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Virginia Tech

A Computer Model to Estimate Benefits of Data Link Mandates and Reduced Separations across North Atlantic Organized Track System

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) proposed to introduce new operational strategies across the North Atlantic (NAT) airspace. This includes Minimum Navigation Performance Specifications (MNPS) airspace to increase the capacity and efficiency of the North Atlantic Organized Track System (NAT OTS). A numerical integration and simulation model called North Atlantic Simulation and Modeling (NATSAM) is developed to study the effects of these new strategies on NAT system performance. The model is capable of investigating the effects of implementing different operational policies and strategies proposed by ICAO such as Reduced Lateral Separation Minimum (RLatSM), NAT Region Data link mandate (DLM), Reduced Longitudinal Separation Minimum (RLongSM), cruise-climb profiles, variable Mach number profiles, step-climbs and other operational concepts to be studied by the ICAO. NATSAM models the individual flight performance using the Base of Aircraft Data (BADA) 3.9 model to calculate the flight profiles and fuel burn. The model employs simple heuristics to execute flight track assignment in the organized track system for each scenario. Detailed outputs and also aggregated outputs are provided by the model from which various key performance indicators (KPI) can be derived to assess the performance of the system.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Master of Science
Level thesis:degree_level
masters
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Civil Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2013

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Gunnam, Aswin Kumar
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Trani, Antonio A.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Hobeika, Antoine G.
  • Abbas, Montasir M.

Subjects

dc:subject × 7

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:89
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/49575

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Gunnam, Aswin Kumar. A Computer Model to Estimate Benefits of Data Link Mandates and Reduced Separations across North Atlantic Organized Track System. masters thesis, Virginia Tech, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/49575