Delivering two game-changing solutions, the SESAR-supported iSNAP project is paving the way towards a next‑generation ATC platform.
The digitalisation of Europe’s air traffic management (ATM) won’t happen in leaps but in steps. Two of those steps were taken by the SESAR-supported iSNAP project.
“We developed two fundamental solutions, both of which represent important first steps to achieving a new generation of ATM systems,” says Mayte Cano Rincón, SESAR project coordinator at Indra.
One of those solutions lays the technological foundation for iTEC SkyNex, a new ATM platform designed to further optimise flight trajectories in real time using advanced algorithms.
“Not only did we validate that this solution performs as expected but does so within an integrated platform – meaning that is ready for deployment,” adds Cano Rincón.
iTEC SkyNex aims to decouple the ATM service provision from ATM infrastructure. In doing so, it will enhance the safety, resilience and scalability of the ATM network and allow for a more flexible delivery of ATM services.
iSNAP helped advance this concept via several technical developments, including a new supervisor working position that centralises the monitoring of all system nodes, safety nets and tracking services. The working position also offers advanced historical message management and remote supervision capabilities.
By leveraging such modern technologies as off-the-shelf software and hardware components and infrastructure virtualisation, many of the project’s technological developments offer significant improvements in efficiency and cost-effectiveness. This in turn will enhance iTEC SkyNex’s reliability and scalability, enabling faster innovation cycles and making it easier to incorporate new features down the road.
A virtual architecture for more flexible air traffic services
The project also delivered a validated new architecture designed to delegate air traffic control services between different air traffic service units. By providing a clear functional split between the automated data service provider and the air traffic services unit, this solution allows the controller working positions to be decoupled from where the data is processed.
“This innovative, virtual architecture supports a more open, flexible and service-oriented ecosystem and strengthens system resilience,” explains Cano Rincón.
The solution was fully demonstrated under realistic operational conditions, showing no negative impact on the safety or usability of the controller working positions. The concept also received high levels of user acceptance, particularly from air traffic controllers who reported having confidence in the system’s behaviour throughout the validation activities.
A significant step towards a next-generation ATC platform
Taken together, these two solutions move the needle towards a new service delivery model – a model that itself paves the way towards achieving a truly digital European sky. In fact, many of the concepts explored by the iSNAP project are already feeding into the evolution of the iTEC SkyNex platform.
“Facing the challenge of identifying new technologies and the transition from monolithic ATM systems to modular, cloud-based and service-oriented architectures that enable scalable deployment, enhanced flexibility and improved cost efficiency are all major milestones,” concludes Cano Rincón. “As such, our work represents a significant step toward a next‑generation ATC platform and the future of ATM.”
While the project may be finished, its work certainly is not. New SESAR initiatives, such as the ARTEMISA project, are set to build on the project’s innovations and advance its solutions towards implementation within the new ATM service delivery model.
