International Civil Aviation Organization

World-wide CNS/ATM Systems

Implementation Conference

Rio de Janeiro, 11 – 15 May 1998

International Civil Aviation Organization

World-wide CNS/ATM Systems

Implementation Conference

Rio de Janeiro, 11 – 15 May 1998

WW/IMP–WP/48

11/5/98

Item 1

Agenda Item 1:	Overview of CNS/ATM systems implementation

(Presented by the Republic of Cabo Verde)

Information Paper

SUMMARY

This paper presents for the information of the Conference a general overview of Cabo Verde Project for the Renovation of the ATS System in the Sal Oceanic FIR and Trials and Demonstrations aiming at the Implementation of the new ICAO CNS/ATM Systems.

1.	INTRODUCTION

1.1	Abstract

1.1.1	ASA, the Airports and Air Navigation Agency of the Republic of Cabo Verde, is renovating the system for the provision of Air Traffic Services in the airspaces under the responsibility of the Republic of Cabo Verde.

1.1.2	The renovation will include all the operational display and control systems, including consoles, communication terminals, telephone and intercom systems. A new air navigation dedicated building will be constructed.

1.1.3	A programme of trials and demonstrations of the new CNS/ATM technologies and concepts will be undertaken in line with the objectives and guidelines of the Transition Plan developed by APIRG and approved by AFI/7 RAN Meeting. This programme will be carried out in close co-operation with IATA and progress reports will be published periodically by ASA with a view to ensuring that all partners in the process, i.e. airspace users and provider and user States and Organisations concerned are kept fully aware of the developments.

2.	THE ENVIRONMENT

2.1	Geography

2.1.1	The Republic of Cabo Verde lies about 400 NM West of the Westernmost point of african continent, the Cap Vert. The archipelago consists of ten islands and five islets, divided into windward and leeward groups and extends over an area of 4,030 square kilometres with a population of around 400,000. Gross domestic product is about USD 300 million, approximately USD 750 per capita (1995). The islands are volcanic in origin, and are all mountainous except three - Sal, Boa Vista and Maio. There is an active volcano in the island of Fogo (Fire) with an altitude of 9760 feet. This is the highest elevation in the archipelago and lies within the protected airspace for the main ATS route between Europe and South America, UA32.

2.1.2	Cabo Verde, a former Portuguese Colony, became independent since 5th July 1975. The Capital City is Praia in the island of Santiago. Pursuant to an ICAO Council decision ( December 1978 Meeting) the Sal Oceanic FIR was operationally implemented on 21st February 1980, at 12:00 UTC.

2.2	Aeronautical Infrastructure

2.2.1	All the major Islands are served by regular air transport. There are two international airports: the main is Amilcar Cabral in Sal island and the other is Francisco Mendes in the Capital, Praia. Amilcar Cabral airport is equipped with VOR/DME, NDB and ILS. A 35 million USD project for the construction of a brand new airport in Praia has been approved by the Government and works have just started. S. Pedro Airport in the island of São Vicente, will soon benefit from an about 10 million USD project for the expansion of its facilities which will include a new runway and air navigation facilities for regular commercial night operations. Most of the remaining aerodromes are equipped with locators and are about to be provided with Aerodrome Flight Information Service (AFIS).

2.3	Airspace Organisation

2.3.1	Cabo Verde manages a large portion of the Atlantic Ocean airspace within the limits of Sal Oceanic FIR that interfaces to the North with Canaries FIR, South with Dakar Oceanic, East with Dakar and West with Santa Maria Oceanic ( Azores, Portugal). Class A Airspace is established from FL245 . A Terminal Area (TMA) encompasses the whole archipelago and adjacent waters up to FL245. Control Zones have been established for Amilcar Cabral and Francisco Mendes airports.

2.4	Communications

2.4.1	Two en-route VHF stations have been implemented, one in Sal, the other in Santiago. The Santiago station is remotely operated from Sal ACC. These two stations located at quite significant altitudes (Santiago station at Monte Campanário hill is just over 1100 meters of altitude) do provide full VHF coverage at operationally significant altitudes of the most ATS routes. The South Atlantic ATS Routes in the EUR/SAM corridor, UA32, UB602 and UR1 are entirely VHF covered in the Sal Oceanic FIR and well into the Dakar Oceanic FIR to the South. Positive pilot/controller communications at Dakar/Recife and Sal/Santa Maria FIRs boundaries are not uncommon. An HF station in Sal provides H24 monitoring of SAT -1/AFI - 1 and SAT-2 families frequencies.

2.4.2	All aeronautical fixed links are routed via a submarine fibre optic cable from Sal to an INTELSAT earth station in Praia. VSAT local stations linking Sal to Dakar, Las Palmas (Canaries) and Santa Maria will in short term route directly all the Cabo Verde aeronautical fixed telecommunications ( ATS/DS and AFTN). The INTELSAT earth station and fibre optic links capabilities will remain for back-up purposes.

2.5	Air traffic characterisation

a)	National traffic

National international traffic operates mainly out of Sal International Airport. There are direct flights between Sal and Amsterdam, Bergamo, Buenos Aires, Havana, Johannesburg, Lisbon, Luanda, Moscow, New York, Paris and S. Paulo. Direct domestic flights from Sal operate to Boavista, Praia, São Nicolau and São Vicente. Praia has direct international connections to Banjul, Bissau and Dakar, and domestic connections to Boavista, Brava, Maio, Mosteiros, Sal, Santo Antão, São Nicolau and São Vicente. The role of Praia as an international gateway is to be expanded in the medium term. All other domestic airports have only domestic connections.

b)	Overflights

The Sal Oceanic FIR is strategically located along the main international air routes between Europe and South America and between sub - Saharan Africa and North America. Major airports of origin and destination for the overflights from Europe include Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Lisbon, Madrid and Paris in Europe, and Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago, Rio de Janeiro, Recife and São Paulo in South America. In the AFI Region Dakar and Johannesburg are the major origin and destination for the overflight traffic and for North America is New York.

c)	Traffic forecast

The amount of traffic operating in the Sal Oceanic FIR is expected to increase significantly over the next 15 years in line with the predicted growth in the number of passengers between Europe ad South America. that is expected to go from 9.2 million in 1995 to 20.9 million in the year 2010. This will result in significant increase in the number of flights.

2.6	Air traffic management

2.6.1	Traffic in Sal FIR mostly operates along organised ATS Routes, with very few traffic operating random. As a consequence, and depending on patterns of winds aloft, important economic penalties to users may occur.

2.6.1	Traffic between Europe and South America flies along three main, quasi-parallel routes i.e. UA32, UB602 and UR1. Traffic between Africa and North America mostly traverses the FIR on UA976/UA602. This traffic is more sensitive to changes in wind patterns. Adhering to fixed routes can result in significant operational penalties. Traffic permitting, random routes are cleared by ATC when requested. A fully random environment is not possible currently with the present ATC tools. The introduction of CNS/ATM systems is expected to lead to a much enhanced freedom of flight with consequential important benefits to the airspace users.

2.6.2	Present lateral separation minima is 100 NM and longitudinal separation is 15 minutes with MNT. Airspace congestion at peak hours has been experienced in the last years leading to uneconomic flight levels allocation.

2.6.3	The latest informal meeting for the improvement of Air Traffic Services over the South Atlantic Area (SAT/6 Meeting, Recife, Brazil, 24 - 28 November 1997) addressed the issue of airspace capacity and formulated Conclusions that will result in significant increase in airspace capacity in the FIRs concerned, namely:

a)	Reduction of longitudinal separation from 15 minutes to 10 minutes MNT	effective from 23 April 1998;

b)	adoption of the RNP value of 12.6, compatible with 60 NM lateral separation that	allowed for the review of ATS route network and consequential creation of two	additional RNAV routes and deletion of the requirement for UB602. (These	changes are to be introduced in the ANP as soon as possible and ideally not later than	September 1998); and

c)	establishment of a Task Force the work programme of which include, i. a. the
examination of the feasibility of the application of RVSM between FL290 and FL410.

3.	THE PROJECT

3.1	Overview

3.1.1	A full renovation of the operational display and control system serving the Sal Oceanic FIR and relevant ATS units will be carried out. This will include operational consoles and associated traffic display systems and control panels for fixed (voice) and mobile communication systems. A new dedicated Air Navigation building will be constructed. At the core of the new ATS system will be a Flight Data Processing and Display System (FDPS) in dual configuration. System flight plans will be created off-line from RPL's and on line either automatically from an AFTN interface or manually from a Flight Data Position. The FDPS will be updated either automatically via ADS reports, or manually via position reports or other air traffic controller inputs. Two operational positions are planned. Each will incorporate a graphical situation display and a flight progress board. This can be either mechanical or electronic. All active traffic plots will be displayed. The graphics display will allow for the access on a windows environment to other CPL and AIS/MET related data. Alternative concepts can be considered and will be assessed on their own merits.

3.1.2	In summary, the system will comprise the following::

a)	hardware:

•	dual configuration processor: operational and stand-by;

•	technical control terminal (s);

•	data storage and back-up;

•	dual-operational console, integrating for each position:

- graphical situation display

- flight progress boards or optionally, electronic flight progress strips;

- suitable input/output devices;

- fixed and mobile communications interfaces.

b) required software modules will include:

•	standard operating system;

•	Flight Data Processing module ( FDPS);

•	CPL updating and display processing;

•	aircraft ATC log-on ( AFN - ATC Facilities Notification Function);

•	ADS message processing;

•	CPDLC data link functions;

•	off-line RPL processing;

•	computer based training package simulating functional procedures;

•	computer assisted system diagnosis and reconfiguration.

c) optional modules will include, but are not limited to:

•	automatic conflict prediction and alert;

•	assisted conflict resolution;

•	computer generated transfer messages

•	AFTN interface;

•	AIS/MET information processing and display

3.2	CNS/ATM Programme Objectives

3.2.1	In what specifically concerns the CNS/ATM Programme, this will consist of three Phases:

PHASE 1 - TRIALS AND DEMONSTRATIONS has the following objectives in each domain:

a)	communications:

•	assess the availability, including transit times, and reliability, including integrity, of air-
ground data link communications via SATCOM, VHF (and eventually HF) between aircraft operating primarily in the Sal Oceanic FIR and the Sal ACC;

•	assess operational requirements for frequency of updates.

b)	navigation:

•	use of GNSS as primary and/or supplemental means of navigation during the en-route phase of flight to meet specific RNP values to be determined;

•	use of GNSS as supplemental and/or stand alone means of navigation for TMA Operations;

•	assess the potential of GNSS for use as stand-alone approach and landing means, including for near CAT -1 or full CAT -1 Operations;

•	assess the requirements for augmentation in the above contexts.

c) surveillance

•	assess the operational impact of ADS;

•	determine the operational requirements for the display of ADS and non-ADS aircraft;

•	balidate the operational applicability of the options retained;

•	determine the operational adequacy of input/output devices.

d) air traffic management

•	determine operational models and validate options for the integration and/or segregation of ADS and non/ADS equipped aircraft including operational scenarios and ATS tools required;

•	identify achievable horizontal separation minima (lateral and longitudinal) in the new CNS/ATM environment and in relation to specific tools.

PHASE 2 - the REPORTING PHASE, will be aimed at validating operational and technical options and on agreeing on implementation methodology. A final report will be produced covering all the above aspects for consideration and decision by all parties concerned.

PHASE 3 - OPERATIONAL will see the gradual application of the options retained.

3.3	Trials and Demonstrations

3.3.1	The planned developments will not take place at equal pace or with equal ease. Technical developments must be carefully matched to operational concepts so as to ensure a positive cost-benefit ratio. There is also a need to ensure that benefits to some users do not result in significant operational disadvantages to the majority. Trials and demonstrations are aimed at ensuring that the specific technical solutions and operational concepts are the most adapt, and that implementation time-frames are realistic. The results are to be made available to the ICG's (Implementation and Co-ordination Groups) and to APIRG. It is in this context that the Cabo Verde trials will be undertaken. As a representative of the users, the co- operation of IATA in the conduct of trials is seen as indispensable to ensure the success of this phase of the project and of the transition to the new CNS/ATM concept.

3.4	Co-ordination

3.4.1	It is realised that major benefits will not accrue unless the concepts and technologies retained are applied over a wider area. For this reason all other ATS providers associated to Area or Routing AR-1, EUR/SAM, i.e., Brazil, Canaries, (Spain), Morocco and Senegal (ASECNA) will be kept informed of developments at all times. Visits will be encouraged, and debriefings provided regularly as appropriate. Major operational decisions affecting international traffic flows will be agreed beforehand within the framework of the ICG's and the planning bodies and machinery.

3.5	Training

3.5.1	ASA is conscious that training is essential to the successful implementation of this project. Training will cover both technical and operational aspects and will be a blend of theoretical and practical modules specifically designed to stimulate the participants and provide them with sufficient knowledge to effectively fulfil their role.

4.	PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION STATUS

Activities planned for the successful completion of the project include:

•	general systems specifications

•	call for tender documentation

•	award of contract

•	air/ground network connectivity assessment

•	selection of service provider.

•	user co-ordination

•	systems installation and commissioning

•	technical training

•	WGS 84

•	GNSS augmentation

•	airspace Planning

•	operational Procedures

•	operational training - Procedures, Equipment

•	operational and Technical Evaluation

•	reporting

•	operational application.

4.1	Following the Call for Expression of Interest ASA is about to select one or two international Consultancy Services providers to support all the above mentioned activities.

4.2	As far as the WGS 84 is concerned it has already been implemented in Cabo Verde as of 01 January 1998 and all the surveyed co-ordinates were timely published.

5.	ACTION BY THE CONFERENCE

5.1	The Conference is invited to note the Information contained in this paper which reflects Cabo Verde's commitment to the implementation of the new ICAO CNS/ATM systems.

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