Overview
The introduction of the new operational concepts of ATM puts high requirements on ATM R&D in Europe which requires a co-operative and integrated approach of all stakeholders involved in ATM R&D. To be able to co-ordinate R&D effectively, there is a need to create a data repository from which all relevant information can be made available to interested parties. The results of this work and associated database can ensure that ongoing research and the results obtained can be analysed year by year from any required viewpoint. The required activities will be co-ordinated by NLR.
This project pursued four main objectives, which are described below.
Objective 1: drawing a complete picture of ATM RTD
The primary objective of this project was to ensure that every European ATM related RTD project would be recorded on a single European database so that all actors of ATM RTD were identified with their respective areas of interest and that a complete picture of ATM RTD could be seen.
Objective 2: supporting ATM RTD networking and rationalisation
The second project objective was to ensure that all the ATM RTD projects identified through the data gathering process were captured in a co-ordinated system so that projects that were complimentary could be identified as such when searching through an ATM R&D Information System (ARDEP data repository). This would provide support to rationalisation ATM RTD through the detection of any duplication or similarities between recorded projects.
Objective 3: monitoring ATM RTD in relation to European priorities
The third objective was to consolidate information about the budgets allocated to the different projects, with a view to understand the scale of investment involved and thus enable ATM policy-makers to assess whether the absolute and relative levels of expense in each technical domain matched their priorities and expectations.
What should be provided was not a one-off snapshot but an analysis of the evolution based on the temporal series compiled in preceding years. This also provided a view of the effectiveness of past priorities as they evolved.
Objective 4: Providing a feed-back to the ATM RTD community
The fourth objective was to disseminate and market the information obtained and analysed, in the form of a digestible annual report. The main target audience for this report was the ATM RTD community and its sponsors, so that they may individually and collectively assess their proposed RTD strategies and proposals to the perceived duplications, gaps and complementarities in their respective programmes.
WP100: Management
The work package objective was to provide professional project management to ensure the deliverables were presented in time, within the budget and with the required quality. Internal processes as well as communication to the EC are managed within this work package.
WP200: Data collection
Objectives
- A complete view of current research & development projects applicable to Europe.
This was achieved through a data collection process which included project descriptions, objectives and budgets. A report was made available to all participating organisations which also was made available to the public without the budget figures;
- It is important that the data be reliable, consistent and timely.
An assessment of the R&D data collection process was undertaken to identify problems in meeting the objectives and to propose specific actions for improvement.
Description of work
To undertake this WP, partners agreed the R&D data needed and provided details of R&D projects that they were leading, or were associated with or were within their sphere of competence. The project used the ARDEP Web-based tool for data input. The use of this tool was be the responsibility of all partners, and they ensured consolidation by nominated partners of the data provided. This included initial analysis of the raw data in terms of both reliability and consistency checking.
WP300: Analysis of data
Objectives
The work package objective was to look at all the collected data in a consistent and systematic way in order to extract and compile data summaries relevant to the strategic needs of the different audiences i.e. European Commission, R&D stakeholders, service providers, industry and decision makers. This included an analysis of the data from several different perspectives i.e. mapping of SRA-2 by ATM activities and major European initiatives like SESAR.
Description of work
The purpose of the work package was to make best use of the available data gathered. Data seen without analysis makes it difficult to detect trends and identify patterns in the Research & Development & Trials (R&D&T) landscape. The focus of activities e.g. SESAR as a consequence of political and legal actions also needed to be understood. The feed-back to the actors (R&D&T), politicians and decision makers was essential in order
Funding
Results
Objective 1:
This objective implied that all existing networks (in particular ARDEP Information Support Network) of contacts would be used (and if necessary expanded) in order to access to numerous sources of primary information.
The SARDINE consortium has fulfilled this objective for the duration of the project by entering the organisations project data into the ARDEP data base for 2006 and 2007 projects.
Objective 2:
This objective implied:
- An identification and an involvement in key existing ATM R&D co-ordination mechanisms in order to establish a comprehensive project identification framework so that every new area of ATM RTD could be understood early on, and correctly identified and recorded with respect to other pre-existing themes.
- To provide input to ATM R&D Co-ordination mechanisms and specifications for future developments of existing ATM R&D Information Systems (ARDEP).
The SARDINE consortium has been involved in key existing ATM R&D co-ordination mechanisms by participating in the ARDEP ISN meetings and drafting group meetings of the ARDEP Green Book, as well as by providing important input to the data collection process and analysis of the data.
Objective 3
This objective implied that statistical comparison and presentation tools be used to provide a high level description of evolutions. ARDEP was already a mean to monitor ATM R&D activities in relation, to European Priorities. Additional statistics and presentation could be provided by ARDEP on request.
SARDINE has provided input into the analysis of the ARDEP Green Book.
SARDINE has also undertaken an assessment of the data collection process with the objective to deliver more consistent information through a more efficient and a more reliable process.
Objective 4
This objective implied that a significant amount of editorial effort would be spent annually to produce the new reference document on European RTD in ATM, but ARDEP contributed to the production of these publications SARDINE has fulfilled this objective by providing input to the drafting group meetings of the Green Book and has developed a Powerpoint presentation and a communication strategy that has been implemented in each organisation.
Readiness
Finally it is advised to support ARDEP with a process to fund an appropriate feeding of the database, because this would have added value for the quality of the database, and it is expected that a high quality of the contents of ARDEP will become beneficial to the management of ATM RTD programmes in Europe and the efficient execution of the ATM RTD programmes by the organisations commissioned with its undertaking.