Patent Description:
Aircraft flight data generated on-board an aircraft can result in recording many, e.g., thousands, of files associated with operation of the aircraft. If a maintenance event occurs, a larger quantity of data may be generated, and the data may need to be analyzed to determine a potential maintenance action when the aircraft lands. Manual data transfer through physical connections can be slow and time consuming with respect to an aircraft. Aircraft equipped with wireless communication interfaces may be capable of more rapidly transferring data; however, the quality of wireless transmission, such as signal strength and transmission rate, can vary from airport to airport and can further vary based on a physical location at an airport affected by interference from steel structures like buildings and interference from other radio devices. This variability can result in difficulties in predicting how long a wireless data transfer may take depending on the physical location of the aircraft. Delays in data transfer can result in aircraft scheduling impacts, maintenance action delays, and other such issues.

<CIT> discloses a flight awareness collaboration tool that provides an airport map comprising multiple layers, including a satellite view of the airport with aircraft icons.

<CIT> discloses prior art antenna structures and methods thereof for determining locations to improve wireless communications.

<CIT> discloses prior art apparatus and methods for providing communication quality information.

<CIT> discloses a prior art crowd enhanced connectivity map for data transfer intermittency mitigation.

<CIT> discloses a prior art radio communication system.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system as set forth in claim <NUM>.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include where the status data includes aircraft information and aircraft communication history of one or more wireless interfaces used to transfer data to/from an aircraft.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include where the aircraft information includes an identifier of the aircraft and a location of performing a transfer of data to/from the aircraft, and the aircraft communication history includes a signal strength, an amount of data transferred, and a duration of transferring the data to/from the aircraft,.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include where the geographic location information includes aircraft grouping data associated with the aircraft parking locations, an airport area, and a full airport level.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include where the aircraft communication visualization map includes one or more visual indicators associated with an average data transfer rate at the aircraft parking locations.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include where the processing system is configured to execute the instructions to result in outputting to the aircraft communication visualization map, an average data transfer rate for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include where the processing system is configured to execute the instructions to result in outputting to the aircraft communication visualization map, a wireless interface usage distribution for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include where the processing system is configured to execute the instructions to result in outputting to the aircraft communication visualization map, an average wireless signal strength for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include where the processing system is configured to execute the instructions to result in outputting to the aircraft communication visualization map, an average wireless transfer rate for a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method as set forth in claim <NUM>.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include outputting to the aircraft communication visualization map, an average data transfer rate for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include outputting to the aircraft communication visualization map, a wireless interface usage distribution for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include outputting to the aircraft communication visualization map, an average wireless signal strength for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

In addition to one or more of the features described above or below, or as an alternative, further embodiments may include outputting to the aircraft communication visualization map, an average wireless transfer rate for a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

A technical effect of the apparatus, systems and methods is achieved by performing aircraft communication visualization as described herein.

Referring now to the drawings, <FIG> illustrates a system <NUM> supporting wireless communication between a communication adapter <NUM> of a gas turbine engine <NUM> and a plurality of offboard systems <NUM>. The gas turbine engine <NUM> can be coupled to an aircraft <NUM>, where the aircraft <NUM> can include multiple instances of the gas turbine engine <NUM>. The gas turbine engine <NUM> can include a fan section <NUM>, a compressor section <NUM>, a combustor section <NUM>, and a turbine section <NUM>. The fan section <NUM> drives air along a bypass flow path, while the compressor section <NUM> drives air along a core flow path for compression and flow into the combustor section <NUM> then expansion through the turbine section <NUM>. A fan case <NUM> of the fan section <NUM> can be covered by a cowling <NUM> and may provide an installation surface that is cooler than other sections <NUM>-<NUM> of the gas turbine engine <NUM>.

An engine control <NUM> can be mounted on the fan case <NUM>, or elsewhere, and covered by the cowling <NUM>. The engine control <NUM> is configured to monitor and control operation of the gas turbine engine <NUM> in real-time. In order to transfer configuration items, such as programs and data to and from the engine control <NUM>, contemporary systems typically require that the cowling <NUM> is opened and multiple cables of bundled wires are coupled to the engine control <NUM>. Such a process can ensure deliberate actions are taken in extracting data and performing updates to the engine control <NUM>; however, the process can be slow and require large lengths of customized cables. The communication adapter <NUM>, also referred to as a gas turbine engine communication gateway, can be configured to establish communication with the engine control <NUM> and wireless communication with one or more offboard systems <NUM> external to the aircraft <NUM>. Similar to the engine control <NUM>, the communication adapter <NUM> can be mounted on the fan case <NUM>, or elsewhere, and covered by the cowling <NUM> of the gas turbine engine <NUM>. Wireless communication can alleviate the need for customized cables or physically opening the cowling <NUM> to establish communication with the offboard systems <NUM>. Although depicted on the gas turbine engine <NUM>, the communication adapter <NUM> can be located elsewhere on the aircraft <NUM> and may be combined with one or more components of the aircraft <NUM>.

The offboard systems <NUM> can include, for example, a ground station <NUM>, a near-wing maintenance computer <NUM>, an access portal <NUM>, and/or other devices that may establish one-way or two-way wireless communication with the communication adapter <NUM>. For example, a global positioning system (GPS) can provide one-way wireless signaling to the communication adapter <NUM> to assist in confirming a geographic location of the gas turbine engine <NUM> and aircraft <NUM> while the communication adapter <NUM> is coupled to the gas turbine engine <NUM>. Wireless communication performed by the communication adapter <NUM> can be through a variety of technologies with different ranges supported. As one example, the communication adapter <NUM> can support Wi-Fi (e.g., radio wireless local area networking based on IEEE <NUM> or other applicable standards), GPS, cellular networks, satellite communication, and/or other wireless communication technologies known in the art. In embodiments, the communication adapter <NUM> can support two or more types of wireless communication to provide redundant communication options, such as a cellular communication link and a Wi-Fi communication link. Wireless communication between the communication adapter <NUM> and the offboard systems <NUM> can be direct or indirect. For instance, wireless communication between the communication adapter <NUM> and ground station <NUM> may pass through one or more network interface components <NUM>, such as a cell tower, a repeater, or a network node, while wireless communication between the communication adapter <NUM> and the near-wing maintenance computer <NUM> may be direct wireless communication without any relay components. Further, wireless communication between the communication adapter <NUM> and ground station <NUM> may be direct communication without passing through the one or more network interface components <NUM>.

The ground station <NUM> can enable communication with a variety of support systems, such as an access portal <NUM> that enables authorized users to access data, initiate tests, configure software, and perform other actions with respect to the engine control <NUM> or other systems of the aircraft <NUM>, where the communication adapter <NUM> acts as a secure gateway to limit access and interactions with the engine control <NUM>. As another example, the ground station <NUM> can communicate with a notification system <NUM>, which may trigger alerts, text messages, e-mails, and the like to authorized recipients regarding operational status of the gas turbine engine <NUM> and/or other aspects of the aircraft <NUM> and/or aspects of the communication gateway <NUM>. The near-wing maintenance computer <NUM> may provide an authorized user with limited authority a capability to query the communication adapter <NUM> for fault data, test parameters, and other such information. In some embodiments, the near-wing maintenance computer <NUM> can be authorized with limited authority to make updates to select configuration parameters, software executable or data collection parameters of the communication adapter <NUM>.

In embodiments, the ground station <NUM> and/or other offboard systems <NUM> of the system <NUM> can support communication with a server <NUM> through a network <NUM>. The server <NUM> can include a processing system <NUM> and a memory system <NUM> configured to store a plurality of computer executable instructions for execution by the processing system <NUM> and/or data. The executable instructions may be stored or organized in any manner and at any level of abstraction. The processing system <NUM> can be any type or combination of central processing unit (CPU), including one or more of: a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. Also, in embodiments, the memory system <NUM> may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile memory, such as Flash memory, read only memory (ROM) and/or other electronic, optical, magnetic, or any other comouter readable medium onto which is stored data and algorithms in a non-transitory form.

The server <NUM> can also interface with one or more databases <NUM> and one or more devices <NUM>. The databases <NUM> can include various data sources that capture data from the communication adapter <NUM> and/or supplement data to support communication and data analysis. For example, databases <NUM> may be partitioned by airlines to make fleetwide data available for airline analysis without sharing competitor data. The devices <NUM> can be any type of processing device capable of communicating through the network <NUM>. For instances, the devices <NUM> can include personal computers, workstations, tablet computers, mobile phones, wearable computing devices, and the like. The devices <NUM> may connect at a remote location from the server <NUM> and the ground station <NUM>. Further, the devices <NUM> may include an electronic flight bag device that can be used within the aircraft <NUM>. For instance, an electronic flight bag device may be periodically updated with information when a wireless communication channel is available and need not be continuously connected.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating further details of the system <NUM> of <FIG>, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The engine control <NUM> can control effectors <NUM> of the gas turbine engine <NUM> by generating one or more effector commands <NUM>. Examples of effectors <NUM> can include one or more motors, solenoids, valves, relays, pumps, heaters, and/or other such actuation control components. A plurality of sensors <NUM> can capture state data associated with the gas turbine engine <NUM> and provide sensed values <NUM> as feedback to the engine control <NUM> to enable closed-loop control of the gas turbine engine <NUM> according to one or more control laws. Examples of the sensors <NUM> can include one or more temperature sensors, pressure sensors, strain gauges, speed sensors, accelerometers, lube sensors, and the like.

The engine control <NUM> can be a full authority digital engine control that includes processing circuitry <NUM> and a memory system <NUM> configured to store a plurality of configuration items, where at least one of the configuration items includes a sequence of the computer executable instructions for execution by the processing circuitry <NUM>. Other types of configuration items can include but are not limited to data, such as constants, configurable data, and/or fault data. Examples of computer executable instructions can include boot software, operating system software, and/or application software. The executable instructions may be stored or organized in any manner and at any level of abstraction, such as in connection with controlling and/or monitoring operation of the gas turbine engine <NUM>. The processing circuitry <NUM> can be any type or combination of central processing unit (CPU), including one or more of: a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. Also, in embodiments, the memory system <NUM> may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile memory, such as Flash memory, read only memory (ROM), and/or other electronic, optical, magnetic, or any other computer readable medium onto which is stored data and algorithms in a non-transitory form.

In some embodiments, a data storage unit <NUM> may interface with the engine control <NUM>. The data storage unit <NUM> can include various types of fault records, configuration data, and/or other information specific to a current configuration of the system <NUM>. The data storage unit <NUM> can appear to the engine control <NUM> as a portion of addresses as an extension of the memory system <NUM> and may be in close physical proximity to the engine control <NUM> (e.g., physically coupled together).

The engine control <NUM> can also include one or more of an input/output interface <NUM>, a communication interface <NUM>, and/or other elements. The input/output interface <NUM> can include support circuitry for interfacing with the effectors <NUM> and sensors <NUM>, such as filters, amplifiers, digital-to-analog converters, analog-to-digital converters, and other such circuits to support digital and/or analog interfaces. Further, the input/output interface <NUM> can receive or output signals to/from other sources. The communication interface <NUM> can be communicatively coupled to the communication adapter <NUM>. The communication interface <NUM> may also communicate with an aircraft bus <NUM> of the aircraft <NUM> of <FIG>. The aircraft bus <NUM> may provide aircraft-level parameters and commands that are used by the engine control <NUM> to control the gas turbine engine <NUM> in real-time.

Similar to the engine control <NUM>, the communication adapter <NUM> can include processing circuitry <NUM>, a memory system <NUM>, an input/output interface <NUM>, and a communication interface <NUM>. The processing circuitry <NUM> can be any type or combination of central processing unit (CPU), including one or more of: a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like. Also, in embodiments, the memory system <NUM> may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile memory, such as Flash memory, read only memory (ROM), hard disk drive, and/or other electronic, optical, magnetic, or any other computer readable medium onto which is stored data and algorithms in a non-transitory form. The memory system <NUM> can be selectively encrypted or otherwise secured to limit unauthorized read and write operations. The communication adapter <NUM> can also include an internal sensor system <NUM>. The internal sensor system <NUM> can include, for example, one or more accelerometers, gyroscopes, barometers, a magnetometer (e.g., a compass), and other such sensors. Further, the communication adapter <NUM> can include other devices, such as a GPS receiver <NUM>. The input/output interface <NUM> can process data collected from the internal sensors <NUM> and condition the data in a format usable by the processing circuitry <NUM>. The communication interface <NUM> can interface with one or more antennas <NUM>, which may be integrated with the communication adapter <NUM> or located remotely from the communication adapter <NUM>, e.g., a shark-fin antenna mounted under or on the cowling <NUM> of <FIG>. Although depicted separately in <FIG> and <FIG>, in some embodiments the engine control <NUM> and communication adapter <NUM> can be combined, for instance, where the communication adapter <NUM> is a module or processing core within the engine control <NUM>.

The communication adapter <NUM> can act as a secure communication gateway with respect to the offboard systems <NUM>. For example, the offboard systems <NUM> can request to download files or other configuration items from the memory system <NUM> of the engine control <NUM> through the communication adapter <NUM>. The communication interface <NUM> of the engine control <NUM> can interface to the communication interface <NUM> of the communication adapter <NUM> through a wired, optical, or magnetic coupling. The communication interface <NUM> can communicate wirelessly through one or more antennas <NUM> to the offboard systems <NUM>. The communication interface <NUM> may also have access to receive data directly from the aircraft bus <NUM> in some embodiments. In alternate embodiments, the communication adapter <NUM> can send a request to the engine control <NUM> to provide aircraft parameters received via the aircraft bus <NUM> and/or engine parameters computed by the engine control <NUM>.

The communication adapter <NUM> can manage credentials and user authentication to limit access of the memory system <NUM> of the engine control <NUM>. User authentication can be defined for particular users or classes of users, such as equipment-owner users, maintenance technicians, engineering users, and the like. For example, a maintenance technician may have authority to adjust trimmable constants or reprogram certain regions of the memory system <NUM>. An engineering user may have authority to reprogram an operating system, boot program code, or application software in the memory system <NUM>, in addition to having permissions of the maintenance technician and the equipment-owner user. If user authentication fails, for instance, by user credentials not being recognized with respect to user authentication data, then the communication adapter <NUM> can block access of the offboard systems <NUM> from reading from or writing to the memory system <NUM>.

The aircraft <NUM> of <FIG> can have multiple communication adapters <NUM> (e.g., one per engine, one on aircraft). In some embodiments, each of the communication adapters <NUM> can establish a wireless link with the offboard systems <NUM>. Depending on the bandwidth and availability of multiple communication paths, the communication adapters <NUM> of the same aircraft <NUM> can establish wireless links with the offboard systems <NUM> as parallel communication paths to reduce a total transfer time to transfer data to/from the aircraft <NUM>. Where communication quality is lower, the communication adapters <NUM> of the aircraft <NUM> can be sequenced in a series of communications. Where one of the communication adapters <NUM> is able to establish a higher quality wireless connection (e.g., a higher transmission rate), such a communication adapter <NUM> can act as a communication hub for other communication adapters <NUM> of the aircraft <NUM>. For example, if one of the communication adapters <NUM> has a radio fault, data scheduled to be transferred by the faulty communication adapter <NUM> can be transferred (e.g., through an engine bus or the aircraft bus <NUM>) to a non-faulty communication adapter <NUM> for wireless transfer with the offboard systems <NUM>.

<FIG> is an example of an aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> can be generated by the server <NUM> of <FIG> for display on one or more of the devices <NUM> of <FIG>. For instance, when airline support personnel or a flight crew of the aircraft <NUM> of <FIG> determine that a wireless transfer of data should occur for the aircraft <NUM> at a particular airport, an application or web page on one of the devices <NUM> can display the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> as generated by the server <NUM>. The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> can be customized to view data specific to an airline fleet at airports where the airline operates. The server <NUM> can gather data from multiple data sources which collect wireless communication metrics from previous wireless transfers from aircraft <NUM> at various locations at each airport. The results can be visually depicted on the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> to assist in determining where and when to transfer data stored on the aircraft <NUM>. The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> can also assist in predicting how long a data transfer may typically take, where the data transfer location is known. The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> may also be used to trigger other actions. For example, aircraft parking location <NUM> may have twice the data transfer rate as aircraft parking locations <NUM> and <NUM>, and aircraft parking location <NUM> may have four times the data transfer rate as aircraft parking location <NUM>. Therefore, an operator of aircraft <NUM> scheduled to be parked at aircraft parking location <NUM> may prefer to delay transferring of data until located at a higher transfer rate location or departure scheduling may need to be adjusted to provide adequate time for the data transfer. There may be airport areas, such as airport area <NUM>, where data transfer rates are very low or wireless communication is not possible with the ground station <NUM> of <FIG>. When the aircraft <NUM> is at aircraft parking location <NUM> in the airport area <NUM>, it may trigger a notification for a maintenance crew to bring a near-wing maintenance computer <NUM> to the aircraft <NUM> for data transfer, and the near-wing maintenance computer <NUM> can be physically moved to a location where the data can be accessed, e.g., closer to one or more network interface components <NUM>.

As depicted in the example of <FIG>, the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> uses a satellite image to visualize an airport area where an airline has gates or other such facilities. The view is an overhead view.

The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> also includes inset map <NUM> of an airport at the target location. The inset map <NUM> provides a wider perspective view at a reduced scale, while a primary view of the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> may be focused on a group aircraft parking locations in an airport area. The inset map <NUM> can be a line drawing, while other features can be depicted with a different perspective, such as a camera-based image or model. The inset map <NUM> can also include data transfer and/or connection strength information summarized in shapes, colors, and/or patterns for an airline.

Various types of icons and overlays can be available for display on the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>. For example, the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> can display an airport identifier <NUM>, such as an airport code and/or location. The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> may also display summary information, such as a wireless interface usage distribution <NUM>. The wireless interface usage distribution <NUM> can include data transfer rates (e.g., kilobytes per second), interface types used (e.g., percentage use of WiFi, mobile/cell home, and/or mobile/cell roaming connections), and signal strength for each type of interface. The wireless interface usage distribution <NUM> can include data for an area of an airport (e.g., one or more gates/parking locations), multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline (e.g., all locations used by the airline at the same airport), and a plurality of airports used by the same airline (e.g., fleet data). The signal strength displayed with the wireless interface usage distribution <NUM> can include an average wireless signal strength for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline. The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> may also display an average data transfer rate <NUM> for the airport as compared to other airports. Further, the average data transfer rate <NUM> may be selectable to display one or more of data transfer rates for: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline.

The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> may also display a key <NUM> to assist in interpreting various icons and colors displayed on the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>. For example, the key <NUM> may indicate how various shapes, colors, and/or patterns map to data transfer rate, signal strength and/or communication method, such as WiFi or cellular. In the example of <FIG>, all of the data transfer rate variations appear as colored/shaded circles; however, it will be understood that other shapes and/or shape variations can be used. For example, signal strength can be depicted using triangles, squares, or other such shapes. Further, hovering a pointer, tapping, or otherwise selecting a location on the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> may provide additional information, such as a summary of past data transfers at the location. The underlying data used to create the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> can be periodically refreshed (e.g., hourly or daily) to reflect recent conditions. Further, underlying data can be updated as wireless transfers are performed.

<FIG> is a block diagram of a data flow <NUM>, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure. The data flow <NUM> is an example of data sources that may be accessed to generate the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> of <FIG>. For instance, aircraft data <NUM>, airport data <NUM>, and imagery data <NUM> can be accessed to populate communication visualization data <NUM> for use by the server <NUM> of <FIG> in generating and/or updating the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>. The aircraft data <NUM>, airport data <NUM>, and imagery data <NUM> are examples of the databases <NUM> of <FIG>. The aircraft data <NUM> can be collected through interactions with the ground station <NUM> of <FIG>. The airport data <NUM> and imagery data <NUM> may be available through secure connections via the network <NUM> of <FIG>. There may be multiple instances of the aircraft data <NUM> to keep airline data isolated between different airlines, while the airport data <NUM> and imagery data <NUM> may be shared by multiple airlines.

Referring now to <FIG> with continued reference to <FIG>, <FIG> is a flow chart illustrating a method <NUM> for aircraft communication visualization in accordance with an embodiment. The method <NUM> may be performed, for example, using the communication adapter <NUM> in conjunction with the engine control <NUM> of <FIG> and at least one of the offboard systems <NUM> of <FIG>.

At block <NUM>, the processing system <NUM> retrieves a plurality of status data associated with aircraft communication at a target location from a database. The database can be one or more databases <NUM> to extract aircraft data <NUM>. The target location can be an airport. The status data can include aircraft information and aircraft communication history of one or more wireless interfaces used to transfer data from an aircraft <NUM>. The aircraft information can include an identifier (e.g., aircraft registration number, aircraft serial number) of the aircraft <NUM> and a location of performing a transfer of data to/from the aircraft, such as GPS coordinates. The aircraft communication history can include a signal strength, an amount of data transferred, and a duration of transferring the data to/from the aircraft <NUM>. The signal strength can include multiple communication types, such as a cellular signal strength and/or a Wi-Fi signal strength.

At block <NUM>, the processing system <NUM> determines a plurality of geographic location information for a plurality of aircraft parking locations at the target location. The geographic location information can include aircraft grouping data associated with the aircraft parking locations, an airport area, and a full airport level. For instance, when determining values for an airport, a time history of multiple aircraft data transfers at multiple aircraft parking locations can be analyzed to determine averages with respect to an airline. An aircraft parking location can be grouped within about <NUM> meters, for example, while an airport area can be grouped at about <NUM> meters, and an airport can be grouped at about <NUM>,<NUM> meters. Other grouping sizes and distributions can be implemented. Airport information can be retrieved, for instance, from airport data <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the processing system <NUM> accesses imagery data <NUM> associated with a view at the target location. The imagery data <NUM> includes a satellite image and an inset map <NUM> of an airport at the target location. Alternatively, a schematic or other type of line drawings can be used to generate an image of the airport or an area of the airport.

At block <NUM>, the processing system <NUM> generates an aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> for the target location including aircraft communication information overlaid upon an image based on the imagery data <NUM> and the aircraft parking locations at the target location. The aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> can include one or more visual indicators associated with an average data transfer rate at the aircraft parking locations. Generation of the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM> can include filtering non-airport locations and infrequently used airport areas. The airport data <NUM> can be used to create bounding boxes associated with the images from the imagery data <NUM> and corelate coordinates between images and location data from the aircraft data <NUM> and airport data <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the processing system <NUM> can output to the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>, an average data transfer rate for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline. In some embodiments, the processing system <NUM> can output to the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>, a wireless interface usage distribution for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline. In some embodiments, the processing system <NUM> can output to the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>, an average wireless signal strength for one or more of: an area of an airport, multiple areas of the airport used by a same airline, and a plurality of airports used by the same airline. In some embodiments, the processing system <NUM> can output to the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>, an average wireless transfer rate for a plurality of airports used by the same airline. Other types of outputs can be overlaid on the aircraft communication visualization map <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A system (<NUM>) comprising:
a memory system (<NUM>) configured to store a plurality of instructions to provide aircraft communication visualization; and
a processing system (<NUM>) configured to execute the instructions to result in:
retrieving a plurality of status data associated with aircraft communication at a target location from a database (<NUM>);
determining a plurality of geographic location information for a plurality of aircraft parking locations (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) at the target location;
accessing a plurality of imagery data (<NUM>) associated with a view at the target location; and
generating an aircraft communication visualization map (<NUM>) for the target location comprising aircraft communication information overlaid upon an image based on the imagery data (<NUM>) and the aircraft parking locations (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) at the target location, wherein the imagery data (<NUM>) comprises a satellite image providing an overhead view, and the imagery data (<NUM>) comprises an inset map (<NUM>) of an airport at the target location, wherein the inset map (<NUM>) provides a wider perspective view at a reduced scale than a primary view of the aircraft communication visualization map (<NUM>) that depicts the aircraft parking locations.