Projects

EUROCONTROL Headquarter established the First ATC Support Tools Implementation (FASTI) Programme in 2005. The aim of the programme is to provide assistance to ANSP’s in the implementation of a set of controller assistance tools (the FASTI tools) in such a way that provides a harmonised implementation across Europe. The FASTI tools include at present MTCD, MTAPW, MONA and SYSCO. Other Decision Support Tools (as for instance AMAN) may be added in the future.

The programme started from the consideration that Controller Assistance Tools have been developed, demonstrated and tested in R&D centres and ACCs for a number of years (see for instance the activity carried out in the framework of the MTCD Project). However very few ANSPs have made the transition to operations. In order to address this very issue and support the ANSPs in the transition the FASTI programme has been established. It provides guidance to the end user across a number of disciplines ranging from system specification to operation. This includes support for operations, cost benefit and business case development, human factors, validation and implementation support.

In the framework of this programme the FASTI South project was initiated in 2007, in order to support the transition to the FASTI tools in Italy and Malta. This project involves Eurocontrol FASTI programme, the industrial partner SELEX SI, ENAV and MATS as pioneer ANSPs and DeepBlue.

In the context of the FASTI programme, Pioneer ANSPs have been defined as those ANSPs that have either: (i) implemented some elements of FASTI which are in operational daily use or (ii)    procured new ATC systems which have included some elements of FASTI but which are not being fully exploited operationally.

It is ANSPs characterised in (ii) where the FASTI programme aims to provide support in order to a) capture lessons learned for the benefit of the wider ATC community and b) where necessary, offer assistance to achieve full exploitation of existing implementations to meet the aims and objective of both the FASTI programme and the individual ANSPs.

Both ENAV and MATS are considered as FASTI pioneers characterised in (ii). Though presenting different characteristics in terms of traffic patterns, density and complexity, they have adjacent ACCs, common objectives and the same system provider, namely Selex SI. Moreover they share a significant expectation in terms of traffic demand increase for the next 10 to 15 years. Their mutual coordination and cooperation in the framework of the project, together with the involvement of Eurocontrol and Selex SI, is expected to provide benefits in terms of common system requirements elicitation, reduction of development costs, early implementation and reduction of risks.

The FASTI South project makes up of two phases, that are respectively defined assessment and validation.

The Assessment Phase was carried out in 2007. During this phase the project elicited and documented ENAV’s and MATS’s strategic objectives and expectations in terms of potential benefits of the implementation of the FASTI toolkit.  In addition, Assessments (Operational, Human Factors and System) have been carried out at local operational sites i.e. Rome and Malta ACCs. Reports, recommendations and gap analyses were produced and accepted by the ANSPs involved.  

The Validation Phase is shedled in the timescale 2008-2010 and will mainly focus on the specification, implementation and validation of the common Tentative User Requirements collected at the end of the Assessment Phase. Two real-time simulations will be organised and executed during the Validation Phase. The final deliverable of Phase 2 shall include common validated user requirements.

Deep Blue Role

In the FASTI South Project Deep Blue is responsible for the work package dedicated to Validation. This means that it is responsible for the management of the validation activities associated to the organisation, preparation, conduct and report of the real-time simulations.
The validation objectives of the project to be investigated during the Validation Phase were defined starting from the ANSPs’ needs elicited in the Assessment Phase They mainly focus on the evaluation of the possible impact of the FASTI tools and of the associated working methods on:

• traffic management, particularly in terms of planning horizon and tactical interventions
• controllers’ workload
• controllers’ coordination tasks, both between civil units and civil and military units
• controllers’ mutual and situational awareness

The assessment of the possible effects of introducing the FASTI tools in Rome and Malta ACCs is based on 4 KPAs, namely operability, flight efficiency, capacity and safety. The CRIA© Validation Approach guides the whole validation process, being used for the investigation of aspects such as operability and safety (to which it is basically targeted), as well as the other aspects of interest, namely flight efficiency and capacity. 

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