Projects

ARDEP is the programme which supports the coordination of European ATM R&D activities by collecting and disseminating information about R&D projects and analysing results and trends. It provides the required basic information and material for a better management of the ATM R&D: reporting, resource analysis, planning and assessment. The service ncludes the system updates, the system operation and associated services (training, help online and troubleshooting, data quality control, etc).ARDEP was started in 1994 with the first survey of existing and planned Air Traffic Management (ATM) R&D activities in the EUROCONTROL member states.
The ARDEP system includes two main components: the database and the ISN (Information Support Network).

The scope of ARDEP is to get each year an accurate picture of the ATM R&D activities carried out in Europe.The objectives are:

• to provide, for the R&D community, transparencyon European R&D activities and thus to help avoiding duplication,
• to have a quantifiable and up-to-date picture oftrends in European R&D activities,
• to bring together the European ATM R&Dcommunity.

The ARDEP process is composed of annual cycles. ARDEP provides ACARE, the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe, with information in support of the creation of the Strategic Research Agenda. The Eurocontrol ATM 2000+ Strategy (developed and approved by the ECAC Transport Ministers), which describes the processes and measures necessary for the Air Traffic Management system to meet future transport needs. Directors and planners in EUROCONTROL member states for:

• planning, definition and funding of new activities, avoiding unnecessary overlapping,
• ensuring that R&D needs defined in the ATM 2000+ strategy are met,
• fostering collaborative programmes leading to more efficient use of resources and more effective exchange of ideas, and
• ensuring coordination of the individual R&D programmes within Europe.

Managers of R&D programmes for:

• use of available information and published results,
• visibility of own activities, and
• exchange of information.

What are its benefits?

ARDEP serves many and diverse clients, which share the same ambitions:

• they want to share the same view on ATM R&D activities in Europe,
• they want to optimise the R&D resources in their national and European programmes,
• they require access to R&D Cost Benefit Analyses to be able to make informed investment decisions in operational, economic or technical aspects of their business,
• they need to prioritise ATM R&D activities in Europe to make the best use of the resources available, in line with the ACARE SRA,
• they request more coordination of ATM R&D in Europe.

The role of the ISN

The ISN is made up of coordinators representing the organisations participating in the ARDEP data collection exercise. It includes ATM service providers, the EUROCONTROL agency and the European Commission. The following organisations participated to the 2003 campaign: AENA, DFS, DLR, DNA, European Commission, ENAV, Eurocontrol Experimental Centre, EUROCONTROL HQ, LFV, LVNL, NATS, NLR and SICTA. The terms of reference of the ISN are:

• to populate the ARDEP database with information and validate it,
• to analyse the data and provide input to the Green Book,
• to recommend on identified issues such as overlaps, gaps, balance, etc,
• to report to ATM R&D management,
• to specify new requirements coming from their organisations.

How does it operates?

The ARDEP process is composed of annual cycles. The data is collected yearly by the ISN members through the use of an interface developed by the ARDEP team.The ARDEP team is then responsible for entering all data into the main database held at EUROCONTROL HQ in Brussels. After an elaboration phase, the data is analysed by the ISN members and the annual ARDEP Analysis of the Data report (the Green Book') is published.

How to access ARDEP?

On the ARDEP web site, projects can be analysed under different views. They can be sorted by reference code, by cluster (projects whose parts/phases are carried out, and therefore declared, by different partners; they are counted as one single project for ARDEP purposes), by organisation, by ATM 2000+ item (Operational Improvements, Enablers and Horizontal issues), ACARE item and ARDEP domain. The intention of classifying projects in this manner is to provide a view which is objective-driven and which should help the analysis assess the overall balance of the European-wide R&D programme.

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