NASA to Use ARINC's AviNet for FOQA and ASAP Distribution

NASA Ames will use ARINC's wide-area network to support its Distributed National FOQA (flight operational quality assurance) and ASAP (aviation safety action program) Archive program also known as DNFA/DNA.

ARINC's Network Solutions Division is teamed with Battelle, a non-profit independent research and development organization that originally designed and implemented the program's technology, and serves as the program's prime contractor.

NASA's aim is to provide a secure archive for research and discovery of systemic safety-related problems that may span multiple airlines, fleets, and regions.  The DNFA/DNAA archive can retrieve and store selected FOQA data from daily flights of thousands of commercial aircraft, as well as ASAP reports submitted by employees of participating airlines.

FOQA records data from flights where deviations from norms take place, with the objective of identifying potential problems and correct them before they lead to accidents.  ASAP programs seek to enhance aviation safety through the voluntary reporting of exceptional events by airline personnel.

ARINC will implement its wide-area AviNet IP (Internet protocol) network connectivity to support the program mission of evaluating automated flight recorder data and exceptional-event reports from participating U.S. airlines.

Ten carriers are already in the program and more are expected to join.

AviNet will transport NASA's data on demand to the central archive from servers at each airline.  Data will also be re-distributed to participating research organizations and universities.

All data transmissions are governed by data confidentiality and security policies established by NASA in cooperation with the FAA and participating air carriers.  A variety of procedural and IT (information technology) safeguards will ensure compliance with these requirements in order to maintain the anonymity of air carrier data providers, ARINC says, and adds that AviNet is an important element of that security solution.  05-25-2007.

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