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Articles
Articles
The Virtual Center
The “virtual centre” concept offers an effective
response to the question how to innovate the
current ATM business model. It shows a further
perspective for the SES initiative. Virtual centres are
a group of air traffic services units (ACC’s) operating
from different locations using fully standardised
methods of operation, procedures and equipment
in such a manner that they are perceived as a single
system from an airspace user’s perspective.
The virtual centre business model is based on two
key concepts which are interlinked by an European
standard:
• a standardised workstation for controllers: the
common controller cockpit. This concept breaks
away from the conventional integrated and
monolithic air traffic management system
thinking. The CCC model permits a broad
selection of standardised European-certified
“plug-in”Tools / applications (comparable with
the “apps” in today’s tablet/mobile phone industry)
to perform all current and new ATM functionalities.
The concept’s assumption is the strategic
importance of the controller’s workstation or
human/machine interface (HMI) to the ANSP’s.
• information processing which is based on a
standardised but open system world: the
information cloud. It provides the ANSP’s with
a way to procure information services instead of
technical equipment. This enables the ANSP to
save investment and maintenance costs.
Both these concepts require a standardised interface.
It is critical to standardise the interfaces between the
common controller cockpit and the cloud systems
providing and receiving required and processed data.
One of the major benefits of this business model is
that it allows the ANSP’s in terms of their system
life-cycle to adopt gradually the new standards as
soon as they are defined.
Furthermore, it reduces the ANSP’s dependencies
on only a small number of technical suppliers, which
should in turn also lower the ANSP’s costs.
The business model allows ANSPs to take offline
certain facilities at times of low traffic (e.g. at night)
and ensures business continuity in case of centre
failure. In addition, based on practical experience,
more benefits are: improved safety, robustness,
resilience, a capacity increase of more than 10%
overall* and an efficiency enhancement of 15-20%*
for relatively little investment. This business model
is considered to be fully compatible with the objec-
tives defined under the SESAR programme.
However, high priority must be given to defining
the various standards under the SESAR umbrella,
whereas the implementation and funding of the
virtual centre business model should be separately
organised.
* These estimates should now be verified by an independent
body such as the PRB (Performance Review Board)
with you, all the way.
www.skyguide.ch
It is through the busiest and most
complex air-space in Europe that skyguide,
Switzerland’s air navigation services,
guides the civil and military aircraft en-
trusted to its care – around 3270 flights a
day or 1.2 million a year.