The new ESUP release has been successfully deployed

During the night 27/28 Nov 2019 new release of the ESUP system has been deployed. In addition to several minor modifications and enhancements, two fundamental changes were implemented: „coordination outside the coordination points“ and the new FDOM application.

Coordination outside the coordination points

The ATS routes comprise significant points defining each of routes. These route points are obviously marking ground Nav aids. Due to modern navigation methods and needs to make flight operations  more effective is leading to fly on the shortest route, on “Free route flights” (off the ATS route) what save the fuel and brings the chance more environment-friendly flying. Free routes (direct) flights strategy has been continuously applied in the Czech Republic airspace, at first during night time and later also during the day in lower airspace, but still inside AoR of CR only.  However, irrespective FREE ROUTING the flights had to be coordinated with respect to agreed and published Transfer Control points located on fixed ATS route.

The new version of the ESUP system is allowing aligning the coordination data (ABI, ACT...) with COP (Coordination Point) with true point (outside of ATS route) where Free Route will really penetrate the first sector of Receiving ATC unit. This simple issue implementation required quite extensive changes to the system core, especially in the flight trajectory prediction which is the ESUP key factor. It was necessary to create a new vertical route profile calculation with the application of the operating restrictions since the former calculation was based just on the existence of defined ATS routes and points. Implementation has affected communication with other systems, therefore the detail specification of changes to the user interface was very important. The solution also includes a warning when the planned direct route may cause the violation of activated ARES (TRA, TSA).

FDOM

One of the important ATCU positions known is FDO – “The Flight Data Operator”. The FDO staff, „Flight Data“, is not directly providing ATS, nevertheless, it is a very important part in the air traffic management process chain. Their main goals are to check information about all active and proposed flights, especially taking a care of flawless flight plans reception and possible additional communication with neighboring ATCUs.

The FDO staff was used to almost 10-year-old SSD application, which had been designed to serve paper flight strips controlling process. During the development and implementation of advanced technologies in the ATM field, SSD application sustained lots of features that had no longer practical way of use.

FDOM, “Flight Data Operation Manager”, is a modern application designed in collaboration with FDO experts of Air Navigation Services CR aiming to meet current requirements of the End User. FDOM brings several improvements, but the best benefit of the developed solution is SPEED and CLARITY. The primary 14" display has been replaced by modern widescreen displays with WQHD (or higher) resolution, where all active and proposed flights are well presented, with the possibility of splitting data into several windows.

There is also available information about CWS controlling the active flights, what improves and speeds up the communication FDO with CWS concerned. There is another new feature of FDOM solution enabling effective servicing of error queues, resp. a quick view of the entire queue content without a need to list through all queue items.  An addition, new features allow the possibility to change the rules for flight coordination with neighboring ATCU according to the current traffic load, the number of controlled flights per sector, quick access to FDR/VFR flights and last but not least reducing the need of opened JETI application windows.

Thanks to the innovative approach and architecture, the system is fully open to new extensions based on end-user needs and requirements.