MIT AATT Model Project

SDAT: Sector Design Analysis Tool (FAA)

(7/22/96, KK)

1. Primary Model Category

Terminal and enroute sector design and controller workload analysis

2. Summary

SDAT has been developed by the FAA as an analytic tool for assistance in evaluation of changes in airspace design and traffic routing. SDAT takes the existing airspace and traffic data, reduces it to more manageable form, and allows the user to select, modify and add to the data interactively for display. Various customizable analyses based on conflict probabilities can then be run to provide metrics such as conflicts, traffic loading, impacts on users and sector controller task loads.

3. Input Requirements

SDAT can import standard airspace data:
  • Airspace data: sector boundaries, NAVAIDSs, fixes, routes etc. from ACES & Adaptation data.
  • Traffic data: from Automated Radar Tracking System (ARTS), System Analysis Recordings (SAR), Continuous Data Record (CDR) or the Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS).
  • Supplemental data: e.g. Special Use Airspace (SUA)
These are combined for display and analysis and raw traffic data reduced to show changes only in direction, climb rate, speed or controlling sector. Interactive or text mode modifications of airspace and traffic data can be performed for the problem at hand.

4. Outputs

The principal outputs are:
  • 3D conflict analysis:
    • potential hotspots for crossing or merging paths where need for increased separation exists
    • locations, frequencies and expected per sector and per flight conflict potential
    • on screen and text output
  • Traffic volumes in sectors: counts, durations and throughputs determined from sector boundary crossings
  • Impacts on users from changes:
    • flight time: based on average speed on each route segment
    • Total flight distance
    • sectors traversed
    • DOC based on average hourly cost for aircraft
  • Sector controller task loads: actions, messages, time required etc. calculated from exchanges of HOST data.

5. Major Assumptions and Limitations

Unknown. Dependence on recorded traffic data.

6. Computational Characteristics

SDAT has been written in C and operates in UNIX and X-Windows with the Motif window manager. The platform currently supported is HP workstations with HP-UX with future support for SUN systems.

There are four versions:

  • SDAT: Airspace and traffic at a single ARTCC
  • Regional SDAT: Airspace and traffic at upto 8 contiguous ARTCCs
  • Terminal SDAT: for terminal facilities

7. Modularity and Flexibility

Unknown. Interface to SIMMOD planned.

8. Status

Under development and operational test.

9. Extent of Model Verification

The core conflict analysis sector ranking has been found comparable to ranking by other methods (conflict alerts, operational errors and controller surveys).

10. Principal Applications

Sector redesign evaluation

11. Availability

The software is available from FAA ORLAB. For information contact:
    SDAT Program Manager
    c/o ASD-400
    Federal Aviation Administration
    800 Independence Avenue SW
    Washington DC 20591
    (202)-358-5223

12. Information for Model Evaluation

    Kenneth Geisinger (FAA)

    SDAT Users' Guide

    SDAT Task Load Model User Manual

    SDAT Brochure

13. Summary Evaluation

SDAT (Sector Design Analysis Tool) is an analytic tool for evaluation of changes in airspace design and traffic routing. SDAT uses the existing airspace and traffic data.It then reduces the traffic data to remove extraneous detail and allows the user to select, modify and add to the data interactively for display. Various analyses can then be run to provide metrics such as conflicts, traffic loading, impacts on users and sector controller task loads.

SDAT has been designed to be user friendly with a GUI interface and on-line help facilities. Graphical displays of data and analyses results showing user selected information are available:

  • Sector geometries
  • Traffic paths
  • Conflict hotspots
  • Flight timelines
  • Sector traffic and task loadings
SDAT takes the actual observed tracks, simplifies them into linear segments and determines the crossing points. Conflict probabilities for these points are then determined by assuming the aircraft to be randomly distributed in time along these tracks. The analysis is performed mathematically in a single run as compared to simulations which use multiple time-stepping runs with randomization (Monte-Carlo) to get statistical measures.

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