Taking a holistic view of ATM performance  

ATM is progressively transitioning to a performance based system and several performance frameworks haven been developed in this endeavour. Yet, properly assessing ATM performance and conveniently capturing trade-offs among key performance areas (KPAs) still present some research challenges for the ATM community. In this context, APACHE addressed three main research needs:

• Some of the current performance indicators (PIs) are proxy indicators that complicate setting performance target levels or drawing clear conclusions when assessing or monitoring performance;
• Current PIs might not be able to properly capture ATM performance in the future operational paradigm foreseen in the SESAR concept of operations; 
• In the majority of cases, KPAs and/or SESAR solutions show complex interdependences that are not well understood.

The APACHE project provided a novel ATM simulation system, which is used with two different purposes: to simulate different operational contexts to perform what-if assessments; and to provide advanced models and optimisation tools that can support the implementation of novel and more accurate PIs. In this context, the developed system is able to generate optimal trajectories and airspace sectorisations considering a wide range of optimality criteria (different business models of airspace users (AUs) and air navigation service providers (ANSPs), criteria for environmental impact, etc.), supporting the calculation of new PIs using these trajectories/sectorisations as references.

The APACHE simulator and the new proposed PIs were demonstrated by:

• performing a preliminary impact assessment of long-term ATM concepts (such as free-routing and advanced demand and capacity balance mechanisms);
• monitoring performance from historical data sets;
• analysing interdependencies between some representative KPAs and SESAR Solutions; and
• estimating the theoretical optimal limits for certain KPAs, under different optimality assumptions.

Some of the proposed PIs showed the potential to complement current performance framework. A future research need is to enable a more accurate and robust computation of “advanced” performance indicators, in order to better capture and infer preferences and operational practices of AUs and ANSPs and to better isolate the contribution of the different stakeholders into the overall performance of the ATM system.

Benefits

Better performance indicators

Improved understanding of performance trade-offs and theoretical limits

Initial assessment of new ATM concepts and historical analysis.

Deliverables

699338_D4.1_Report on the availability of the APACHE framework

699338_D5.1_Results from simulation and analysis of results

699338_D6.2_Final report on communication and dissemination

699338_D6.3_Exploitation plan