the historical database of the historical actual airport capacity, historical actual landing direction and historical actual landing runway for the same set of specified aircraft, during the same specified time period, at the same specified airport in conjunction with the current airport weather (i.e., METAR), predicted airport weather (i.e., TAF), current runways available (i.e., ATIS), predicted arrival/departure demand and other specified data to predict the future airport capacity, landing direction, landing runway and runways available for a set of specified aircraft, during a specified time period, at a specified airport, a means for continuously collecting and updating the databases and other specified data to capture the latest information, such that the databases represent a data set for a time period that represents a current and statistically accurate view of the historical data for a set of specified aircraft, during a specified time period, at a specified airport.