Federal Aviation

Administration

REDAC / NAS Ops 

Guillermo Sotelo, AJV-722 

Date: 8/13/2019

Operations Concept 

Development and 

Infrastructure (ATDP)

BLI Number: 1A01C 

Review of FY 2022 

Proposed Portfolio
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

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Operations Concept Development and 

Infrastructure (ATDP) 

1A01C

What are the benefits to the FAA

This program supports the FAA’s Strategic Initiatives by delivering benefits through technology and 

infrastructure; Supports the development, analysis, and simulation of new concepts to assess 

requirements and to evaluate the impact of the concept on system capacity, efficiency, safety and 

human performance. Evaluation criteria include the following:

• Impact/Improvement to Air Traffic Service Providers, airspace users, and automation that could 

increase capacity,

• Impact/Improvement on airspace structure which may increase productivity and hence capacity, 

• Impact/Improvement on communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) requirements to 

support the FAA's efforts to reducing cost, increasing capacity and efficiency and,

• Impact/Improvement on automation, display, and facility configuration elements to increase 

productivity and hence capacity.

What determines program success

Success is measured by the completion of the goals identified in multi-year plans developed for each 

activity. Initiatives that successfully complete all the project goals identified are then presented as 

candidates for acquisition.
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

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ATDP/ BLI# 1A01C 

Overview Capabilities

People:

• Program Manager: Guillermo Sotelo, AJV-7

• Subject Matter Experts: Traffic Managers, ATC, Discipline 

Experts, Airspace User Community

• Research Partners: ANG, NASA, MITRE, Lincoln Labs, Volpe, 

Academia

Laboratories:

• MITRE

• Tech Center

• Florida Test Bed

• NASA

• Volpe
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

ATDP– Accomplishments in FY19

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• TBFM – TFMS Operational Integration

– Completed assessment of the proposed extended metering 

design at PHL as the new baseline condition 

• Emerging Use of Dashboards for Operations

– Completed the draft shortfall analysis report 
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

TBFM-TFMS Operational Integration

• Description

– Identify capabilities and/or data exchange between TBFM and 

TFMS to operationally integrate strategic and tactical flow 

management initiatives

Graphic source: FAA

Potential Benefits

 Reduced 

double delay 

experienced by 

operators

 Informs 

expectations for 

improved 

operator fleet 

management 

decisionmaking

 Reduced 

airborne delay

Exchange

Operational 

Integration

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Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

TBFM-TFMS Operational Integration (cont.)

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• Status: 

– Updated PHL’s operational baseline view for nominal 

days, taking into consideration the proposed extended 

metering design

• Next Steps:

– Complete analysis to identify opportunity space for 

preconditioning of traffic for arrival metering operations 

at PHL

– Develop recommendations for next steps to include a 

potential field trial

– Continue collaboration with NASA to define knowledge 

transfer package associated with the Integrated 

Demand Management (IDM) research
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

Use of Required Time of Arrival (RTA)

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• Description: 

– Assess the use of RTA in the cruise phase of flight, for extended 

metering operations, before top of descend

• Status: 

– Results indicate that using RTA to manage extended metering 

operations in the cruise phase of flight is feasible (Leveraging 

the Flight Management System (FMS) RTA capabilities 

available today to meet a TBFM generated schedule)

• Next Steps:

– Requirements under consideration as part of the next TBFM 

enhancement investment,

– On-going collaboration with AJT to address potential 

operational concerns.
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

Emerging Use of Dashboards for Operations

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• Description: 

– Analyze shortfalls within the context of situational awareness at 

the ATCSCC 

– Develop path forward to mitigate shortfalls and enhance 

situational awareness 

• Includes NAS performance monitor and alert capabilities for 

Traffic Managers at the ATCSCC

• Provides a view of NAS status using a set of performance metrics 

and data sources with configurable alert thresholds

– Leverages existing NAS Operations Dashboard (NOD) 

prototype, and the TBFM Dashboard concept

• Status:

– Completed initial shortfall analysis

• Next Steps: 

– Develop recommendations for mitigating the shortfall space
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

iTBO Gate-to-Gate Strategy

Scope: Gate-to-Gate 

Operations Between 

Select OriginDestinations

Context: Multi-Year 

Incremental Transition 

Towards iTBO

Exchange

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LAX DEN

iTBO Gate-to-Gate Operation
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

iTBO Gate-to-Gate Strategy

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• Description: 

– Describes the envisioned integrated operations, 

detailed on a position-by-position basis, accounting for 

the collective use of iTBO capabilities, in key 

operational situations by key ATM roles

– Accounts for current procedures and expectations/key 

assumptions about forthcoming new procedures

– Informs field training development and provides siteagnostic assumptions for developing SOPs and LOAs

• Status:

– New start
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

Technical Analysis for the Integrated Traffic 

Flow Management Evolution

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• Description: 

– Supports a cross-LOB FAA team to initiate technical 

analyses toward defining a strategy for a future flow 

management operational state

– Take stock of key TFM research and analyses 

completed, on-going field activities, and forthcoming 

plans that impact TFM operations

• Status:

– New start
Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

Anticipated Research in FY20 and FY21

Planned Research Activities

– Operational Integration Analysis: Conduct analysis of possible 

operational integration issues as emerging concepts evolve,

– Advanced Rerouting and Time-Based Management (TBM) 

Operations: In collaboration with NASA, conduct concept 

validation activities, support technical transfer activities, and 

artifact development for the integration of advanced rerouting and 

TBM,

– Trajectory-Based Operations (TBO): Leveraging previous 

trajectory-related elements/activities (e.g., PBN, T/S/S Tools), and 

international activities, mature TBO concepts through scenario 

development and simulation activities.

Expected Research Products

– Identification of operational opportunities and challenges as 

emerging concepts evolve, 

– Simulation activities, mature Concept of Operations, and risk 

mitigation recommendations,

– Tech transfer packages.

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Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

Emerging FY22 Focal Areas

• Operational Integration Analysis as 

emerging concepts evolve

• Enhanced synchronization of strategic and 

tactical capabilities to optimize Time-Based 

Management

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Federal Aviation ATDP Administration

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Operations Concept Development and Infrastructure 

(ATDP)

FY 2022 Planned Research

Research Requirement Outputs/Outcomes

Out Year Funding Requirements

FY19 FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23

$ 5M $ 5M $ 6M $ 6M $ 6M

Enhanced synchronization of strategic 

and tactical capabilities to optimize 

Time-Based Management (TBM) 

operations

Other areas may surface as plans 

mature

Concept validation supports 

development, analysis, and simulation of 

new concepts to assess requirements 

and to evaluate the impact of the concept 

on system capacity, efficiency, safety and 

human performance potentially leading to 

investment decision.

Analysis and refined concepts leading 

to enhanced synchronization of 

strategic and tactical capabilities to 

optimize TBM operations

Analysis and concept generation on 

operational issues as they arise