The project completes key aspects of the demand and capacity balancing (DCB) operational concept in those areas where improvements would make the implementation of the operational concept more efficient. Solutions will cover automatic support for spot analysis and resolution, integration of constraints and dynamic airspace configuration (DAC). The overall aim prepare these solutions for early deployment, integrating the new architecture of integrated Network Management (iNM).
Industrial research PROJECT
HARMONIC- Harmonised network through smart technology and Collaboration
In short
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PROJECT ID
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HARMONIC
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PROJECT TYPE
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Industrial research |
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FLAGSHIP
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Civil-military interoperability and coordination
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STATUS
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Ongoing |
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SESAR PROGRAMME
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Digital European Sky
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PROJECT DURATION
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2023-06-01 > 2026-05-31 |
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TOTAL COST
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€12.994.573,25
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EU CONTR.
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€4.650.794,29
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GRANT ID
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101114675
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PARTICIPANTS
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Eurocontrol, Enaire, Frequentis, Indra Sistemas Sa, Direction Des Services De La Navigation Aerienne (DSNA), Enav, Ids Airnav, Thales Las France , Ait Austrian Institute Of Technology , Universitat Linz, Deep Blue, Ng Aviation , PANSA, NATS, Skyguide, Flughafen Zurich, Swiss International Air Lines |
To achieve this, the activities will focus on the following :
- Enhance collaboration and communication: Promote improved collaboration and communication between local and network-level actors to support the implementation of the new Flow Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
- Optimise demand-capacity balancing: Implement solutions to automate demand management processes, optimise capacity utilisation and enable more effective decision-making.
- Improve dynamic airspace configurations: Enhance certain aspects of the dynamic airspace configurations concept to better manage airspace capacity. Provide supporting tools to allow humans to work efficiently in a complex and dynamic environment.
- Validate multi-constraint reconciliation: Elevate DCB to a new level with tools that allow stakeholders to express their business needs while ensuring correct capacity utilisation.
- Validate tools for civil-military collaboration: Test and validate a set of tools designed to improve collaboration between civil and military entities, ensuring flexible and cooperative capacity provision.
The project proposes two solutions to achieve the outlined objectives.
Enhanced demand management
Air traffic is surging, with local levels reaching pre-COVID numbers. Staff shortages and limited capacity at air traffic management (ATM) organisations have led to significant delays in recent years. The congestion problem is expected to persist, requiring innovative strategies to optimise capacity use and offer airlines greater operational flexibility.
Previous SESAR research demonstrated significant efficiency gains by selecting optimal flights and demand measures. Key results include the benefits of "what-if" tools for exploring demand measures and the importance of harmonised solutions involving all stakeholders. However, limitations remain in performance and user input criteria.
The Enhanced Demand Management solution aims to support local actors, such as local traffic managers (LTM) and extended ATC planners (EAPs) as well as the EUROCONTROL Network Manger Operations Centre (NMOC) to define solutions based on improved flight selection and measure choices. This approach ensures flexibility and equity for airlines while harmonising requests from all stakeholders.
By leveraging advanced tools and algorithms, Enhanced Demand Management aims to transform how air traffic demand and capacity are managed, ensuring smoother and more efficient operations across the network.
Solution 0382: Enhancing DCB Efficiency: Advanced DAC Process
Without the full introduction of DAC process, airspace management and demand-capacity balancing (DCB) are coordinated in a limited way and subject to numerous constraints allowing human actors to conduct the process in a correct manner with very limited automation. This leads to inefficiencies and delays, especially in complex situations where flexibility requirements are high. Controllers and planners struggled with this operating mode in peak traffic periods, resulting in suboptimal use of airspace.
The partners involved in SESAR projects set out to revolutionise this with Dynamic Airspace Configuration (DAC). Beginning with SESAR 1 and evolving through SESAR 2020, DAC demonstrated that flexible, integrated airspace management was not only possible but also practical.
In addition to the advantages, DAC brings also challenges to be resolved before deployment. Managing numerous sector configurations required advanced algorithms for optimal selection, particularly for finding optimal transitions between the configurations (configuration paths). Additionally, the collaborative decision-making (CDM) process needed enhancement to support cross-border coordination and redefine roles for key stakeholders.
The goal of DAC is to fully integrate demand and capacity tools, improving coordination and efficiency of ATFCM process in challenging traffic situations.
By advancing DAC processes and stakeholder integration, this solution aims to enhance airspace management, providing significant benefits to the entire ATM network.
HARMONIC- Harmonised network through smart technology and Collaboration