Air Traffic Management Concept Baseline Definition - The Boeing ...

trades involved in this step will result in functional allocation and system architecture
decisions for the end-to-end system improvements being considered.
Items 1 through 5 above will require appropriate analysis tools to properly resolve the
complex issues, and it is important for these issues to remain at an overall system level.
Thus, the tools employed must include only the necessary level of detail and carefully
constructed metrics. The team is concerned that this is currently a weakness in the NAS
modernization process. Specific research topics aimed at addressing this concern are
discussed in Section 8.3.
The detailed validation of operational concept elements (i.e. the transition steps in the
modernization plan) follows the preliminary design trades described above. This is an area
where much more emphasis has been placed in traditional system development, and thus
many of the required methods and tools are already available. The following items must
be included in the concept validation process:
• Normal, non-normal, and rare-normal performance of all system components must be
included throughout the process. This may currently be an area of weakness in ATM
systems development, where too much emphasis is placed on normal performance, and
disturbances and failure modes are considered only late in the development process.
• Technology must be prototyped, including human factors considerations, and
simulation analysis used to produce performance data and refine the system design.
• Concept validation involves demonstrating technical and human performance, and the
associated benefits and costs, against the metrics established in the preliminary design
phase.
• The validation process is iterative, may lead to a conclusion that a concept (and
associated technology) is not viable and must be either modified or abandoned.
• When the validation process is completed, and an investment case is made, the concept
moves into system design, build and install.
Of the three primary system development phases (preliminary design, concept validation
and design and implementation), the last is by far the most costly, and the first can be
performed at a relatively low cost by properly focusing the effort. Thus, it is possible to
avoid potentially costly procurement that fails to meet requirements with a reasonable
investment in preliminary system design.
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