Overview
DIGITS will contribute to reinforce the “Enabling Aviation infrastructure” key feature of SESAR 2020 by demonstrating the ATM benefits that can be realized through the use of downlinked 4D trajectory data in ground systems.
The project proposes, in a close to operational environment and in fully representative operational conditions, a set of tightly coordinated development and demonstration actions of key airborne and ground stakeholders in Europe.
The airborne industry will develop up to certification the worldwide first airborne unit capable of downlinking ADS-C data according to ATN Baseline 2 standard in compliance with PCP AF#6 (Initial Trajectory Information Sharing).
The ANSPs and ground industry will build up pre-operational system platforms capable of receiving and processing ADS-C data including the Extended Projected Profile (EPP). These platforms will e.g. display the shared trajectory data to controllers on their working positions and integrate it in the Flight data Processing systems for the enhancement of the ground Trajectory Prediction.
DIGITS plans to have revenue flights becoming available gradually as from mid 2018. These commercial flights will downlink ADS-C data to be processed in ATM ground systems of four participating ANSPs, covering together a substantial part of European airspace and air traffic under a variety of operational conditions.
Demonstrations will be done in a shadow mode system set-up, supported by further offline analysis and post-processing. Project partners will make significant efforts to assess together with operational experts the benefits of initial trajectory sharing, its system impacts, potential human performance impacts and opportunities for further ATM performance improvements.
DIGITS will bridge the gap between the early validation of the Trajectory Based Operations concept achieved in SESAR 1, also known as “initial 4D”, with successful flight trials in 2012 and 2014, and the deployment of PCP AF#6.