Home | About |  AERADE@yoursite | Contact us | Help

Aircraft electronics (avionics) - navigation

A Comparison of the Effect of DME and GPS on the Aircraft Position in the TMA

This technical report (NLR-TP-2002-165) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2002 and was written by A. P. R. Gibbs and J. W. Smeltink. It is important for safety, capacity, and environmental reasons, that aircraft follow the desired flight path as accurately as possible, especially in the vicinity of an airport, i.e. the terminal manoeuvring area (TMA). The ability of an aircraft to maintain its desired path depends on various factors of which the accuracy of the navigation system plays a major role. In this study, the lateral deviation from a nominal flight path depending on the positioning sensor in use is investigated by using actual radar measurements of the aircraft's position. A comparison is made between the performance with GPS as positioning sensor and with DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) as positioning sensor on a straight path. Analysis shows a significant decrease in the track dispersion when GPS is used as a primary sensor (about a factor 1.6) instead of DME. Additionally, the disabling of Selective Availability (SA) of the GPS signal decreased the track dispersion again with a factor of 1.8. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available as a PDF file.

A Human Factors Simulation of Required Navigation Performance Converging Approach Procedure

This technical report (DOT/FAA/TC-07/12) was produced by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in August 2007 and was written by Anton Koros, Randy Sollenberger and Pamela Della Rocco. The National Airspace System Human Factors Research and Engineering Group (HFREG) Human Factors Team – Atlantic City,ATO-P, assessed a proposed Required Navigation Performance (RNP) procedure into San Francisco International Airport (SFO).RNP technology offers several operational benefits including more efficient utilization of airspace, reduced flying time, and reducedair-to-ground communications. The simulation focused on human factors issues affecting Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCSs)when operating a converging runway approach procedure into the SFO Runway 28R during reduced visibility conditions. SixteenATCSs participated in the simulation that we conducted at the Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control in December2004. The simulation assessed the controllers’ ability to identify blundering aircraft using an Airport Surveillance Radar-9 (ASR-9)display. It also evaluated the propensity for nuisance breakouts, communications options, No Transgression Zone placementoptions, and the impact of high traffic levels. The simulation comprised a reaction time task and a series of high fidelity operationalscenarios designed to assess the viability of the proposed approach. The study confirmed that monitor controllers identifiedblundering aircraft accurately and timely when using the ASR-9 display. Sector performance remained high across all conditions,and controllers demonstrated no serious operational deficiencies. Overall, the controllers provided positive ratings and commentsregarding the proposed 28R RNP approach and procedure. The simulation resulted in two primary recommendations (a) incorporateAir Traffic procedures for RNP approaches into Federal Aviation Administration Order 7110.65 to ensure that ATCSs receive RNP-specific training and (b) present Flight Management System/RNP equipment information in the datablock. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

A Hybrid Template-Based Composite Classification System

This is the full text of a thesis written by Michael Turnbaugh which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in February 2009. An automatic target classification system contains a classifier which reads a feature as an input and outputs a class label. Typically, the feature is a vector of real numbers. Other features can be non-numeric, such as a string of symbols or alphabets. One method of improving the performance of an automatic classification system is through combining two or more independent classifiers that are complementary in nature. This research proposes a design for a hybrid composite classification system, which exploits quantize integer valued features with a template matching classification schemes. This composite classification system is made up of independent classification systems which are combined over various fusion methods within a mathematical framework to produce optimal classifier performance. These two independent classification systems, which receive input from two separate sensors, are then combined over various fusion methods for the purpose of target identification. By using these two separate classifiers, we explore conditions that allow the two techniques to be complementary in nature, thus improving the overall performance of the classification system. We examine various fusion techniques, in search of the technique that generates the best results. We investigate different parameter spaces and fusion rules on example problems to demonstrate our classification system. Our examples consider various application areas to help further demonstrate the utility of our classifier. Optimal classifier performance is obtained using a mathematical framework, which takes into account decision variables based on decision-maker preferences and/or engineering specifications, depending upon the classification problem at hand.[Taken from Abstract]. This is in PDF format so Adobe Acrobat software is required in order to read it.

A Practical Interpretation of Performance Requirements for a Global Navigation Satellite System. What does the User Really Need?

This technical report (NLR-TP-2002-310) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2002 and was written by A. N. van den Berg and P. Dieleman. A uniform interpretation of the user requirements for satellite navigation systems appears quite difficult to achieve. System users, system designers and (navigation) specialists are examples of actors that play a role in defining, designing, building and using such systems. All of these actors use similar words and phrases but use a different language. Obviously miscommunications are the result. Navigation specialists in the field of aviation have gone through an extensive process to define exactly what they require from a (satellite) navigation system for operational purposes. After many reviews, they came up with a short and simple set of definitions and requirements (SARPs), which gradually became the basis for all user requirements stated in terms of Accuracy, Integrity, Continuity and Availability. Space systems engineers take the resulting set of definitions and requirements as a starting point for defining their system requirements for a satellite navigation system to be newly built. This sounds okay so far. However, the carefully chosen wording in the SARPS is easily overlooked, and due to an overlap with the vocabulary used by system engineers and navigation experts, many terms obtain multiple meanings or interpretations. All this results in confusion and wrong interpretations that severely affect the system's design and verification. On top of this it should be noted that the GNSS user requirements originate from an already existing navigation system (i.e. GPS). These requirements do not sufficiently take into account the flexibility one has when designing a completely new system from scratch. Furthermore, political and commercial interests force the system to be defined in a more complex form than necessary, in order to make it suitable to any user domain. While the core (limited) nature of the system: "provision of accurate and reliable ranging sources" is overshadowed. The result of all this could lead to a complex, and difficult-to-verify set of system requirements for the European GNSS (i.e. GALILEO). [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available as a PDF file.

A Three Dimensional Helmet Mounted Primary Flight Reference for Paratroopers

This is the full text of a Master's thesis by Second Lieutenant Jason I. Thompson, USAF, AFIT/GCS/ENG/05-18, which was presented to the Faculty Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Air University's Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), in March 2005. This thesis seeks to develop a Heads Up Display (HUD) presented on a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD), which presents a three-dimensional, graphical, predictive navigational reference to a paratrooper during a High Altitude, High Opening (HAHO) parachute jump. A Path Generating Algorithm (PGA) takes as input the Landing Zone's (LZ) location, the wind profile, and the paratrooper's parachute's performance characteristics, and returns a set of waypoints for the paratrooper to follow. The PGA attempts to maximize the distance that the paratrooper travels. The PGA's output is used to build a path to the LZ from a Release Point (RP). During the jump, GPS signals and an Inertial Measurement Unit functioning as a head tracker is used to determine the user's location and head orientation. The HUD presents a virtual "Tunnel in the Sky" for the paratrooper to navigate through. Due to hardware unavailability, the head tracker could not be implemented. Ground testing of the system sans the head tracker determined that subjects using the graphical HUD navigated a path slower than when compared to a baseline navigational reference. It is theorized that implementing the head tracker will make the HUD more efficient and better suited to navigation. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format on the Scientific and Technical Information Network (STINET) which is provided by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).

A Wideband Airport Pseudolite Architecture for the Local Area Augmentation System

This is a Ohio University College of Engineering and Technology PhD thesis, by Sai Kiran, 2003. This dissertation documents the design, development, and field and flight testing of a Wideband Airport Pseudolite Architecture (WBAPL) for integration into a prototype Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS). The architecture of the prototype WBAPL includes a simple and novel method to facilitate rapid direct-WB signal acquisition, and details a cost-effective resolution to the power-bias problem. Results from laboratory tests to verify and characterize the power-induced measurement errors are described in the dissertation. The proposed architecture was successfully flight-tested to demonstrate the feasibility of its incorporation into LAAS. The performance of the prototype WBAPL-inclusive LAAS is gauged in terms of the accuracy of the differential positioning solution. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML and the full text of the document is accessible online in PDF format (1.66 Mb). This title is part of the OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Service

Advances in Navigation Sensors and Integration Technology

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Educational Note, RTO-EN-SET-064, Paris, February 2004. The material in this publication was assembled to support a Lecture Series under the sponsorship of the Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel (SET) presented on 20-21 October 2003 in London, UK; 23-24 October 2003 in Ankara, Turkey; and 27-28 October 2003 in Paris, France. The objective of this two-day Lecture Series is to present the current state-of-the-art in inertial navigation sensors and system integration technology through the improved use of advanced, low-cost navigation sensor technologies. The following topics were covered: Future of interial sensors/integrated systems; Advances in gyro technology; Strapdown system computational elements; Strapdown system performance analysis; System integration principles; Innovative MEMS navigation applications; Advanced Sensor applications; and, Highly integrated systems. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, individual papers and the full text of the document (19.6 Mbytes) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Aerospace navigation systems

This is Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARD Advanced Guidance for Alliance Research and Development report, AGARD-AG-331, dated June 1995. The need for an up to date, comprehensive treatise on aerospace navigation systems has been recognized. It is anticipated that the target reader of this AGARDograph will be an individual who has the responsibility for the integration of navigation equipment aboard an aerospace vehicle. The AGARDograph is organized into six sections detailing the the motivation for establishing the requirements to assure that the development of an aerospace navigation system will meet its operational requirement; reviewing the navigation coordinate frames with a discussion of inertial, terrestrial, and geodetic coordinate systems; describing modern navigation sensor technologies; addressing the system analysis and synthesis methods; representing state-of-the-art navigation system implementations in different aircraft; and describing various test methods used to verify the performance of aerospace navigation systems used in NATO countries. For individual titles, see N96-13405 through N96-13422. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text (43 MB) of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Air University Space Primer

This primer is intended to be a reference source to help civilian and military leaders gain a broader knowledge of the capabilities, limitations, and vulnerabilities of space systems and the medium in which they operate. It was published by Air University in August 2003 and is available in full text as a series of PDF files.

Air Vehicle Path Planning

This is the full text of a thesis by Capitain Jeffrey M. Hebert, USAF, AFIT/DS/ENG/01-04, which was presented to the Faculty School of Engineering and Management of Air University's Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), in November 2001. This dissertation explores optimal path planning for air vehicles. An air vehicle exposed to illumination by a tracking radar is considered and the problem of determining an optimal planar trajectory connecting two prespecified points is addressed. An analytic solution yielding the trajectory minimizing the received radar energy reflected from the target is derived using the Calculus of Variations. Additionally, the related problem of an air vehicle tracked by a passive sensor is also solved. Using the insights gained from the single air vehicle radar exposure minimization problem, a hierarchical cooperative control law is formulated to determine the optimal trajectories that minimize the cumulative exposure of multiple air vehicles during a rendezvous maneuver. The problem of one air vehicle minimizing exposure to multiple radars is also addressed using a variational approach, as well as a sub-optimal minmax argument. Local and global optimality issues are explored. A novel decision criterion is developed determining the geometric conditions dictating when it is preferable to go between or around two radars. Lastly, an optimal minimum time control law is obtained for the target identification and classification mission of an autonomous air vehicle. It is available in PDF format.

Air-Ground Integration Experiment

This provides access to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, DOT/FAA/CT-TN02/06, by Karen DiMeo, Randy Sollenberger, Parimal Kopardekar and others, dated January 2002. The concept of free flight is intended to provide increased flexibility and efficiency throughout the global airspace system. This idea could potentially shift aircraft separation responsibility from air traffic controllers to flight crews creating a ‘shared-separation’ authority environment. The full text of the report is available in PDF format, from the online catalogue of the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center Library.

Artificial Neural Network Approaches in Guidance and Control

This is Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARD-LS-179, dated September 1991. Ever increasing operational and technical requirements have led to highly integrated fight, guidance and control, and weapons delivery systems. The effective implementation of these functions makes the fusion and interpretation of sensor data and the multifunctional use of sensor information inevitable. Neural networks, consisting of parallel microcomputing elements, hold great promise for guidance, navigation and control applications because of their ability to learn and acquire knowledge. The Lecture Series will bring together a group of NATO nation speakers with outstanding experience in this new area of technology. First they will review the fundamentals of neural networks to serve as background so that advances in this new, rapidly evolving technological area can be both understood and appreciated. They will then discuss a number of related applications of direct benefit to the attendees. This Lecture Series, sponsored by the Guidance and Control Panel of AGARD, has been implemented by the Consultant and Exchange Programme. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text (6.85MB) of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance- Broadcast/Cockpit Display of Traffic Information: Innovations in Aircraft Navigation on the Airport Surface

This provides access to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, DOT/FAA/AM-04/11 by Veronika Prinzo dated July 2004. In 2000, the FAA’s Office of Runway Safety made a concerted effort to reduce runway incursions. The Safe Flight 21 Program awarded contracts for CDTI avionics development and an operational demonstration that included a surface moving-map capability. An operational evaluation was conducted in October 2000 to assess pilot use of varying types of CDTI devices and how surface-map information could aid pilot situation awareness when taxiing. Complex taxi routes were designed to examine how well pilots navigated their aircraft using an electronic surface-map display (north-up, track-up) or a paper surface map. This study was designed to determine howthe useofthesedisplaysmight aidsituational awareness andinfluence operationalcommunications. Pilots navigated their aircraft during 3 day and 2 night operations, resulting in 31 structured and 37 unstructured taxi routes. As subject-matter experts listened to 15 hours of audiotapes and read verbatim transcripts, they identified operational concerns and noted problems. Communications involved in progressive taxi routes and routes instructing pilots to follow another aircraft were excluded from analysis. A Type-of-Route x Type-of-Map ANOVA revealed that more problems occurred for structured, compared with unstructured taxi routes, and more messages were exchanged. A statistically significant interaction indicated that most problems occurred for the north-up map during structured taxi routes, and the number of problems encountered was comparable for the other maps when pilots navigated along unstructured taxi routes. When designing electronic surface-map displays, providing a north-up map orientation appears to create more problems than either track-up or paper surface maps — especially when taxi routes are complex (or unfamiliar). The full text of the report is available in PDF format from the online catalogue of the FAA.

Aviation Week : Aerospace Source Book

This provides brief company profiles of aviation and aerospace companies grouped under the following headings: Prime Contractors; Major Airlines; Regional Airlines; and Cargo Airlines. The profiles can be viewed online in PDF format. The Aerospace Sourcebook also provides access to a series of articles which examine various market sectors including fighters, bombers, commercial and military transports, air freight, UAVs, trainers, rotorcraft, spacecraft, missiles, and avionics. The information is drawn from Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Avionics and Flight Systems Market Data

This is an abridged version of a research report prepared for the Foresight Defence, Aerospace and Systems Panel's Avionics and Flight Systems National Advisory Committee. The report was prepared by Susan Tyler, as a final year project BA in International Business Administration, Bournmouth University, April 2001. The reports presents data on total aircraft market size (for civil and military markets), avionic market size, market split by sector (nine segments), and principal competitors in each sector. The text is in MS Word format (474,112 bytes), and a zip version is available for downloading.

Bio-Inspired, Odor-Based Navigation

This is the full text of a Master's thesis by Captain Maynard J. Porter III, USAF, AFIT/GE/ENG/06-48, which was presented to the Faculty Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Air University's Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), in March 2006. The ability of many insects, especially moths, to locate either food or a member of the opposite sex, by tracking a wind-borne plume of odor molecules, is an amazing reality. Numerous scenarios exist where having this capability embedded into ground-based or aerial vehicles would be invaluable. The main crux of this thesis investigation is the development of a navigation algorithm which gives a UAV the ability to track a chemical plume to its source. Inspiration from the male moth's, in particular Manduca sexta (Tobacco Hornworm moth), ability to successfully track a female's pheromone plume was used in the design of both 2-D and 3-D navigation algorithms. The algorithms were developed to guide autonomous vehicles to a source generating an odor/chemical plume, using only the odor/chemical information provided by the plume. The algorithms were implemented using a variety of fuzzy controllers and ad hoc engineering approaches. The fuzzy controller, critical to the success of both algorithms, was developed to estimate the location of a vehicle relative to the plume: coming into the plume, in the plume, exiting the plume, or out of the plume. Analysis of plume detections within a short-term memory bank provided the basis for this controller. To test these algorithms, 2-D and 3-D simulation environments were developed. Both environments contain vehicle dynamics, sensor, and time-varying plume models. The more complex 3-D environment included a 6-degree of freedom, nonlinear aircraft model designed to represent a small UAV. These simulations were executed for varying plume structures and densities, ensuring robustness of the navigation algorithms. Both algorithms are promising. The 2-D algorithm had a 60% to 90% success rate in reaching the source while certain versions of 3-D algorithm had success rates from 50% to 100%. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format on the Scientific and Technical Information Network (STINET) which is provided by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).

BritFlight

At Britflight.com you will find full-text documents and files, links and shortcuts to very useful websites and information for pilots on approach, charts, communication, human factors, flight, navigation, performance, safety and systems.

Building a Multinational Global Navigation Satellite System. An Initial Look

This technical report (MG-284-AF) was published by The RAND Corporation in 2005 and was written by Rosalind Lewis, Michael Kennedy, Elham Ghashghai and Gordon Bitko. The U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), now the world’s preeminent pointing, navigation, and tracking (PNT) system, will in the not too distant future be joined by the European Union’s Galileo, a PNT system planned to be similar to GPS in function and performance. Will the two systems cooperate, providing users with the benefits of both, or will they compete? The authors assess the economic impact of competition and how the United States can address that competition, especially as it affects U.S. economic interests. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

CAA Paper 2003/09 : GPS Integrity and Potential Impact on Aviation Safety

This report is the culmination of a study of the level of safety as measured by the integrity (i.e. trustworthiness), afforded by the Global Positioning System as a source of navigation data for civil aircraft. The study presents a number of augmentation methods which have been shown to have the potential to satisfy the required navigation performance requirements for all phases of flight. This is version 1 published in April 2004, and it is available in PDF format.

CAP 773 : Flying RNAV (GNSS) Non-Precision Approaches in Private and General Aviation

This provides access to a UK Civil Aviation Authority publication CAP 773 Edition 1 dated 1st August 2007. Information on the training for and operational use of GPS in the flying of RNAV (GNSS) non-precision approaches. The document contains technical information on the function of GPS, equipment and installation requirements, operations and training guidance material together with suggested training syllabus content and RTF Phraseology. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format from the CAA's publications web site.

Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS)

The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS) is an international voluntary consensus organization of space agencies and industrial associates interested in mutually developing standard data handling techniques to support space research, including space science and applications. The web site provides access to a variety of information resources. These include information about CCSDS, its charter, history, functional model, organisational structure and current projects. The site also provides access to the CCSDS Library of Recommendations and other technical documents. These include the following: CCSDS Recommendations (Blue Books); CCSDS Draft Recommendations (Red Books); CCSDS Reports (Green Books); CCSDS Draft Reports (Draft Green Books); CCSDS Administrative Reports (Yellow Books); and, CCSDS Documents Under Review.

DARPATech 2004

This site provides the slides and scripts of presentations (PDF format) given at the DARPATech symposium which was held in Anaheim, California on 9-11 March 2004. Topics addressed include hypersonic flight, precision urban combat, tactical surveillance, chemical, biological and radiological defence, optical sensing and exploitation, advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), integrated microsystems, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and joint unmanned combat air vehicle systems.

Defining Sustainability in the Aviation Sector

This is report number EEC/SEE/2004/003 from the Eurocontrol Experimental Centre (EEC), whose mission is to carry out research and development in order to improve air traffic management (ATM) in Europe. It was written by Frantz Buch Knudsen in 2004. It provides a review on how the three fundamental pillars of sustainability - namely, society, environment and economics - are interpreted by a range of key actors, including international and inter-governmental organisations, airlines, air navigation service providers, the ATM Industry, aircraft and engine manufacturers. Whilst recognising that air transport is a driver for economic and social development, the weight given to each of the three pillars by the different actors largely reflects the “political” message that they wish to disseminate.

Demonstration of Satellite Based Navigation for Civil Aviation

This technical report (NLR-TP-2002-588) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2002 and was written by H. P. J. Veerman. Satellite positioning systems such as GPS (USA) and GLONASS (Russia) offer prospects for a world-wide available, high accuracy navigation system for application in civil aviation. Unfortunately, one of the shortcomings in both systems is that they lack integrity information, which is considered essential for any safety critical application, particularly for navigation in civil aviation. In order tot solve the lack of integrity of the current satellite positioning systems, Eurocontrol, ESA and the European Union, together called the European Tripartite Group (ETG), decided to start development of EGNOS. EGNOS stands for European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. It is a geostationary satellite based augmentation system for GPS and GLONASS. In order to support the development of critical technology, the ESTB (EGNOS System Test Bed) has become available since February 2000 as a payload of the INMARSAT AOR-E satellite. It operates together with a growing number of ground based reference stations. After many static experiments with ESTB Eurocontrol considered it worthwhile to demonstrate the application of GPS/EGNOS as a navigation aid in a real-life aeronautical application: it was decided to demonstrate EGNOS capabilities in a curved approach procedure to the airport of Nice (France). Because NLR owns and operates a Cessna Citation research jet aircraft, which is equipped with a 'Research Flight Management System' (R-FMS), NLR was asked to integrate an EGNOS receiver with their R-FMS into the Citation and to perform the EGNOS based approach trials. In these trials, performed by NLR and Septentrio under contract of Eurocontrol, it was demonstrated that EGNOS/GPS, together with an aircraft's FMS supporting an EGNOS sensor is a very promising navigation aid for RNAV procedures and approach procedures up to CAT I navigation service level. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available as a PDF file.

Design and Validation of an Accurate GPS Signal and Receiver Truth Model for Comparing Advanced Receiver Processing Techniques

The site provides access to an Air University Air Force Institute of Technology MSc thesis, by Second Lieutenant Phillip Martin Corbell, USAF, AFIT/GE/ENG/00M-07, dated March 2000. The thesis describes the development of a novel GPS signal and receiver model for the evaluation of advanced receiver designs. Citation details and an abstract are available in HTML format. The full text can be accessed in PDF format (3,375,774 bytes). The document is part of the Air University Research Database.

Development and Testing of a Multiple Filter Approach for Precise DGPS Positioning and Carrier-Phase Ambiguity Resolution

The site provides access to an Air University, Air Force Institute of Technology, Graduate School of Engineering and Management, MSc Thesis, by Captain Paul E. Henderson, USAF, AFIT/GE/ENG/01M-15, dated March 2001. The thesis presents a method that uses a multiple model Kalman filter to resolve carrier-phase integer ambiguities. It is is based on a theoretically correct blending of solutions from multiple filters, each of which hypothesizes a different ambiguity set. Citation details and an abstract are available in HTML format. The full text can be accessed in PDF format. The document is part of the Air University Research Database

DGPS Guidance for Helicopter Approaches to Offshore Platforms : Follow On Studies

The site provides access to UK Civil Aviation Authority CAA Paper 2003/2, prepared by by Cranfield Aerospace Ltd (CAe) and Lambourne Navigation Ltd (LNL), on behalf of the Safety Regulation Group of the UK Civil Aviation Authority, issued 9 June 2003. The paper describes three follow-on studies to the flight trials of Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) guidance for helicopter approaches to offshore platforms reported in CAA Paper 2000/5. The three studies comprise: an analysis of the largest horizontal position errors observed, an investigation of the difficulties encountered with the Medium Frequency (MF) correction system used, and an investigation of the likely effects of single satellite unavailabilities. The text of the document is available online in PDF format (2.1 mb) from the CAA's web site

Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) for Flight Testing

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARDograph RTO-AG-160-V21, dated October 2008. In this volume, the potential of Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) as a positioning datum for flight test applications is thoroughly discussed. Current technology status and future trends are investigated to identify optimal system architectures for both the on-board and ground station components, and to define optimal strategies for DGPS data gathering during various flight testing tasks. Limitations of DGPS techniques are analyzed, and various possible integration schemes with other sensors are considered. Finally, the optimal architecture of an integrated position reference system suitable for a variety of flight test applications is identified. This volume provides comprehensive guidance on assessing the need for and determining the characteristics of DGPS based position reference systems for flight test activities. The specific goals are to make available to the NATO flight test community the best practices and advice for DGPS based systems architecture definition and equipment selection. A variety of flight test applications are examined and both real-time and post-mission DGPS data requirements are outlined. Particularly, DGPS accuracy, continuity and integrity issues are considered, and possible improvements achievable by means of signal augmentation strategies are identified. Possible architectures for integrating DGPS with other airborne sensors (e.g., Inertial Navigation, Radar Altimeter) are presented, with particular emphasis on current and likely future data fusion algorithms. Particular attention is devoted to simulation analysis in support of flight test activities. Finally, an outline of current research perspectives in the field of DGPS technology is given. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in HTML format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

EADS Astrium

Astrium is a joint venture between EADS and BAE Systems. The company is involved in earth observation and science, telecommunications, ground systems, and military programmes, launch vehicles and orbital infrastructure. The site provides detailed information about the company's activities and projects that it is involved. The news section provides current and archived press releases, whilst a news feed on the home page provides company news.

Effect of Helicopter Rotors on GPS Reception

This provides access to a Uk Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Paper 2003/07 dated December 2003. This report describes the results of a series of experiments undertaken in October 2002 on behalf of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to investigate the effect of helicopter rotor blades upon the reception of GPS signals. The full text of the paper is available in PDF format from the CAA's web site.

Efficient GPS Position Determination Algorithms

This is the full text of a thesis written by Thao Q. Nguyen which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio in June 2007. This research is aimed at improving the state of the art of GPS algorithms, namely, the development of a closed-form positioning algorithm for a stand-alone user and the development of a novel differential GPS algorithm for a network of users. The stand-alone user GPS algorithm is a direct, closed-form, and efficient new position determination algorithm that exploits the closed-form solution of the GPS trilateration equations and works in the presence of pseudorange measurement noise for an arbitrary number of satellites in view. A two-step GPS position determination algorithm is derived which entails the solution of a linear regression and updates the solution based on one nonlinear measurement equation. In this algorithm, only two or three iterations are required as opposed to five iterations that are normally required in the standard Iterative Least Squares (ILS) algorithm currently used. The mathematically derived stochastic model-based solution algorithm for the GPS pseudorange equations is also assessed and compared to the conventional ILS algorithm. Good estimation performance is achieved, even under high Geometric Dilution of Precision (GDOP) conditions. The novel differential GPS algorithm for a network of users that has been developed in this research uses a Kinematic Differential Global Positioning System (KDGPS) approach. A network of mobile receivers is considered, one of which will be designated the 'reference station' which will have known position and velocity information at the beginning of the time interval being examined. The measurement situation on hand is properly modeled, and a centralized estimation algorithm processing several epochs of data is developed. The effect of uncertainty in the reference receiver's position and the level of the receiver noise are investigated. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to examine the ability of the algorithm to correctly estimate the non-reference mobile users' position and velocity despite substantial satellite clock errors and receiver measurement noise. [Taken from abstract]. This is available in PDF format so Adobe Acrobat software is required in order to read it.

EUROCAE : The European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment

The European Organisation for Civil Aviation Equipment was formed at Lucerne on the 24th April, 1963. It provides a European forum where administrations, airlines and industry can meet to discuss technical problems. EUROCAE produces minimum performance specifications for airborne electronic equipment. The web site provides background information including list of members, the General Assembly, Working Groups, and a Calendar of Meetings. The documents section contains a listing of EUROCAE's publications and amendments. There is a charge for these documents, but they can be ordered online. The site also includes an electronic forum for commenting on EURCAE activities and documents.

Eurocontrol Navigation Programme

The Navigation Specialist Domain within Eurocontrol is directed towards providing the means to improve air traffic control system capacity and to enable airspace changes to be implemented. This will allow improved operational efficiency, whilst meeting agreed safety targets. The site provides descriptive information on a number of current activities including: Basic Area Navigation (B-RNAV) (sub-programme of the wider RNAV programme); Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM); and AUGUR - The GPS Predictive RAIM Tool.

FAA Office of Aviation Research

The Federal Aviation Administration supports research and development initiatives in areas such as communication, navigation, surveillance, air traffic management, human factors, weather and safety and security technologies. The site includes the following resources: forthcoming events; media and press releases; AAR newsletter, Technology R&D fact sheets; technical reports (abstracts and selected full-text) and a large number of links to other related sites. There is also a link to subscription to the mailing list.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Certification: Human Factors and Operations Checklist for Standalone Global Positioning System (GPS) Receivers (TSO C129 Class A)

This checklist is the result of a project conducted by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cockpit Human Factors Program (DTS-45) and was published in April 1995. It is designed to assist Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) receiving manufacturers in the evaluation of human-computer interface aspects of GPS receivers. It contains bench test and flight test scenarios that can be used in evaluating the operability of these receivers and provides a checklist of required characteristics. It includes reference to relevant RTCA documents and FAA directives to facilitate objectivity. The full text is available as a compressed zipped file (110KB).

Federal Aviation Administration : Satellite Navigation Product Teams

This site provides access to information on the FAA's satellite navigation programmes and describes the efforts of the product teams to develop and implement these technologies. The site provides access to a variety of information resources. There is a basic introduction to GPS technology. The site describes key programme areas including: international GPS implementation support activities; Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS), and the adaptation of the National Airspace System (NAS) infrastructure to accept Satellite Navigation (SatNav) technology. The web site provides online access to SatNav News, the GPS Product Team's quarterly newsletter. There is also an extensive document library containing press releases and related documents including: FAA Specification and Statement for Wide Area Augmentaion System (WAAS); Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) Specification, Technical Description, Requirements Document, and Cost Benefit Analysis. There are also copies of briefings given at various events and conferences. The site also includes several Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), a site map, and a section that provides links to web sites of related interest.

Federal Aviation Administration : William J. Hughes Technical Center

The William J. Hughes Technical Center is the national scientific test base for the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) research, development and acquisition programmes. Its activities involve test and evaluation in air traffic control, communications, navigation, airports, and aircraft safety and security. The web site provides access to a range of information resources. There is a video entitled Technology of Transformation which gives an overview of the Center's interests and activities. The Center's Newsletter, Intercom, is available online in PDF format. There are also links to the web sites of the individual Technical Programme areas. These include the Airport and Aircraft Safety Research and Development Division, which manages and coordinates the Airport and Aircraft Safety and Continued Airworthiness Research and Development programmes; the Office of Security and Hazardous Materials; and the Real and Virtual Environment Division, which is comprised of seven Groups that operate and administer the multi-use laboratories, the National Airspace System (NAS) development and test laboratories and other technical facilities at the William J. Hughes Technical Center.

Flight Testing of Radio Navigation Systems

This web site provides access to a NATO Research and Technology Organization document titled: Flight Testing of Radio Navigation Systems, by the SCI-055 Task Group, the Flight Test Technology Team of the Systems Concepts and Integration Panel (SCI), RTO-AG-300, Vol.18, April 2000. This RTO report describes the basic principles and flight test procedures that are currently in use for testing conventional and advanced radio navigation systems and ground stations. A number of systems are discussed including VOR, DME, TACAN, GPS, ILS, and MLS. Citation and abstract details are in HTML format, and the text is available online in PDF format (10.9 Mbytes).

French Air Navigation Study Centre (Centre des Etudes de la Navigation Aérienne)

CENA, the French Air Navigation Study Centre, is responsible for promoting and designing advanced concepts required for the development of the future Air Traffic Control system within Europe. CENA carries out studies, research and experimentation in the areas of, air traffic and airspace management, telecommunications, aircraft surveillance, airborne aircraft separation systems, human computer interaction techniques everything else which contributes to the performance of air traffic control and air transport management. This service is part of the Direction de la Navigation Aerienne (air navigation directorate), which in turn is part of the DGAC (Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile, or the French civil aviation general directorate). News, events, information about projects and partners are available at the site as well as some full-text pdf reports and publications.

French Technical Air Navigation Service (Service Technique de la Navigation Antenne)

The French Technical Air Navigation Service (Service Technique de la Navigation Antenne or STNA) carries out Air Navigation Directorate investment programmes. This activity covers firstly, the study, development and purchase of ground-based equipment and systems, and secondly, the design and development of the installations, their implementation and technical monitoring, as well as training the staff concerned. STNA is also responsible for flight inspection of all the radio navaids facilities and certification of all equipment concerning air traffic control installed by third parties. STNA also provides its capabilities as an expert in noise measurement around airports, in the acoustic certification of aircraft and in air quality studies. This site provides informaton about STNA's activities, history, technical reviews and relevant links.

Galileo : European Satellite Navigation System

This European Commision Directorates-General for Energy and Transport (DG TREN) site describes the programme which aims to provide the European Union with its own Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). It provides a programme overview, potential applications and benefits, as well as the international partnerships and collaborations which underpin Galileo. The site provides access to a set of supporting information resources including two videos, Galileo: Europe shows the way, and GALILEO - The European initiative. Both of these can be viewed online (RealVideo format) or downloaded in either MPEG or WinZip formats. The documents section includes brochures, press releases, official documents, speeches, presentations, and technical reports. The latter includes The Galilei Project - GALILEO Design consolidation; Inception study to support the development of a business plan for the GALILEO Programme: Executive summary Phase I; and, Inception study to support the development of a business plan for the GALILEO Programme: Executive summary Phase II.

Global Positioning System Interference and Satellite Anomalous Event Monitor

This is a Ohio University PhD thesis by Marti M. Lukas, 2004. Global Positioning System satellite Signal Quality Monitoring (SQM) is required to ensure the integrity of the received signal for aviation safety-critical systems. A GPS Anomalous Event Monitor (GAEM) for the analysis of signal malfunction modes through advanced signal processing techniques, is described. Algorithms to monitor the GPS signal by the anomaly sensor are developed and in case of possible signal inconsistencies the signal is analysed. Radio frequency front-end induced errors are examined and the statistics for signal parameter estimators are derived. A non-parametric, non-homoscedastic (uncommon variance of sample space) statistical test is developed. Berry-Esseen bounds are introduced to quantify convergence and to establish confidence levels. The algorithm is applied to the detection of signal anomalies, with emphasis on interference detection. The algorithms to detect GPS signal anomalies are verified with experimental data. The performance of the interference detection algorithms is demonstrated through data collection in a shielded measurement chamber. Subsequently, case studies from continuous GPS monitoring are included and observed anomalies are discussed. The performance demonstration of the GPS anomalous event monitor is concluded with a field experiment to investigate the effects of aircraft overflights on GPS signal distortions. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML and the full text of the document is accessible online in PDF format (1.50 Mb). This title is part of the OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) Service

Global Positioning System Overview

This web site presents an overview of the Global Positioning System (GPS). It has been produced by Peter H. Dana, Department of Geography, The University of Texas at Austin The text contains many embedded links to supporting information. A reference list and table of contents are provided. The overview was first published in September, 1994, but it has been subject to several updates since.

Global Positioning System Primer

This web site, provided by The Aerospace Corporation, presents a basic introduction to the global positioning system (GPS). The GPS primer is arranged under the following headings: Welcome to the global positioning system; What is GPS; What is navigation; GPS elements; satellites in space; ground control stations and receivers; how GPS works; military uses for GPS; GPS in everyday life; GPS related links. The text of the primer is also available for downloading (1618KB in pdf format)

Global Positioning System: A Shared National Asset

This web site provides access to the report of a study conducted by the National Research Council Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board Committee on the Future of the Global Positioning System, Washington, DC, National Academy Press, 1995. The Task Statement reads [extract]: The primary objective is to conduct a study of the future of the Department of Defense's Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS). The study, which was requested through the Fiscal Year 1994 National Defense Authorization Act will be conducted jointly by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). The NAPA portion of the study will focus on issues such as management and international participation and the NAS portion of the study will address issues such as future technical improvements and augmentations to enhance military, civilian, and commercial use of the system in the context of national security considerations.... This report is in DocuWeb format, and is not searchable. This format is also relatively slow, but complete.

GNSS sole service feasibility study

This technical note (number 4) was published by the Eurocontrol Experimental Centre in May 2003 and was written by the France Developpement Conseil. This document is the report of a study performed by FDC for the EUROCONTROL GNSS Programme under contract number C/1.090/CE/JR/02. It investigates the issues associated with the feasibility of using GNSS as the Sole Service Radio-Navigation System for all phases of flight. [Taken from abstract]. This is available in PDF format so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Head Tracking for 3D Audio Using a GPS-Aided MEMS IMU

This is the full text of a Master's thesis by Captain Jacque M. Joffrion, USAF, AFIT/GE/ENG/05-09, which was presented to the Faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Air University's Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), in March 2005. Audio systems have been developed which use stereo headphones to project sound in three dimensions. When using these 3D audio systems, audio cues sound like they are originating from a particular direction. There is a desire to apply 3D audio to general aviation applications, such as projecting control tower transmissions in the direction of the tower or providing an audio orientation cue for VFR pilots who find themselves in emergency zero-visibility conditions. 3D audio systems, however, require real-time knowledge of the pilot's head orientation in order to be effective. This research describes the development and testing of a low-cost head tracking system for 3D audio rendering applied in general aviation. The system uses a low-cost MEMS IMU combined with a low-cost, single frequency GPS receiver. Real-time data from both of these systems was sent to a laptop computer where a real-time Kalman filter was implemented in MATLAB to solve for position velocity, and attitude. The attitude information was then sent to a 3D audio system for sound direction rendering. The system was flight tested on board a Raytheon C-12C aircraft. The accuracy of the system was measured by comparing its output to truth data from a high-accuracy post-processed navigation-grade INS/DGPS solution. Results showed that roll and pitch error were accurate to within 1-2 degrees, but that heading error was dependent upon the flight trajectory. During straight-and-level flight, the heading error would drift up to 10-15 degrees because of heading unobservability. However, even with heading error, the ability of a pilot to determine the correct direction of a 3D audio cue was significantly improved when using the developed head tracking system over using the navigation-grade INS/GPS system fixed to the aircraft. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format on the Scientific and Technical Information Network (STINET) which is provided by the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC).

House of Commons Transport Committee Report : Galileo

This is the Committee's Eighteenth Report of Session 2003–04, 25th November 2004. The Galileo programme is intended to provide the European Union with its own Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). In the report the Committee recognises that Galileo project has the scope to provide real improvements in the world’s satellite navigation systems. The Committee believe that the the United Kingdom’s strengths in satellite technology, both in industry and in academia, mean that it is very well placed to participate in this exciting venture. The Committee however also believes that Parliament and the public are not sufficiently aware of Galileo’s costs and benefits, which in some cases appear to have been poorly articulated, and insufficiently assessed. It concludes therefore that important questions need to be addressed before the European Union Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council makes final decisions on the programme. They involve the value for money of the project, the date when it is realistic to expect the Galileo system to be operational, the commitment to the Public-Private Partnership proposed for the deployment and operational phases of the programme, and the mechanisms by which the civilian status of the Galileo project is to be secured. The United Kingdom Government also needs to assess far more clearly what use it will make of Galileo, and which services it will require. The text of the report is available in HTML and PDF formats.

Human-in-the-Loop Evaluation of an Integrated Arrival/Departure Air Traffic Control Service for Major Metropolitan Airspaces

This technical report (DOT/FAA/TC-08/04) was published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2008 and was written by Carolina M. Zingale, Todd R. Truitt and D. M. McAnulty. The increasing number of U.S. air flights has placed a severe strain on the National Airspace System (NAS), especially airspace surrounding major metropolitan areas. In a recent study, Truitt, McAnulty, and Willems (2004) tested and found benefits in procedures designed to address some of the pressures around New York airspace. The procedures included extending terminal lateral separation standards (3 nm) and procedures (diverging courses) into en route airspace as well as collocating terminal and en route facilities to promote more effective communication and coordination. The Integrated Arrival/Departure Air Traffic Control Service, termed the Big Airspace (BA) concept, applies these procedures to other busy areas and includes the use of Area Navigation (RNAV) routes as well as dynamic resectorization to make airspace boundaries more flexible. Twenty-four controllers from en route and terminal facilities participated in a simulation that compared a baseline (BL) condition using current airspace standards and procedures to two BA conditions. In one condition, en route and terminal participants managed traffic in the same control room, and in the other condition they worked as if in separate facilities. Overall, the results provided support for the BA concept. The aircraft moved through the arrival corridor more efficiently in the BA conditions than in the BL condition, and participants made fewer ground-ground transmissions and issued fewer altitude and heading clearances. Subjective ratings of performance, situation awareness, and the ability to move traffic through the sector were also higher in the BA conditions. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

IEEE Xplore

Provided by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), this is the Web site of IEEE Xplore. This facility allows IEEE members to search for and access the abstracts and citations of IEEE publications since 1988. Non members may browse and view the tables of contents of IEEE transactions, journals, magazines, conference proceedings and standards.

IEL Online

IEL Online is provided by the IEEE (Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and the IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers). The service allows subscribers to search for, browse and access the citations, abstracts and full text of all journal articles, conference papers and standards published by both bodies back to 1988. The site provides access to the service, support and an FAQ.

Information Requirement for Traffic Awareness in A Free-Flight Environment : An Application of the FAIT Analysis : Final Report

This provides access to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, DOT/FAA/AM-03/5, by John Uhlarik and Doreen A. Comerford, dated March 2003.The goals of this study were (1) to identify the information necessary for the pilot of the air carrier to maintain " traffic awareness" and (2) to apply and evaluate the utitlity of a cognitive task analysis called the Function Allocation Issues and Tradeoffs (FAIT) Analysis. The full text of the report is available in PDF format, from the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) Library's online collection of Aerospace Medicine Technical Reports.

INS Aiding by Tracking an Unknown Ground Object

This is the full text of a thesis by Murat Polat which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2002. The reduction of the navigation error in an inertial navigation system by optically tracking a ground object is investigated. Multiple observations of the ground object areused. The location of the ground object is assumed unknown. A careful analysis of the measurement situation at hand reveals that by optically tracking an unknown ground objectusing passive, bearings-only measurements, the aircraft’s angle of attack and sideslip angle can be measured. Thus, two new independent measurement equations featuring theaircraft’s angular navigation variables roll, pitch, yaw angles, ?, ?, Ø, and flight path angle ? and heading H are obtained. Hence, by optically tracking over time an unknown groundobject, inertial navigation system aiding is in fact possible. Moreover, the estimation algorithm, which operates on the bearing measurements record, simultaneously, and in parallel,produces corrections required for both inertial navigation system aiding and geo-location of the ground object. Furthermore, the theory developed in this paper is easily adaptedto accommodate additional measurements and/or prior information. The former entail range measurements, and prior information entails some, or all, position coordinates ofthe ground object. These enhancements reflect the current operational practice. Thus, the theory presented in this paper is su.ciently general to encompass the conventionalmethods of inertial navigation system updating in which both bearing and range measurements are used and the coordinates of the ground object are known. In all cases in whichadditional independent measurements and/or prior information are used, the accuracy of both the navigation solution and the geo-location are enhanced. [Taken from abstract]. The full text of the thesis is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site.

Inspec

This database is produced by the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) and allows the world's literature on physics, electrical engineering, electronics, communications, control engineering, computers and computing, and information technology to be searched back to 1969. This site provides background information on the database itself, subscription information, news and support documentation.

Integrated Navigation Systems

This is a Research and Technology Organisation (NATO) Meeting Proceedings, RTO-MP-043. This contains papers from the 6th St Petersburg International Conference on Integrated Navigation Systems, St Petersburg, Russia, 24-26 May 1999. The papers presented covered the following headings: inertial gyro sensors and navigation systems, satellite navigation and navigation systems, integrated satellite navigation systems and navigation systems, satellite navigation and inertial navigation systems technology. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text of the document (23.4 Mbytes) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library

Integrating Navigation and Communication Systems for Innovative Services

This technical report (NLR-TP-2002-215) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2002 and was written by E. Kesseler, R. Grosmann and R. Ehrmanntraut. In air transport, safety rightly is a prime concern. This has led to safe proprietary solutions but a conservative approach to innovation. Forecasted traffic growth, economic pressure and passenger preferences require more responsiveness. Both new air traffic management concepts, Eurocontrol's COOPATS and FAA's DAG-TM, are based on extensive information sharing between all parties concerned. The Total Information Sharing for Pilot Situational Awareness Enhanced by Intelligent Systems (TALIS) project has chosen to use COTS based Internet technology to provide the enabling data sharing. This open solution also allows for easy integration with non-traditional actors like airports, passenger services etc. The planned 21/2year realisation time for the TALIS prototype versus the decades typical for the industry and the relatively minor investment, of which already half is allocated to applications, testify to the success of the approach. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available as a PDF file.

Landings

Landings is an established aviation directory service. It provides access to a wide variety of aviation related resources. It includes mediated expert forums covering topic areas such as GPS, maintenance, aviation medicine and law. There are listings of newsgroups and e-mail groups. An extensive reference section includes links to various databases of FAA Regulations, Canadian Regulations, Service Difficulty Reports, Airworthiness Alerts, NTSB Briefs, N Numbers and many more. The reference section also includes coverage of aerospace companies, museums, reports and other publications. Landings also has sections devoted to aircraft/parts; air transport/airports; services; general aviation; government/military: and pilot supplies.

Low-Cost Navigation Sensors and Integration Technology

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Educational Note RTO-EN-SET-116(2008), dated Feb 2009. This Lecture Series presented the current state-of-the-art in navigation sensors and system integration technology through the improved use of advanced, low-cost navigation sensor technologies. The material presented provided an understanding of the issues faced by today’s system designers. Through this Lecture Series, the technical community was updated on sensors and current integration techniques as practiced by leading experts in the field. The Lecture Series included information to bring the audience up-to-date with current practices, as well as, information on sensors, algorithms, and applications. Applications were described for navigating in difficult urban, indoor, and underground environments where typical GPS receivers do not function. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in HTML format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Machine Intelligence in Air Traffic Management

This is Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARD-CP-538, dated October 1993.This volume contains the Technical Evaluation Report and the 30 papers, presented at the Guidance and Control Panel Symposium held in Berlin, Germany from 11th to 14th May 1993. The papers were presented covering the following headings: Air Traffic Processes; Novel Approaches; Transition to Operation; Human/Machine Relationship; Air/Ground Integration; PHARE; and Ground Movements Control. For individual titles, see N94-29559 through N94-29587. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, and the full text (84.46MB) of the document can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Material Perturbations to Enhance Performance of the Thiele Half-Width Leaky Mode Antenna

This is the full text of a thesis written by Jason Girard which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio in June 2008. Microstrip traveling-wave antennas, often referred to as leaky-wave antennas, have been shown to radiate when the dominant or fundamental mode is suppressed and the first higher-order mode is excited. One such microstrip variation is the Thiele Half-Width (THW) antenna, which operates from 5.9 - 8.2 GHz for this research. Increasing the bandwidth over which the THW antenna radiates is desired, as is a fundamental understanding of the propagation characteristics over this region. This dissertation seeks to vary or perturb the material and physical properties of the THW antenna, including strip-width variations and modifications of the substrate layer, to achieve these results.

MEMS Aerospace Applications

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Educational Note, RTO-EN-AVT-105, Paris, February 2004. The material in this publication was assembled to support a Lecture Series under the sponsorship of the Applied Vehicle Technology Panel (AVT) on 3-4 October 2002 in Montreal, Canada; on 24-25 February 2003 in Ankara, Turkey; on 27-28 February 2003 in VKI Brussels, Belgium; and on 3-4 March 2003 in Monterey, California, USA. Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) are miniature devices, which integrate actuators, sensors, and a processor (controller) to form intelligent systems. They are characterized by their close relationship to integrated-circuit components both in terms of manufacturing techniques and their potential for integrations with electronics. This Lecture Series provides an introduction to MEMS technology and then focuses on six potential aerospace applications: active control of thin boundary layer flow, complete inertial and navigation units on a single chip, fuzing / safety and arming systems for torpedo applications, micro power generation using micro fuel cells and micro engines for potential standalone sensors and actuators with wireless communication, and micro rockets, applications in harsh environments, and applications for autonomous inventory and storage environments monitoring and for service life predictions. Following on from these MEMS applications, Micro-Optic-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MOEMS) are described in the context of optical communication & sensing systems. Bibliographic and abstract details are available in HTML format. A table of contents, individual papers and the full text of the document (4.3 Mbytes) can be accessed online in PDF format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Multistatic Surveillance and Reconnaissance: Sensor, Signals and Data Fusion

This is a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Educational Note RTO-EN-SET-133, dated May 2009. Radar and sonar systems are important military components of NATO operations. Their ability to function during all-day, relative immunity to weather, capability of localizing targets in range, long range operation, detection and tracking of mobile targets, and classification of objects, make them the sensors of choice in many situations. New emerging concepts use multiple radar/sonar systems in a netted environment. Under this new paradigm, each radar/sonar can receive and process its own signal and/or the signal of other local sources. The application of bi-/multistatic can enhance the information quality gained by a single radar/sonar system. Likewise the fusion of data provided by networks of netted active or passive radar/sonar systems increases the overall performance. As battlefield scenarios become more complex, with ever growing numbers of sensors and weapon systems, the challenge will be to maximize the collection of information and to use that information effectively for enhancing radar performance. The objective of this Lecture Series was to present the state-of-the-art radar/sonar sensors in multistatic configurations and associated radar/sonar signal and data processing and fusion techniques, and thereby increase awareness of their value to the NATO scientific and engineering communities. A table of contents, and the full text of the document can be accessed online in HTML format. The document is contained in the RTO's Full Text Publication Library.

Open Channel Foundation

The aim of this US based organisation is to publish innovative open source software for a wide range of scientific and engineering applications. Much of the software available from the site has been produced from within the academic and research community. Over 200 software programmes are available. The site offers search and browse access to the software. The list of disciplines covered includes aerodynamics, antenna design and satellite communications; CAD CAM CAE, crack growth and fatigue analysis; digital signal processing, failure analysis, finite element analysis, life support systems, navigation and radar, optics and lasers, spacecraft design, and trajectories and orbital mechanics.

Optical Gyros and their Application

This web page provides access to a Research and Technology Organization (RTO) AGARDograph, RTO-AG-339, by D.Loukianov, R.Rodloff, H.Sorg, and B.Stieler; sponsored by the Systems Concepts and Integration Panel (SCI); dated May 1999. It includes four sections covering the following: laser and fiber optical gyro theory, sources of error and error reduction; modern laser gyroscopes and requirements for accuracy, dimension, weight, and cost; fiber optical gyros; and special applications of optical gyros. Bibliographic details and an abstract are available in HTML format. The full text can be accessed online in PDF format (28.9 Mbytes).

Perceived Pilot Workload and Perceived Safety of RNAV (GNSS) Approaches

This website gives access to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau Research and Analysis Report No.20050342 written by Stuart Godley and dated December 2006. Area navigation global navigation satellite system (RNAV (GNSS)) approaches have been used in Australia since 1998 and have now become a common non-precision approach. Since their inception, however, there has been minimal research of pilot performance during normal operations outside of the high capacity airline environment. Three thousand five hundred Australian pilots with an RNAV (GNSS) endorsement were mailed a questionnaire asking them to rate their perceived workload, situational awareness, chart interpretability, and safety on a number of different approach types. Further questions asked pilots to outline the specific aspects of the RNAV (GNSS) approach that affected these assessments. Responses were received from 748 pilots, and answers were analysed based on the aircraft performance category1 . For pilots operating Category A and Category B aircraft (predominantly single and twin-engine propeller aircraft), the RNAV (GNSS) approach resulted in the highest perceived pilot workload (mental and perceptual workload, physical workload, and time pressure), more common losses of situational awareness, and the lowest perceived safety compared with all other approaches evaluated, apart from the NDB approach. For pilots operating Category C aircraft (predominantly high capacity jet airliners), the RNAV (GNSS) approach only presented higher perceived pilot workload and less perceived safety than the precision ILS approach and visual day approach but lower workload and higher safety than the other approaches evaluated. The different aircraft category responses were likely to have been due to high capacity aircraft having advanced automation capabilities and operating mostly in controlled airspace. The concern most respondents had regarding the design of RNAV (GNSS) approaches was that they did not use references for distance to the missed approach point on the approach chart and cockpit displays. Other problems raised were short and irregular segment distances and multiple minimum segment altitude steps, that the RNAV (GNSS) approach chart was the most difficult chart to interpret, and that five letter long waypoint names differing only by the last letter can easily be misread. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format so Adobe Ac robat software will be required in order to read it.

PREVAIL A Platform for EGNOS Validation Flight Trials

This technical report (NLR-TP-2001-197) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2001 and was written by A.N. van den Berg, H. P. J. Veerman, E. Breeuwer and R. Farnworth. Prior to the operational implementation of EGNOS, the civil aviation community requires assurance with respect to the performance and safety of EGNOS-based operations. In the frame of the GNSS-1 Operational Validation (GOV) project, Eurocontrol requested the development of a platform to be used for flight trials. In this context the Netherlands National Aerospace Laboratory NLR developed together with the Spanish company GMV a platform that can be used for two purposes: EGNOS navigation data collection for Navigation System Performance analysis and EGNOS based guidance for demonstration purposes and Total System Performance analysis. The PREVAIL platform was installed on the NLR Cessna Citation II research aircraft for flight trials during the period between 25 September and 2 October 2000. During a number of flights (ferries between Schiphol and Br?tigny-sur-Orge and trials around Br?tigny-sur-Orge) EGNOS Satellite Test-Bed (ESTB) based navigation data was recorded with two different GNSS-1 receivers (Aquarius(r), Millennium(r)) and at Br?tigny-sur-Orge local DGPS RTK data was recorded to serve as a truth reference. This paper presents not only some of the results of the (early) trials that were performed with the PREVAIL platform, but it also discusses the process of analysing the (large amounts of) obtained data. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available as a PDF file.

Report on Global Air Navigation Systems : Volume 1 : Summary

The report (SAB-TR-97-02) was published in December 1997 by the United States Air Force (USAF) Scientific Advisory Board. The Global Air Navigation Study, to which the report relates, examined the needs and possibilities for navigation systems to be used by the USAF in the 21st Century. It attempted to identify the modifications that would have to be carried out on current systems to ensure that Department of Defense (DOD) aircraft and ground systems will fulfil the criteria of urgency and utility in the future. This is a downloadable .pdf file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Report on Global Air Navigation Systems : Volume 2

The report (SAB-TR-97-02) was published in September 1998 by the United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, and concludes the issues raised in Volume 1. The Global Air Navigation Study, to which the report related, examined the needs and possibilities for navigation systems to be used by the USAF in the 21st Century. It considers the capabilities and technology required, the impact of non-compliance and proposes an acquisitions strategy. The future infrastructure of Global Air Navigation Systems (GANS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM) are also discussed. This is a downloadable .pdf file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

RNAV (GNSS) Non-Precision Approach : Flight Trials Analysis Report

This provides access to a UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) paper 2007/06 published 21st September 2007. The aims of this work were to gain an understanding of pilot experience and interpretation of RNAV (GNSS) procedures within the UK through flight trials at six aerodromes between May and December 2006. As well as the objective to understand the complexity of receiver programming and the spatial perception of pilots, other factors such as the interface with air traffic control (ATC), phraseology, traffic, pilot training and issues regarding missed approaches were also considered. [Taken from abstract]. The full text is available in PDF format from the CAA's publications web site.

RTCA, Inc.

RTCA is a private, not-for-profit organisation that addresses requirements and technical concepts for aviation. Its products are recommended standards and guidance documents that focus on the application of electronics technology to implement new or modified concepts and to satisfy related requirements. RTCA was organised as the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics in 1935. The RTCA web site provides access to a variety of information resources. Details are provided of forthcoming conferences and symposia. Information about RTCA committees is available, as is a calendar of events and membership directory. Lists of RTCA documents are provided in PDF and HTML formats, which the option to purchase online. The site also contains a members only area.

Sperry Marine Northrop Grumman

Sperry Marine encorporates products from Sperry, Decca and C.Plath. This site provides information on their products and services, which include marine radar systems, ship defence systems, navigational sensors, gyrocompasses and machinery automation, along with commercial marine products. Information is also available concerning product certifications, product brochures, global customer service and a history of the company. Press releases and details of events are also provided.

Sustaining Air Force Space Systems. A Model for the Global Positioning System

This report (MG-525-AF) was produced by The RAND Corporation in 2007 and was written by Don Snyder, Patrick Mills, Katherine Comanor and Charles Robert Roll, Jr. Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) needs quantitative tools to assist it in making decisions on how changes in the dollars invested in maintenance and sustainment of the ground segment of space systems affect the operational performance of those systems. This monograph outlines criteria for analyzing how sustainment investments affect the operational performance of space systems, focusing on the Global Positioning System. We offer a framework for such analyses and recommend steps to implement that framework. We describe the Global Positioning System at a level of detail needed for the analysis; discuss how to approach modeling the relationships between sustainment activities and overall system performance, and describe a pilot model for such analysis; and we examine the results of this model and how they might be used in policy analysis, and discuss the implications for developing such models in GPS and other programs. We selected a metric of performance that reflects the overall system performance, and not one that focuses on the performance of a specific subsystem. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software is required in order to read it.

Temporary Installation Methods for PAPI/A-PAPI Systems : Final Report

This provides access to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, DOT/FAA/AR-01/111, by Keith Bagot, dated January 2002. Airports have a need to temporarily install a precision approach path indicator (PAPI) or an abbreviated PAPI (A-PAPI) to provide accurate approach slope guidance when a runway threshold is temporarily displaced due to construction or maintenance projects. Airports have been reluctant to pour concrete foundations for temporary installations because of the cost and impact on operations. However, since the vertical alignment of the PAPI system is critical, a temporary installation method must take into consideration the need for enough rigidity and stability to maintain the proper aiming angles without excessive field monitoring. This report describes three temporary installation methods that were effective in maintaining proper aiming angles within the Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 150/5345-28 limitations. The full text of the report is available in PDF format, from the online catalogue of the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center Library.

Terminal Convective Weather Forecast 2000 Demonstration Report. Memphis International Airport, Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZME)

This provides access to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, DOT/FAA CT-TN 03/6 by Danny Sims, dated June 2003. The Terminal Convective Weather Forecast (TCWF) 2000 Demonstration was conducted during the convective season at Air Traffic Control (ATC) facilities in Memphis, TN. The demonstration was conducted by ACB-630 to ascertain the TCWF overall utility, ease of use, readability, and perceived benefit to ATC tasking. TCWF was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) under FAA Aviation Weather Research Program funding. The product provides a graphical 0 to 60-minute forecast of convective weather for an airport terminal area. Results indicated overall positive impressions. Users reported the TCWF provided benefit in performing ATC tasks; was a beneficial supplement to the Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS); and enhanced situational awareness. The full text of the report is available in PDF format, from the online catalogue of the FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center Library.

Terrain Display Alternatives : Assessment of Information Density and Alerting Strategies

This page provides access to the executive summary and full text of this report by Melissa Bud, Mary Stearns, and Peter Mengert, of the DOT (Department of Transportation) Volpe Centre. It was published in April 1998. The report describes a series of interrelated experiments to explore the human factors issues in depicting terrain on electronic displays. The series of experiments examined instrument-rated general aviation pilots’ ability to interpret terrain depicted on electronic plan view displays using a flight simulator. The experiments addressed several human factors issues associated with presenting terrain information on electronic displays. The full text of the report is available in MS Word format.

The Royal Institute Of Navigation (RIN)

The Royal Institute Of Navigation (RIN) is a learned society with charitable status and was formed in 1947. Its objective is to unite those who are concerned with, or who are interested in, navigation within one body and then to further its development. The site provides a range of information sources including: membership details, a listing of Special Interest Groups and Branches, news of forthcoming events and an electronic discussion forum. It is possible to conduct an online search of the RIN Library and of the contents of the RIN Journal through the Reference section.

Tightly-Coupled Image-Aided Inertial Navigation System via a Kalman Filter

This is the full text of a thesis by Michael G. Giebner which was presented to the air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2003. Inertial navigation systems and GPS systems have revolutionized the world of navigation. Inertial systems are incapable of being jammed and are the backbone of most navigation systems. GPS is highly accurate over long periods of time, and it is an excellent aid to inertial navigation systems. However, as a military force we must be prepared to deal with the denial of the GPS signal. This thesis seeks to determine if, via simulation, it is viable to aid an INS with visual measurements. Visual measurements represent a source of data that is essentially incapable of being jammed, and as such they could be highly valuable for improving navigation accuracy in a military environment. The simulated visual measurements are two angles formed from the aircraft with respect to a target on the ground. Only one target is incorporated into this research. Five different measurement combinations were incorporated into a Kalman filter and compared to each other over a six-minute circular navigation orbit. The measurement combinations included were with respect to the navigation orbit: 1) GPS signals throughout the orbit, 2) no measurements during the orbit, 3) simulated barometric measurements during the orbit, 4) simulated barometric and visual measurements during the orbit, 5) and visual measurements only during the orbit. The visual measurements were shown to significantly improve navigation accuracy during a GPS outage, decreasing the total 3-dimensional error after six minutes without GPS from 350m to 50m (with visual measurements). The barometric/visual measurement formulation was the most accurate non-GPS combination tested, with the pure visual measurement formulation being the next best visual measurement configuration. The results obtained indicate visual measurements can effectively aid an INS. Ideas for follow-on work are also presented. [Taken from abstract]. The full text of the thesis is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site.

U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) provides a link between the Air Force and the U.S. scientific community. The Board promotes the exchange of the latest scientific and technical information that may enhance the accomplishment of the Air Force mission. In addition, it may consider management challenges that affect Air Force use of scientific knowledge and technological advances. This site contains studies and reports produced by the Board. These are either in the form of summaries or full text. Full text reports include: A Space Roadmap for the 21st Century Aerospace Force (1998); Global Air Navigation Systems Study Volumes 1 and 2 (1997) and a UAV study (1996). These are PDF format reports.

Unmanned Dynamics, LLC

The Company provides software solutions for real-time control, particularly in the design of software systems for Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV). This includes development of aircraft dynamic models, autopilot design, sensor fusion and simulation. The company provides software products such as the AeroSim aeronautical simulation blockset for Matlab, as well as consulting services in the areas of unmanned vehicles, simulation, navigation, and control system design. The web site provides a brief description of the company. The Products section contains information on the AeroSim Blockset, a Matlab/Simulink block library which provides components for rapid development of nonlinear 6-DOF aircraft dynamic models. Academic and non-commercial users (such as government organisations) may download the Aerosim Blockset free of charge. A product data sheet and a user's guide are also available.

US Coast Guard Navigation Center

The U.S. Coastguard Navigation Center (NAVCEN) provides a range of navigation services aimed at promoting safe transportation and supporting US commerce. The site provides access to the text of the Federal Radionavigation Plan (MS Word and PDF formats). Information relating to the Civil GPS Interface Committee, which is managed and coordinated by NAVCEN, is also provided. The site brings together a range of information on GPS, DGPS, and Loran-C. This includes notes on status, issues and policy notes.

Using the GPS to Improve Trajectory Position and Velocity Determination During Real-Time Ejection Seat Test and Evaluation

This is the full text of a thesis by Christina G. Schutte which was presented to the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) in 2003. Test and evaluation of the United States Air Force’s latest aircraft escape system technology requires accurate position and velocity profiles during each test to determine the relative positions between the aircraft, ejection seat, manikin and the ground. Current rocket sled testing relies on expensive ground based multiple camera systems to determine the position and velocity profiles. While these systems are satisfactory at determining seat and manikin trajectories for sled testing, their accuracy decreases when they are used for in-flight testing, especially at high altitudes. This research presents the design and test results from a new GPS-based system capable of monitoring all major ejection test components (including multiple ejection seat systems) during an entire escape system test run. This portable system can easily be integrated into the test manikin, within the flight equipment, or in the ejection seat. Small, low-power, lightweight Global Positioning System (GPS) GPS receivers, capable of handling high-accelerations, are mounted on the desired escape system component to maintain track during the escape system test sequence from initiation until the final landing. The GPS-based system will be used to augment the telemetry and photography systems currently being used at the Air Force (AF) and other Department of Defense’s (DoD) sled track test facilities to improve tracking accuracy and reduce testing costs. [Taken from abstract]. The full text of the thesis is available in PDF format and is provided by the Air University ResearchWeb site.

Validation of SBAS MOPS Troposphere Model over the EGNOS Service Area

This technical report (NLR-TP-2004-220) was published by NLR (the National Aerospace Laboratory of the Netherlands) in 2004 and was written by S. Storm van Leeuwen, H. van der Marel, M. Tossaint and A. Martelluci. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) delivers corrections to GPS receivers for ionospheric delay, satellite position errors and satellite clock errors via EGNOS satellites navigation messages. Next to these corrections, integrity data for the satellites is embedded in the navigation message. Geostationary communication satellites broadcast these messages, also delivering GPS-like ranging signals which can be used to augment the position solution computed by the user receiver. EGNOS is a Space Based Augmentation System (SBAS) providing functionality and data fully compatible with the United States operated Wide Area Augmentation System as specified in the RTCA Minimum Operational Performance Standard (MOPS). Correction for the tropospheric delay by the receiver is defined in this standard through a fairly simple model using estimated receiver position, satellite elevation and day of year only. When the actual troposphere deviates heavily from the model, the remaining tropospheric delay error, and hence the pseudorange error, may exceed the error limit as specified in the MOPS, which may result in hazardous misleading position information provided to the user. In order to verify the performance of the model, a priori knowledge about the magnitude distribution of the actual tropospheric delay is required. Also during the validation of EGNOS it has to be determined if an abnormal pseudorange error is due to an abnormal tropospheric delay error. The paper starts with a short introduction to the MOPS corrections, with the emphasis on the tropospheric delay model. Next the MOPS tropospheric correction model performance is compared to the performance of other models published in the last two decades. Actual tropospheric delay data of a large number of GPS reference stations distributed over the western and southern part of Europe has been used to assess the performance of the MOPS model. The paper ends with conclusions of both the theoretical and the practical assessment, and gives recommendations for the reduction of the remaining tropospheric error by applying an improved model. [Taken from abstract]. This is a PDF file, so Adobe Acrobat software will be required in order to read it.

Free flight to the information you need - fast!

Home | Aerospace & defence | DEVISE | ESDU Series
Reports Archive | Shrivenham Index | ConferenceBrief | JobsBrief UK | NewsBrief

© Cranfield University