Proposal Number:          21-1- A3.01-1541

          

          

   

Subtopic Title:
      Advanced Air Traffic Management System Concepts

          

          

   

Proposal Title:
      Weather Guidance for Upper Class E Traffic Management

          

          

   

Firm:

          

ATAC

          

   

Address:

          

2770 De La Cruz Boulevard, Santa Clara, CA 95050

          

   

Phone:

          

(408) 736-2822                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Aditya Saraf

          

   

E-mail:

          

aps@atac.com

          

   

Address:

          

2770 De La Cruz Boulevard, CA 95050 - 2624

          

   

Phone:

          

(408) 736-2822                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Joe Isaacs

          

   

E-mail:

          

jai@ATAC.com

          

   

Address:

          

2770 De La Cruz Blvd. , CA 95050 - 2624

          

   

Phone:

          

(408) 736-2822                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) :                                                                                                                                                          
Begin: 1
End: 3

          

          

     

Technical Abstract (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words):

The proposed SBIR develops the first-ever computational-model-based wind turbulence forecasts for ultra-high-altitudes. It applies innovative weather-translation methods to ultra-high weather forecasts to provide an Upper Class E (UCE) Weather Guidance Service (UWGS). UWGS is highly relevant to Subtopic A3.01 because it addresses two key ATM challenges relevant to improving capacity, throughput, and safety of near-future (2025-30) NAS operations in UCE airspace: (1) wind and weather effects in UCE airspace pose significant safety and deconfliction challenges to aviation operations and (2) current weather prediction and translation tools are inadequate to meet these challenges. We address these challenges by first developing an ultra-high-altitude computational wind turbulence forecast model by extending NCAR’s gold-standard GTG Class A airspace wind turbulence prediction model. Then, we develop innovative weather translation methods to improve (1) flight intent predictions in UCE airspace, (2) wind hazard alerting, and (3) aircraft separation envelopes, based on wind and aircraft performance, for use in UCE traffic management cooperative separation services. In Phase II, we expand UWGS to address the broader cooperative separation problem in UCE airspace. UWGS supports crucial weather guidance service needs for the ETM Separation Service simulations planned by NASA ATM-X’s Collaborative Traffic Management sub-project. UWGS also provides a digital service for potential integration into NASA ATM-X’s DIP-TS sub-project’s planned Digital Information Platform. Anticipated results of Phase I are a table-top proof-of-concept demonstration based on a UCE flight intent prediction, wind hazard alerting, and separation envelope guidance for a cooperative separation scenario involving at least two UCE aircraft types, which will be chosen in coordination with NASA, FAA, and ETM operators.

          

          

     

Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words):

• Weather Guidance Supplementary Data Service for supporting ETM Separation Service simulations planned by NASA ATM-X’s Collaborative Traffic Management
• Digital service for integration into NASA ATM-X’s DIP sub-project’s Digital Information Platform
• NASA ER-2 high-altitude airborne science aircraft flight planning and dispatching improvements

          

          

     

Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words):

• Flight planning decision aids for UCE and DOD aircraft operators
• Wind-Informed Flight Intent Prediction service for ETM operators
• Upper Class E Wind Hazard Prediction service for ETM operators
• Dynamic, wind- and aircraft-performance-dependent Separation Envelope guidance service for supporting ETM operators’ cooperative separation services as well as FAA’s regulatory oversight service

          

          

     

Duration:     6