From AIS to AIM to IM

Hannes BRUNNER
Montego Bay
January 2009
AIS
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
File: AIM Overview Author: H. Brunner Page: 3
What is AIS (Definition by ICAO)
Aeronautical Information Service also known as AIS, is an
important support role to the Convention on International Civil
Aviation as defined by Annex 15 of the International Civil Aviation
Organization, ICAO.
The purpose of the Aeronautical Information Service is to ensure
the flow of information necessary for the safety, regularity
and efficiency of international air navigation.
ICAO Annex 15 defines how an Aeronautical Information
Service shall receive and/or originate, collate or assemble,
edit, format, publish/store and distribute specified
aeronautical information/data. The goal is to satisfy the need
for uniformity and consistency in the provision of aeronautical
information/data that is required for operational use by
international civil aviation.
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
File: AIM Overview Author: H. Brunner Page: 4
AIS Products
In a nutshell: AIS is based on paper and message distribution
Traditionally, aeronautical information is product based
The exchange is based on standardized (paper) documents, e.g.
the AIP
Short term information is exchanged traditionally with message
based information exchange
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AIS to AIM
Traditionally, aeronautical information has been provided by a
State in accordance with ICAO Annex 15, which details what, why
and in some cases how of what information should be made
available. Annex 15 no longer fully represents users needs.
AIM is:
- Data-oriented
- Net centric
- Increased scope
- Terrain and obstacle data
- Follows SWIM principles (System-wide Information Management)
AIM
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
File: AIM Overview Author: H. Brunner Page: 7
AIM
Globally interoperable systems
Provision of aeronautical data of the required quality (Precision,
Confidence Level, Availability, Qualit of Service)
Covers the needs of the present and future ATM system and
Covers all phases of flight.
It is a data-oriented, holistic approach to aeronautical information
provision
It is evident, that a reliable network connectivity suitable for the
different quality of service requirements for the different services
is of utmost importance
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Areas of Interest
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
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Types of information
Static Data
- Data about Aeronautical facilities
- Longer-term changes (e.g. new runway, new NAVAID)
Dynamic Data
- Short-term changes to aeronautical facilities (e.g. maintenance windows,
runway icing, airspace closures etc.)
- Flight Plans
- Weather data
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Static Data
Aerodrome/Heliport
The physical aerodrome, its management, supervision,
ground services, passenger facilities, as well as the
OBSTACLEs in its vicinity, and its service surfaces of all
kinds from runways to maneuvering areas. It may be
considered a part of the "ground" Aeronautical environment.
Airspace
The AIRSPACE environment as a physical volume, which is
bounded laterally by a TWO DIMENSIONAL AREA, and
vertically by it's VERTICAL LIMITs and may exist uniquely,
as part of or in union with others of its kind.
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Aerodrome
Runways,
Taxiways, Aprons,
Gate Stands
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Airspace
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Static Data
Navaid
As the name suggests, this concept covers navigation equipment.
It means variously INSTRUMENT/MICROWAVE LANDING
SYSTEMs, RADIO NAVIGATION AIDs, and those stations
associated with SPECIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEMs.
Route
This concept incorporates routes in their entirety as ENROUTE
ROUTEs, in portions as ROUTE SEGMENTs, in arrival and
departure procedures as SIDs, STARs and IAPs having
PROCEDURE LEGs, and as HOLDING PROCEDUREs also
having PROCEDURE LEGs.
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
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NAVAID, ROUTES
Location, Frequency of Radio Navigation Aids
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Procedures
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Static Data
Point
All points/locations used for air navigation and ATS, navaid or
"designated" by radials and/or distances from one or more
navaids or geographical co-ordinates etc.
Service
All possible types of SERVICE from ATC and ATM services to
SAR, MET, COM and the like, provided to personnel concerned
with flight operations.
Organisation
Various authoritative bodies that oversee the entire ATM
environment. States, International Organisations, airlines,
commercial organisations and other potential clients of ATM, as
well as the supervisory bodies responsible for all types of UNITs.
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Dynamic Data
Short-term information, which may change frequently
NOTAM: Notice to Airmen
- Information to pilots describing changes to static data (e.g. bird swarms,
runway closures, runway icing, cranes,)
- have a location (may affect an area) and a validity
Flight Plans:
- Describe the route along which a flight will be flown
- Include information about the timing
- Include information about the aircraft capabilities and equipment
Meteo Information:
- METAR, TAF, SIGMET: textual information describing the weather situation
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
File: AIM Overview Author: H. Brunner Page: 18
Notam, Weather
METAR (Weather)
2008/11/11 15:20
LOWW 111520Z
15009KT 6000 FEW014
BKN025 08/06 Q1020
NOSIG
Flight Plan:
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AIM Data Model and Exchange format
AICM is the conceptual model, which
defines every single piece of
information and groups them at an
abstraction level defined by domain
experts. It defines the vocabulary of
the common language, the concepts
and the relations between the
concepts.
AIXM is the exchange format used at
data exchange points. AIXM defines
the format and the grammar of the
common language or, in other words,
it specifies how to combine the words
of the language (these words are
individual data items in structured
messages exchanged between
systems). XML allows a concrete
implementation of AICM and the
schema validates the XML.
IM
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
File: AIM Overview Author: H. Brunner Page: 21
IM Definition
The collection and management of information
from one or more sources and the
distribution of that information to one or more audiences. This
sometimes involves those who have a stake in, or a right to that
information.
Management means the organization of and control over the
structure, processing and delivery of information
Organisations have individually worked on solving their own IM
issues since the sixties. The new challenge lies in aligning these
intra-organisational IM approaches with a global inter-
organisational IM Strategy that also needs alignment on the
global level to support the anticipated co-operations between
continents
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IM Characteristics
IM can be summarised by a split between data provision and data
usage
Requires the information to be based upon the following key
generic characteristics:
- Geo-enabled: information shall be geocoded to allow for location based
filtering;
- Time-enabled: information shall be time stamped in terms of validity for time
based filtering;
- Seamless: barriers between systems shall be removed through globally and
- universally defined interfaces;
- Open: standards such as common data models published in the public
domain shall be used.
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
File: AIM Overview Author: H. Brunner Page: 23
To be considered for the Move to IM
The IM information is handled by the network for information
sharing;
The characteristics of a powerful information sharing network;
The ATM information that should be exchanged by the new air-air
and air-ground data communication systems;
The consequences of the paradigm shift from message exchange
to information publishing / using / contributing;
The link between Enterprise Architecture and Information
Management;
The consequences of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for
Information Management.
FREQUENTIS 2009 Date: J an 2009 Rev.1
File: AIM Overview Author: H. Brunner Page: 24
Conclusions
AIS principles are taken further to AIM
AIM takes the exchange of information from a product-centric to a
data centric model
IM takes AIM even further by applying geocoding and open
standards for global interoperability