DISCLAIMER
The draft recommendations contained herein were preliminary drafts submitted for discussion purposes only and do not constitute final determinations. They have been subject to modification, substitution, or rejection and may not reflect the adopted positions of IFATCA. For the most current version of all official policies, including the identification of any documents that have been superseded or amended, please refer to the IFATCA Technical and Professional Manual (TPM).
34TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, Jerusalem, Israel, 27-31 March 1995WP No. 81Development of Mode S as a Surveillance Tool |
This paper reviews the activities related to the development of Mode S as a surveillance tool and provides an update to conference.
Mode S surveillance sensors went into operational service in the United States in the spring of 1994. They operate solely in a Mode A and C role at present.
ATC engineers and planners are actively considering just how Mode S surveillance data is to be presented to the controller. The likely format is for progressive introduction of surveillance capabilities utilising Mode S. These levels are known, in one example, as:
- Minimum Level Enhancement Surveillance;
- Higher Level Enhanced Surveillance;
- Full Two Way Datalink.
Minimum level provides a surveillance function without using the datalink capability of Mode S to enhance surveillance data, but can provide automatic reporting of ACAS resolution advisories. Full two way, datalink is precisely that, the ability to integrate aircraft flight management system data for ATC surveillance tasks. Higher level enhanced surveillance is the incremental step between the two.
To Conclude
The development of Mode S surveillance systems are beginning to move nearer to operational application issues. This is to be welcomed, as the system can then be tailored to the operational need.
