Cooperative and Coordinated Digital Flight
A capability of cooperative and coordinated flight operations founded on a platform of secure digital information exchange, distributed authority, and intelligent onboard automation for flight path management in four dimensions (lateral, vertical, & time) to promote ubiquitous, safe, seamless, and efficient airspace utilization for all operators and with flexible architectures that enable operators to achieve their unique and diverse mission objectives with minimal restriction.
Intelligent and Adaptive Automation
Collective learning and dynamic information processing that augments operations and optimization of shared resources, with built-in resilience through intelligent and adaptive automation and applications, such as enhanced weather forecasting and predictive routing efficiency.
Digital Airspace
A capability of airspace and air traffic management founded on a platform of digital information and automation to promote safe, seamless, and flexible airspace utilization for all operators and considers airspace constraints dynamically by digital means to ensure system performance and safety.
Systems of Systems Architecture and Methods
A suite of capabilities to super-integrate aviation and other expanding complex systems of the mid-21st century, inclusive of socio-economic-technical-ecological considerations for adaptive realization of sustainable, resilient aviation.
We envision two community groups, day of use and contributing. Contributing stakeholders perform research, development, and implementation to ensure the day of use stakeholders are successful.
Planning
An unpredictable wildfire has broken out in the western United States.
A satellite constellation first detects the wildfire ignition, and using Intelligent and Adaptive Automation, initially alerts appropriate aviation assets and emergency management personnel that there may be a potential wildfire.
The System of Systems Architecture and Methods are utilized to form a network of ground-based, aerial, and space-based sensors that inform real-time decision making.
Operation
Satellite data is directly transmitted via Digital CNS Infrastructure to an operational high-altitude platform station that is available to redirect to fly over the impacted area.
The high-altitude platform station provides persistent and high-resolution imagery to recognize the threats the wildfire may pose. Emergency management personnel monitor real-time wildfire updates and coordinate preparedness with potentially impacted communities via the Data and Decision Support Marketplace.
Digital Airspace adds an airspace constraint in a volume surrounding the wildfire and it is updated in real-time as the situation evolves. Nearby operators are alerted via Digital Airspace of the constraint and leverage Cooperative and Coordinated Digital Flight to maintain stay deconflicted from the firefighting operation.
Emergency management personnel deploy low-altitude uncrewed aircraft systems for tactical resource allocation. The uncrewed aircraft systems leverage high-altitude platform station data along with operator input to monitor critical areas of the fire.
Success
Emergency management personnel quickly contain the wildfire and isolate the fire impacts away from local communities.
Emergency management personnel quickly contain the wildfire and isolate the fire impacts away from local communities.
Help us identify research questions to guide further exploration.
Help us identify barriers to describe obstacles we will need to address.