Moving towards higher levels of transparency for measuring performance with Open Data

For aviation to improve its performance, an essential element is data on what is happening in the skies. EUROCONTROL provides a wide range of relevant data but there is another source – open data generated from aircraft themselves (from their ADS-B or Mode S transmitters).

This data snapshot analyses the coverage of open air transport data within Europe. The graphic on the left shows the evolution of aircraft processed by EUROCONTROL’s Network Manager (NM) (typically aircraft flying IFR and therefore filing a flight plan), compared with those visible through OSN, the OpenSky Network (equipped with ADS-B or Mode S). It compares the number of unique airborne airframes in summer 2019 and 2022.

Overall, the number of OSN aircraft is catching up with the number tracked by the EUROCONTROL NM. This is as a result of two trends. First, the proportion of aircraft flying IFR that are equipped with ADS-B/Mode S is increasing (from about 78% to 86%). Second, the number of aircraft visible to OSN but not NM is also increasing, as can be seen in the second graphic. This is because non-commercial aircraft (e.g., agricultural, or recreational flying) are increasingly equipped with modern transmitters.

So, while NM monitors primarily IFR flights (and has a more complete coverage of these), OSN does provide a more comprehensive coverage of overall activity in the sky. This includes many flights under visual flight rules, with operations of light aircraft, airships and balloons. This allows us to create broader views on topics such as aviation safety, traffic monitoring and general sky usage, especially now that the proportion of all aircraft visible to OSN has increased so much.

Download the Data Snapshot: EUROCONTROL Data Snapshot 35