Data-linked associate systems

An integrated management and decision-aiding approach for global control of the ATM system is needed. It is based on the premise that maximum efficiency can be reached only by synchronizing the total ATM decision-making process including the pilot in command (i.e., flight deck), the airline operations center (AOC), and the air traffic service (ATS) provider. Linkage of ATM decision makers is achieved through a totally new advanced telecommunications network. This approach features a compressed data stream sent through strategic routers, with virtually all processing accomplished by intelligent, high-capacity workstations. In addition to being a total system approach, our solution is unique because complex, high-density data from multiple sources are managed through cooperating expert systems located both in the air and on the ground, that is, in aircraft flight decks, AOCs, and ATC centers. These systems share and manage data routed over an advanced aeronautical telecommunications network (ATN) and are the foundation of the future advanced ATM system. This approach satisfies the complex communication and coordination needs of the flight deck, the AOC, and the ATS providers, all of which are essential to achieve the required efficiencies