Major ANSPs Coordinating Global ADS-B Harmonization

Program managers from the ANSPs (air navigation service providers) of Airservices Australia, the FAA, Nav Canada and Eurocontrol, held their second coordination meeting recently, meant to ensure that the implementation of airborne ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) is globally interoperable.

During the meeting, held at Air Europa's headquarters in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, the participants addressed issues of ADS-B standardization, regulation, aircraft equipage, certification trials and their progress toward implementing initial operational capability.

The meeting attendees noted that the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is preparing ADS-B airworthiness approval material, and believed it would be useful in harmonizing the early equipage requirements, when it is finished in February 2008.  Australia and Canada are expected to use EASA material as an input into their early implementation approvals and the U.S. is exploring the same possibility.  For later implementations, where performance may be more demanding, the attendees converged toward a consensus around the requirements by the FAA in their NPRM (notice of proposed rule-making) published in October.

"Whilst it is recognized that ADS-B-out is by itself a cost-beneficial investment, it is important to keep the future benefits potential of ADS-B-in in mind," stated Alex Wandels, who manages Eurocontrol's CASCADE Program.  "In order to ensure the full return on investment in ADS-B, all rule-making in support of service delivery is expected to converge on the same, globally applicable requirements."

(ADS-B-out is the broadcast of an aircraft's identity, position and velocity.  ADS-B-in refers to the capturing of these signals by ground receivers as well as other nearby aircraft. The CASCADE Program coordinates the implementation of ADS-B applications in Europe, which expects to achieve initial operational capability of ADS-B-out in 2008 and ADS-B-in for air traffic situational awareness in 2011.)

This meeting, which coincided with a Eurocontrol ADS-B certification workshop hosted by Air Europa, was attended by more than 100 representatives of airlines, air navigation service providers, regulators and manufacturers from Asia, Australia, Africa, America and Europe.  The next joint meeting of the ADS-B program managers will take place in Canada in April 2008.  12-09-2007.

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