Principal Accomplishments

  • The FAA’s production Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS) with the 1-hour Terminal Convective Weather Forecast was deployed in New York, Dallas, Orlando, and Memphis this year. This marks the completion of Lincoln Laboratory’s work on an FAA system from concept, research, and prototype to technology transfer, contractor development, production, and certified operations.
Terminal Doppler Weather RadarTerminal Doppler Weather Radar
  • Progress continued on the Corridor Integrated Weather System (CIWS) Demonstration, now in use in the northeast U.S. at eight en route centers, six major terminal control areas, and the Air Traffic Control System Command Center. A large software engineering effort to restructure the CIWS prototype will enable continental U.S. coverage by 2008.
  • The Route Availability Planning Tool (RAPT) is Lincoln’s first work in the area of coupling weather forecast information into Air Traffic Management decision-support tools. A live RAPT demonstration in New York and a benefits assessment of RAPT began in May. Application to other major U.S. airports (Chicago’s O’Hare and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson) will begin.
  • The Runway Status Lights operational evaluation at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is being extended to include more runways as well as testing at Chicago’s O’Hare airport. This system reduces the number and severity of runway incursions and helps prevent accidents.
  • In support of the U.S. Department of Defense, the Laboratory is developing technologies and certification procedures that will permit unmanned aerial vehicles efficient access to the National Airspace System. Key technologies include sense-and-avoid and collision-avoidance systems.
  • The Laboratory commenced support to the FAA in the development of required surveillance performance and fusion algorithms for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, the primary next-generation air traffic control surveillance system.

 

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